Wisdom

LDS Quotes on Wisdom

“It is so important that you young men and you young women get all of the education that you can. The Lord has said very plainly that His people are to gain knowledge of countries and kingdoms and of things of the world through the process of education, even by study and by faith. Education is the key which will unlock the door of opportunity for you. It is worth sacrificing for. It is worth working at, and if you educate your mind and your hands, you will be able to make a great contribution to the society of which you are a part, and you will be able to reflect honorably on the Church of which you are a member. My dear young brothers and sisters, take advantage of every educational opportunity that you can possibly afford, and you fathers and mothers, encourage your sons and daughters to gain an education, which will bless their lives.”

Gordon B. Hinckley

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It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

Anne Frank  |  The Diary of a Young Girl

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“Humility is the awareness that there’s a lot you don’t know and that a lot of what you think you know is distorted or wrong.”

David Brooks  |  The Road to Character

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“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”

Albert Einstein

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“Many of the most important principles of intelligence cannot be taught at universities, from books, or through other temporal learning processes. Often these great principles are learned from afflictions, tribulations, and other mortal experiences. All that we learn in this manner will benefit us not only in this life but also in the next, for ‘whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection’ (D&C 130:18).”

Monte J. Brough  |  “Adversity, the Great Teacher,” Ensign, Aug. 2006, 10

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“There are many things of which a wise man might wish to be ignorant.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”

Albert Einstein

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“Our priorities determine what we seek in life. ‘Wherefore, seek not the things of this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness’ (JST, Matthew 6:38), Jesus taught his disciples. As we read in modern revelation: ‘Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.’ (D&C 6:7.)”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks  |  Pure in Heart, 6

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Joseph Smith Portrait

The best way to obtain truth and wisdom is not to ask from books, but to go to God in prayer, and obtain divine teaching.

Joseph Smith

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“Thanking is the true inward knowing.”

Julian of Norwich

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“To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.”

Lao Tzu

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“I bear witness—and I know that the witness I bear is true—that the men and the women who have been absolutely honest with God, who have paid their tithing, … God has given them wisdom whereby they have been able to utilize the remaining nine-tenths, and it has been of greater value to them, and they have accomplished more with it than they would if they had not been honest with the Lord”

Heber J. Grant  |  Conference Report, Apr. 1912, p. 30

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“Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?”

TS Eliot

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“In all the history of the world there have been many great and wise souls, many of whom claimed special knowledge of God. But when the Savior rose from the tomb, He did something no one had ever done. He did something no one else could do. He broke the bonds of death, not only for Himself but for all who have ever lived – the just and the unjust (see John 5:28–29).”

Joseph B. Wirthlin  |  “Dark Friday, Bright Sunday,” New Era, March 2008, p. 4

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“Education is the difference between wishing you could help other people and being able to help them.”

Russell M. Nelson

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“Education is the power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world’s work, and the power to appreciate life.”

Brigham Young

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Joseph Smith Portrait

“The things of God are of deep import, and time, and experience, and careful, and solemn, and ponderous thoughts can only find them out.”

Joseph Smith

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“One may have many talents and knowledge but never acquire wisdom because he does not learn to be compassionate with his fellow man. We will never approach godliness until we learn to love and lift. Indifference to others and their plight denies us life’s sweetest moments of joy and service.”

Marvin J. Ashton  |  “The Measure Of Our Hearts,” General Conference, October 1988

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“Pray for wisdom and understanding as you walk the difficult paths of your lives. If you are determined to do foolish and imprudent things, I think the Lord will not prevent you. But if you seek His wisdom and follow the counsel of the impressions that come to you, I am confident that you will be blessed.”

Gordon B. Hinckley  |  “Benediction,” Ensign, May 2003, pp. 99-100

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“Some seem to believe that faith and questions are antithetical. Such could not be further from the truth. The question is not whether or not we should ask questions but rather, what are the questions that we should be asking?”

Cecil O. Samuelson

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“There is something almost sacred about a great library because it represents the preservation of the wisdom, the learning, and the pondering of men and women of all the ages, accumulated under one roof.”

Gordon B. Hinckley  |  Standing for Something: Ten Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes

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“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”

Maya Angelou

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“We can be knowledgeable with other men’s knowledge, but we can’t be wise with other men’s wisdom. That’s because wisdom isn’t a body of information. It’s the moral quality of knowing what you don’t know and figuring out a way to handle your ignorance, uncertainty, and limitation.”

David Brooks  |  The Road to Character

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Spencer W. Kimball Portrait

“I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away. If I immerse myself in the scriptures the distance narrows and the spirituality returns. I find myself loving more intensely those whom I must love with all my heart and mind and strength, and loving them more, I find it easier to abide their counsel.”

Spencer W. Kimball  |  “What I Hope You Will Teach My Grandchildren and All Others of the Youth of Zion,” address to Seminary and Institute personnel, BYU, 11 July 1966, p. 6.

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“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”

Socrates

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“In fact, the more we read the scriptures, the more meaningful our learning becomes. That is because scriptural learning is cumulative. Everything we learn becomes the foundation for greater learning.”

Elder Robert D. Hales

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“Genius is patience.”

Isaac Newton

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Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“Alas, in our age, some arrogantly believe that if they cannot comprehend something, then God cannot comprehend it either.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell

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Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“Whether young or old, we need to be good friends, but also to pick our friends carefully. By choosing the Lord first, choosing one’s friends becomes easier and much safer. Consider the contrasting friendships in the city of Enoch compared to peers in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah! The citizens of the city of Enoch chose Jesus and a way of life, then became everlasting friends. So much depends on whom and what we seek first.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell

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Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“Brothers and sisters, the scriptures are like a developmental display window through which we can see gradual growth – along with this vital lesson: it is direction first, then velocity! Enoch’s unique people were improved “in process of time.” (Moses 7:21) Jesus “received not of the fulness at first, but received grace for grace” (D&C 93:12) and even He grew and “increased in wisdom and stature” (Luke 2:52).”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  “Not Withstanding My Weakness,” Ensign, November 1976

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