Pride

LDS Quotes on Pride

“The greatest of faults is to be conscious of none.”

Thomas Carlyle

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“Humility is an attribute of godliness possessed by true Saints. It is easy to understand why a proud man fails. He is content to rely upon himself only. This is evident in those who seek social position or who push others aside to gain position in fields of business, government, education, sports, or other endeavors. Our genuine concern should be for the success of others. The proud man shuts himself off from God, and when he does he no longer lives in the light.”

Howard W. Hunter  |  “The Pharisee and the Publican,” Ensign, May 1984, p. 66

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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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“The self-effacing person is soothing and gracious, while the self-promoting person is fragile and jarring. Humility is freedom from the need to prove you are superior all the time, but egotism is a ravenous hunger in a small space—self-concerned, competitive, and distinction-hungry. Humility is infused with lovely emotions like admiration, companionship, and gratitude.”

David Brooks  |  The Road to Character

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“Twelve years ago President Ezra Taft Benson delivered a powerful conference address declaring that pride is “the universal sin, the great vice.” (“Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989, p. 6) He taught that pride is essentially competitive in nature and made reference to his quote from C. S. Lewis: “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, cleverer, or better-looking than others. If every one else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking there would be nothing to be proud about. It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone. (Mere Christianity, 1960, p. 95 [or 109-110])”

Marlin K. Jensen  |  “To Walk Humbly with Thy God,” Ensign, May 2001, p. 10

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“Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing. The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means ‘hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.’ It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.”

Ezra Taft Benson  |  “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989

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“Fear of men’s judgment manifests itself in competition for men’s approval. The proud love ‘the praise of men more than the praise of God.’ Our motives for the things we do are where the sin is manifest. Jesus said He did ‘always those things’ that pleased God. Would we not do well to have the pleasing of God as our motive rather than to try to elevate ourselves above our brother and outdo another?.”

Ezra Taft Benson  |  “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989

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“Christ wants to lift us to where He is. Do we desire to do the same for others?”

Ezra Taft Benson

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“Pride adversely affects all our relationships—our relationship with God and His servants, between husband and wife, parent and child, employer and employee, teacher and student, and all mankind. Our degree of pride determines how we treat our God and our brothers and sisters. Christ wants to lift us to where He is. Do we desire to do the same for others?”

Ezra Taft Benson  |  “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989

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Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“There is enough heartache and sorrow in this life without our adding to it through our own stubbornness, bitterness, and resentment. … We must let go of our grievances. … That is the Lord’s way.”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf  |  “The Merciful Obtain Mercy,” 76–77

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