Humility

LDS Quotes on Humility

Spencer W. Kimball Portrait

“If the Lord was meek and lowly and humble, then to become humble one must do what He did in boldly denouncing evil, bravely advancing righteous works, courageously meeting every problem, becoming the master of himself and the situations about him and being near oblivious to personal credit. . . .Humble and meek properly suggest virtues, not weaknesses. They suggest a consistent mildness of temper and an absence of wrath and passion. Humility suggests no affectation, no bombastic actions. It is not turbid nor grandiloquent. It is not servile submissiveness. It is not cowed nor frightened. No shadow or the shaking of a leaf terrorizes it…How does one get humble? To me, one must constantly be reminded of his dependence. On whom dependent? On the Lord. How remind one’s self? By real, constant, worshipful, grateful prayer.”

Spencer W. Kimball  |  “Humility,” BYU Speeches of the Year

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“Every man is a diary in which he writes one story while intending to write another. His humblest moment is when he compares the two.”

Hugh B. Brown

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“Humility is the essence of repentance. Humility is selfless, not selfish. It doesn’t demand its own way or speak with moral superiority. Instead, humility answers softly and listens kindly for understanding, not vindication. Humility recognizes that no one can change someone else, but with faith, effort, and the help of God, we can undergo our own mighty change of heart. (See Alma 5:11-12, 26-31.) Experiencing the mighty change of heart causes us to treat others, especially our spouses, with meekness. (See Moroni 7:43-48; 8:25-26.) Humility means that both husbands and wives seek to bless, help, and lift each other, putting the other first in every decision. Watch and learn: repentance and humility build happy marriages.”

L. Whitney Clayton  |  "Marriage: Watch and Learn"

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“Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others…By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.”

Gordon B. Hinckley  |  “Whosoever Will Save His Life”

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Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“I am going to preach a hard doctrine to you now. The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. It is a hard doctrine, but it is true. The many other things we give to God, however nice that may be of us, are actually things He has already given us, and He has loaned them to us. But when we begin to submit ourselves by letting our wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him. And that hard doctrine lies at the center of discipleship.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  “Insights from My Life,” Ensign, August 2000, p. 9

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Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“Pride is a switch that turns off priesthood power. Humility is a switch that turns it on.”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf  |  "Pride and the Priesthood"

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“If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” [Ether 12:27] There are interesting things about that scripture, one is that the Lord gives us weaknesses – not sin, but weaknesses – so that we may be humble. Think about that for a moment. If we were perfect in every respect, it would be hard to be humble. Even in specific things, humility comes harder to those who are very strong in one area or another. The woman or man who is remarkably beautiful or handsome can easily become proud of her or his appearance. A brilliant scholar may look down in condescension on those less intellectually blessed. Our weaknesses help us to be humble.

Elder M. Russell Ballard  |  “Strong in the Lord, and in the Power of His Might,” March 3, 2002

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God is weaving his tapestry according to his own grand design. All flesh is in his hands. It is not our prerogative to counsel him. It is our responsibility and our opportunity to be at peace in our minds and in our hearts, and to know that he is God, that this is his work, and that he will not permit it to fail.

We have no need to fear. We have no need to worry. We have no need to speculate. Our imperative need is to be found doing our duty individually in the callings which have come to us.

Gordon B. Hinckley  |  “He Slumbers Not, nor Sleeps,” Ensign, May 1983

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Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“Joseph Smith loved learning even though he had few opportunities for formal education. In his journals, he spoke happily of days spent in study and often expressed his love of learning. Joseph taught the Saints that knowledge was a necessary part of our mortal journey, for “a man is saved no faster than he [gains] knowledge,” and that “whatever principle of intelligence we attain … in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.” During challenging times, it is even more important to learn. The Prophet Joseph taught, “Knowledge does away with darkness, [anxiety], and doubt; for these cannot exist where knowledge is.”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf  |  "Two Principles for Any Economy", Ensign, Nov 2009, 55–58

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Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“To boast ‘I can handle it’ without any inner meekness is to set oneself up for failure. The adversary doubtless noses any superficial boasts by women and men alike. Because he was and is so perfectly meek and lowly, Jesus submitted his will to the Father’s will. For us, truly doing likewise may seem so out of reach, partly because we ironically insist on attaching hindering conditions to our submission. There is too much hesitance and holding back.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell

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