Holy Ghost Quotes
"Increasingly, the balance between living in the world and not being of the world is becoming more delicate. Publications, radio, television, and the Internet have surrounded us with worldliness. . . . We are fortunate to have been blessed with a special power to direct us in making important decisions between right and wrong."
Elder L. Tom Perry, "That Spirit which Leadeth to do Good" CR April 1997
"We have not been left alone. We have the light of Christ and the Holy Ghost to lead and guide us in an otherwise very dark and dreary world."
Elder Robert D. Hales, "In Remembrance of Jesus", CR October 1997.
"The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand. Rather it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all."
Elder Packer has stated: ("The Candle of the Lord," ENSIGN, Jan. 1983, 53).
"The gift of the Holy Ghost is as important to man as sunshine and water are to plants."
LeGrand Richards - "The Gift of the Holy Ghost" - October 1979 General Conference
"Repentance takes care of the past, faith the future, and the Holy Ghost helps us with today."
Elder Neal A. Maxwell "Of One Heart," p. 30
"My plea with you would be to put your life in order; repent of all your sins, because the Holy Ghost is a holy being, as his title indicates, and He cannot dwell with an unclean or unworthy person. The Lord said, 'Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then . . the Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion.' (D&C 121:45-46 .) Be like the king of the Lamanites who said, when he was converted, 'I will give away all my sins to know thee.' (Alma 22:18.) That is exactly what we have to do if we are going to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost--give away all our sins."
Daniel H. Ludlow "How Many is One?" - BYU Speeches of the Year, November 12, 1963
"Elder LeGrand Richards, describing the gift of the Holy Ghost, said: 'To me, the gift of the Holy Ghost is as important to man as sunshine and water are to the plants. You take them away, and the plants would die. You take the Holy Ghost out of this Church, and this Church would not be any different than any other church. And it is manifest in so many ways in the lives and the devotion of the members of the Church'. ("The Gift of the Holy Ghost," ENSIGN, Nov. 1979, 76)
Elder L. Tom Perry, "That Spirit Which Leadeth to Do Good"
"The impressions on the soul that comes from the Holy Ghost are far more significant than a vision. It is where the spirit speaks to spirit and the imprint upon the soul is far more difficult to erase."
Joseph Fielding Smith speaking to the Seminaries and Institutes at BYU in 1958
"The gift of the Holy Ghost may be likened to a sure, personal compass to provide lifesaving vision, wisdom, and insight as a spiritual window. The Holy Ghost gives us clear guidance and direction in a world of unanchored faith. President James E. Faust expressed his assuring testimony that 'the Spirit of the Holy Ghost is the greatest guarantor of inward peace in our unstable world...It will calm nerves; it will breathe peace to our souls...It can enhance our natural senses so that we can see more clearly, hear more keenly, and remember what we should remember. It is a way of maximizing our happiness.'"
Joseph B. Wirthlin - "Windows of Light and Truth" (Oct. Gen. Conf. 1995) The Gift of the Holy Ghost—A Sure Compass,” - James E. Faust, Ensign, May 1989, 31
"The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand. Rather, it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all...Occasionally it will press just firmly enough for us to pay heed. But most of the time, if we do not heed the gently feeling, the Spirit will withdraw and wait until we come seeking and listening and say in our manner and expression, like Samuel of ancient times, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth."
(1 Samuel 39-10) Boyd K. Packer (New Mission Presidents' Seminar, June 25, 1982)
"As starving men crave a crust of bread, as choking men thirst for water, so do the righteous yearn for the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is a Revelator: he is a Sanctifier; he reveals truth, and he cleanses human souls. He is the Spirit of Truth, and his baptism is one of fire; he burns dross and evil out of repentant souls as though by fire. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest of all the gifts of God, as pertaining to this life; and those who enjoy that gift here and now, will inherit eternal life hereafter, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God in eternity."
Bruce R. McConkie ("The Mortal Messiah", 2:122)
"There is nothing as important as having the companionship of the Holy Ghost."
Bruce R. McConkie (A New Witness For The Articles Of Faith, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book Co, 1985, page 253)
"I know from experience that some seasoned members of the Church do not know when they are receiving a witness of the Spirit...Perhaps lifelong members of the Church don't recognize the testimony of the Spirit because they have had it so often they take it for granted. Perhaps they are looking for something startling and different... I have heard adult members of the Church claim they do not have a testimony because they have never experienced a 'burning in the bosom' (D&C 9:8). If I thought this scriptural 'burning' only referred to caloric heat, I would have to say that I have never had a burning in the bosom either...
