One Elder Holland Quote to Help You in
Different Situations by Emily Abel LDSLiving
As much as we
would all love to get in-person life advice from Elder Holland (and he would
probably love to give it), that is unlikely to happen to most of us. But
somewhere on this handy list, there's a quote from this passionate apostle that
will speak directly to your situation.
If You Need a Good Pep Talk
"Please
remember tomorrow, and all the days after that, that the Lord blesses those who
want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who
cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire
them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to
help you keep going. If you fall, summon His strength. Call out like Alma, 'O
Jesus, … have mercy on me.' He will help you get back up. He will help you
repent, repair, fix whatever you have to fix, and keep going. Soon enough you
will have the success you seek." "Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders Among You," April
2016 General Conference
If You Feel Like Life Is Slipping Out of Control
"Are
we all just hanging in a cold canyon somewhere in an indifferent universe, each
of us searching for a toehold, each of us seeking for something to grip—with
nothing but the feeling of sand sliding under our fingers, nothing to save us,
nothing to hold on to, much less anything to hold on to us? Is our only purpose
in life an empty existential exercise—simply to leap as high as we can, hang on
for our prescribed three score years and ten, then fail and fall, and keep
falling forever?
"The
answer to those questions is an unequivocal and eternal no! With prophets
ancient and modern, I testify that “all things have been done in the wisdom of
him who knoweth all things." "Where Justice Love and Mercy Meet," April
2015 General Conference
If You Need Some Solid Common Sense
"One
would truly need a great and spacious makeup kit to compete with beauty as
portrayed in media all around us." "To Young Women," October 2005 General
Conference
"No
misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse." "The Tongue of Angels," April
2007 General Conference
"Imperfect
people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating
to Him, but He deals with it. So should we." "Lord, I Believe," April 2013 General
Conference
“Like
thieves in the night, unwelcome thoughts can and do seek entrance to our minds.
But we don't have to throw open the door, serve them tea and crumpets and tell
them where the silverware is kept!” "Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul," April
2010 General Conference
If It Feels Like Your Service Isn’t Amounting to Anything
"A
journalist once questioned Mother Teresa of Calcutta about her hopeless task of
rescuing the destitute in that city. He said that, statistically speaking, she
was accomplishing absolutely nothing. This remarkable little woman shot back
that her work was about love, not statistics. Notwithstanding the staggering
number beyond her reach, she said she could keep the commandment to love God
and her neighbor by serving those within her reach with whatever resources she
had. 'What we do is nothing but a drop in the ocean,' she would say on another
occasion. 'But if we didn’t do it, the ocean would be one drop less [than it
is].' Soberly, the journalist concluded that Christianity is obviously not a
statistical endeavor. He reasoned that if there would be more joy in heaven
over one sinner who repents than over the ninety and nine who need no
repentance, then apparently God is not overly preoccupied with
percentages." "Are We Not All Beggars?" October
2014 General Conference
If You Need a Healthy Dose of Optimism
"We
know for certain that if and when everything else in the latter days is down or
dying; if governments, economies, industries, and institutions crumble; if
societies and cultures become a quagmire of chaos and insecurity, nevertheless,
through it all the gospel of Jesus Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints that bears that gospel to the world will stand triumphant. It
will stand undefiled in God’s hand until the very Son of God Himself comes to
rule and reign as Lord of lords and King of kings. Nothing is more certain in
this world. Nothing is more sure. Nothing could be more of an antidote to
anxiety." "Be Not Afraid, Only Believe," February
6, 2015, Address to CES Religious Educators
If You Feel Far from God
"I
do not know who in this vast audience today may need to hear the message of
forgiveness inherent in this parable, but however late you think you are,
however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel
you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and
family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled
beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than
the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines." "The Laborers in the Vineyard," April
2012 General Conference
If You Feel Like a Bit of an Oddball
“On those
days when we feel a little out of tune, a little less than what we think we see
or hear in others, I would ask us, especially the youth of the Church, to
remember it is by divine design that not all the voices in God’s choir are the
same. It takes variety—sopranos and altos, baritones and basses—to make rich
music. To borrow a line quoted in the cheery correspondence of two remarkable
Latter-day Saint women, 'All God’s critters got a place in the choir.' When we
disparage our uniqueness or try to conform to fictitious
stereotypes—stereotypes driven by an insatiable consumer culture and idealized
beyond any possible realization by social media—we lose the richness of tone
and timbre that God intended when He created a world of diversity.” "Songs Sung and Unsung," April
2017 General Conference
If the Future Feels Daunting
"There
is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It
is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the 'light that is
endless, that can never be darkened.' It is the very Son of God Himself. In
loving praise far beyond Romeo’s reach, we say, 'What light through yonder window
breaks?' It is the return of hope, and Jesus is the Sun. To any who may be
struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying.
God loves you. Things will improve. Christ comes to you in His 'more excellent
ministry' with a future of 'better promises.' He is your 'high priest of good
things to come.'” "An High Priest of Good Things to Come," October
1999 General Conference
If You Wonder If God Knows You
"Brothers
and sisters, I testify that no one of us is less treasured or cherished of God
than another. I testify that He loves each of us—insecurities, anxieties,
self-image, and all. He doesn’t measure our talents or our looks; He doesn’t
measure our professions or our possessions. He cheers on every runner, calling
out that the race is against sin, not against each other." "The Other Prodigal," April
2002 General Conference
If You Are Confronted with Emotional or Mental Illness
"So
how do you best respond when mental or emotional challenges confront you or
those you love? Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves
you more than you can comprehend. As President Monson said to the Relief
Society sisters so movingly . . . 'That love never changes. . . . It is there
for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there
for you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there.'
Never, ever doubt that, and never harden your heart. Faithfully pursue the
time-tested devotional practices that bring the Spirit of the Lord into your
life. Seek the counsel of those who hold keys for your spiritual well-being.
Ask for and cherish priesthood blessings. Take the sacrament every week, and
hold fast to the perfecting promises of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Believe
in miracles. I have seen so many of them come when every other indication would
say that hope was lost. Hope is never lost. If those miracles do not come soon
or fully or seemingly at all, remember the Savior’s own anguished example: if
the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days
ahead." "Like a Broken Vessel," October
2013 General Conference