In this usage, it does not seem to refer to heat but rather to an intensity of feeling. For me, the witness of the Holy Ghost is an intense feeling of serenity or well-being."
Instructing missionaries at the MTC on June 21, 1988, Elder Dallin H. Oaks
"The Holy Ghost is the greatest guarantor of inward peace in our unstable world."
James E. Faust (Ensign, May 1989, page 33)
"President Packer's message was that we must live worthy to have the Holy Ghost with us 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the rest of our lives. This was not a message for us only; it is a message for every member of the Church. Can you imagine what would happen if every man, woman, youth, and child lived in such a way as to qualify? We would startle the world. Imagine 11 million members of the Church now, and then 20, 50, 80, and 100 million in the future having the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost."
Vaughn J. Featherstone, BYU Devotional, Feb. 13, 2001
"I can promise you that the Spirit is a lot more anxious to help you than you are to be helped."
S. Dilworth Young
"Given where we must go, we need the Holy Ghost as a constant companion, not just as an occasional influence."
Neal A. Maxwell, Missionary Satellite Broadcast, Aug. 29, 1999
Parley P. Pratt gave us a vision of what the gift of the Holy Ghost could mean to us when he said:
"The gift of the Holy Ghost . . . quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use.
It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature.
It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features.
It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling.
It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man.
It strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves.
In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being" (Key to the Science of Theology, 9th ed. [1965], 101).
Quoted by Elder L. Tom Perry, CR April 1997
"God does not send thunder if a still small voice is enough."
Neal A. Maxwell (Ensign, November 1976, page 14)
"The Holy Ghost serves . . . as a revelator, revealing great, new, and important truths. God, with his infinite knowledge and power has developed a system of communication far superior to anything mortals have yet developed or even conceived. Through the Holy Spirit, he is able to communicate with his children instantly, individually, and personally."
"With the gift of the Holy Ghost comes the ability to develop a powerfully sensitive capacity to make the right choices. Cultivate that gift. As the Lord has said, that is accomplished by consistent, righteous living. As you enhance your capacity to sense the direction of that infallible influence, you will avoid disappointment, discouragement, and even tragedy."
Richard G. Scott - October 1999 General Conference - "He Lives"
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, "There is no price too high . . . no sacrifice too great, if out of it all we . . enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost" (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [1984], 253).
What are we willing to do, what weaknesses and indulgences will we give up, to have as our personal protector and guide the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost?
Sheri L. Dew, General Women's Conference, Sept. 26, 1998, "We are Not Alone"
"Now, I testify it is a small voice. It whispers, not shouts. And so you must be very quiet inside. That is why you may wisely fast when you want to listen. And that is why you will listen best when you feel, “Father, thy will, not mine, be done.” You will have a feeling of “I want what you want.” Then, the still small voice will seem as if it pierces you. It may make your bones to quake. More often it will make your heart burn within you, again softly, but with a burning which will lift and reassure."
Henry B. Eyring - April 1991 General Conference "To Draw Closer to God"
From President Lorenzo Snow we learn the benefits of seeking the Spirit: “There is a way by which persons can keep their consciences clear before God and man, and that is to preserve within them the spirit of God, which is the spirit of revelation to every man and woman. It will reveal to them, even in the simplest of matters, what they shall do, by making suggestions to them. We should try to learn the nature of this spirit, that we may understand its suggestions, and then we will always be able to do right. This is the grand privilege of every Latter-day Saint. We know that it is our right to have the manifestations of the spirit every day of our lives. … The spirit is in every man and every woman so that they need not walk in the darkness at all, and it is not always necessary for them to come to the President of the Church, or to the Twelve, or to the Elders of Israel, to get counsel; they have it within them. … From the time we receive the Gospel, go down into the waters of baptism and have hands laid upon us afterwards for the gift of the Holy Ghost, we have a friend, if we do not drive it from us by doing wrong. That friend is the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, which partakes of the things of God and shows them unto us. This is a grand means that the Lord has provided for us, that we may know the light, and not be groveling continually in the dark.”
“The Spirit of God speaking to the spirit of man has power to impart truth with greater effect and understanding than the truth can be imparted by personal contact even with heavenly beings. Through the Holy Ghost the truth is woven into the very fibre and sinews of the body so that it cannot be forgotten”.
President Joseph Fielding Smith taught: (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954-56], 1:47-48).
Dallin H. Oaks - "Teaching and Learning by the Spirit" - Ensign, Mar. 1997, 10
"The Holy Ghost is a comforter and a guide. But it is also a cleansing agent.
That is why service in the kingdom is so crucial to enduring. When we are called to serve, we can pray for the Holy Ghost to be our companion with assurance it will come.
When we ask in faith, a change can come in our natures both for the welfare of our souls and to strengthen us for the tests we all must face."
Henry B. Eyring, "True Friends," Ensign, May 2002, 28
"Almost everyone has felt the influence of the Holy Ghost at some point in life. It is through the Holy Ghost that truth is confirmed upon our souls.
But the special ministry of the Holy Ghost is to help people believe and follow the teachings of the Father and the Son.
In order to accomplish this important mission, he must be different from the other members of the Godhead in at least one respect.
Through Joseph Smith the Lord revealed that 'the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.' (D&C 130:22.)"
"Our natural gifts and abilities are limited, but when augmented by inspiration and guidance of the Holy Ghost, our potential increases many fold."
James E. Faust, Ensign, May 2002, 47
"We must never ignore or pass by the prompting of the Spirit to render service to one another."
M. Russell Ballard (May 1990 Ensign "Small and Simple Things", page 8)
"These stirrings [of conscience] within us originate from a divine source and, when followed, will help to keep us on course, thus protecting us from harmful influences and dangerous detours."
Kenneth Johnson, "Yielding to the Enticings of the Holy Spirit," Ensign, Nov. 2002, 90
"Our homes need to be more Christ-centered. We should spend more time at the temple and less time in the pursuit of pleasure.
We should lower the noise level in our homes so that the noise of the world will not overpower the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost.
One of our greatest goals as parents should be to enjoy the power and influence of the Holy Ghost in our homes."
Joseph B. Wirthlin, "The Unspeakable Gift," Ensign, May 2003, 28
"Brothers and sisters, preferred to periodic miracles is having the Holy Ghost as a 'constant companion'
(see D&C 121:46)."Elder Neal A. Maxwell - Ensign, Nov. 1999, 8
"With the proper serum, the physical body is protected against disease.
We can also protect our children from moral and spiritual diseases. The word inoculate has two parts: in--'to be within'--and oculate means 'eye to see.'
When children are baptized and confirmed (see D&C 20:41, 43; 33:15), we place an eye within them--the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost (see D&C 121:26).
With the restoration of the gospel came authority to confer this gift."
Boyd K. Packer, "Do Not Fear," General Conference, April 2004
"The greatest gift in mortality is the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is 'the right to have, whenever one is worthy, the companionship of the Holy Ghost' (LDS Bible Dictionary, 'Holy Ghost').
The Holy Ghost is the custodian of all the gifts of the Spirit, chief among which is the gift of the knowledge of God (see D&C 46:13-14; John 17:3).
The gift of the Holy Ghost is the key to obtaining the gift of eternal life, the greatest of all the gifts of God."
David A. Burton, "I Have a Question," Ensign, February 1999, p. 52
"The gift of the Holy Ghost, given to us when we are confirmed, gives us the ability to discern the difference between the giving ways of the kingdom of God and the taking practices of the world."
Elder Robert D. Hales - Ensign, Nov. 2000, 8
"Because they expound the doctrine of Christ, the scriptures are accompanied by the Holy Spirit, whose role it is to bear witness of the Father and the Son (see 3 Nephi 11:32).
Therefore, being in the scriptures is one way we receive the Holy Ghost. Of course, scripture is given through the Holy Ghost in the first place (see 2 Peter 1:21; D&C 20:26–27; 68:4), and that same Spirit can attest its truth to you and me.
Study the scriptures carefully, deliberately. Ponder and pray over them. Scriptures are revelation, and they will bring added revelation."
D. Todd Christofferson, "The Blessing of Scripture," Ensign, May 2010, 35
The Holy Ghost not only helps us to recognize plain truth but also plain nonsense!
Neal A. Maxwell