Testimony Quotes
"I have sympathy for young men and young women when honest doubts enter their minds and they engage in the great conflict of resolving doubts. These doubts can be resolved, if they have an honest desire to know the truth, by exercising moral, spiritual, and mental effort.
They will emerge from the conflict into a firmer, stronger, larger faith because of the struggle. They have gone from a simple, trusting faith, through doubt and conflict, into a solid substantial faith which ripens into testimony.
Howard W. Hunter :(CR Oct 1960)
"To hold a testimony, one must bear it often and live worthy of it. "
Spencer W. Kimball (1944 General Conference Report., page 45)
"Testimony bearing is not preaching. Do not exhort each other; that is not a testimony. Do not tell others how to live. Just tell how you feel inside. That is the testimony. The moment you begin preaching to others, your testimony ended. Just tell us how you feel, what your mind and heart and every fiber of your body tells you. "
The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, Pg.138
"Let me say to you, that many of you will see the time when you will have all the trouble, trial and persecution that you can stand, and plenty of opportunities to show that you are true to God and his work. This Church has before it many close places through which it will have to pass before the work of God is crowned with victory.
To meet the difficulties that are coming, it will be necessary for you to have a knowledge of the truth of this work for yourselves. The difficulties will be of such a character that the man or woman who does not possess this personal knowledge or witness will fall. If you have not got the testimony, live right and call upon the Lord and cease not till you obtain it. If you do not you will not stand.
"Remember these sayings, for many of you will live to see them fulfilled. The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within himself. If you do not have it, how can you stand?"
(See Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 449-50)
"When the Spirit is present, people are not offended when you share your feelings about the gospel."
M. Russell Ballard (November 1986 Ensign, page 33)
"A testimony is fragile. It is as hard to hold as a moonbeam. It is something you have to recapture every day of your life."
Harold B. Lee (Church News, July 15, 1972, page 4)
"True disciples are those who go beyond simply believing. They act out their belief."
James E. Faust (Ensign, May 1985, page 30, "The Resurrection")
"That same sure testimony of Jesus can be yours, because the gospel has been restored in its fulness in the last days. Testimony and knowledge come as a result of your personal faith and prayers. Ask your Heavenly Father to bless you with faith and courage, and He will help you endure any challenges you may face.
He will help you overcome loneliness, feelings of desperation and hopelessness, setbacks of a personal, emotional, financial, and even spiritual nature, or will strengthen you when you are simply feeling overwhelmed by all of the demands for your time and attention.
He will give you the ability to serve faithfully in every assignment you receive from your local Church leaders. Your faith and your knowledge of the restoration of the gospel will give you the strength to be faithful and true to the covenants you have made with the Lord, and to share your strengths and talents gladly to build up the kingdom of God here on the earth!
Your testimony of Jesus Christ is the most important anchor that you can have to help hold you, steadfast and immovable, to principles of righteousness, regardless of the challenges and temptations that may come in the future."
M. Russell Ballard "Steadfast in Christ," Ensign, Dec. 1993, p. 51–52
"To those of you who feel that you have a firm testimony, remember: a testimony is never static; a testimony can be lost. To keep it alive, it must be fed."
Franklin D. Richards, "Testimony," Ensign, May 1974, 57
"Believe in order to understand," rather than "understand (in order to) believe."
(St. Anselm, trans. Sidney Norton Deane [1903], 7) Quoted by Neal A. Maxwell, Nov. 2002 Ensign, p. 18 - "Encircled in the Arms of His Love"
"Testifying is the purest form of human communication. The deepest meaning, the deepest conviction of one's soul is being given to another through the medium of the Holy Spirit."
Stephen R. Covey (Ensign, October 1977, page 53)
"A testimony is a priceless gift from God. But even though a person may receive a witness through the Holy Ghost, there is no guarantee that this testimony will remain steadfast unless the person exerts constant effort to keep that testimony alive."
Elder Henry D. Taylor, Tuesday Afternoon Session, April 6, 1971
"All of us must find our own testimonies."
President James E. Faust - General Conference, October 2003
"I hope that we have grateful hearts for the knowledge that we have and the testimonies we have and for the feelings we have."
Elder David B. Haight - Ensign, May 2000, 35
"Every Latter-day Saint has the responsibility to know for himself or herself with a certainty beyond doubt that Jesus is the resurrected, living Son of the living God."
President Gordon B. Hinckley - Ensign, Jan. 2000, 2
"In the process of accepting and rejecting information in the search for light, truth, and knowledge, almost everyone has--at one time or another-- some private questions. That is part of the learning process. Sustaining faith can be the ultimate comfort in life. All of us must find our own testimonies."
James E. Faust, "Lord, I Believe; Help Thou Mine Unbelief," Ensign, Nov. 2003, 19
"Our testimonies, like . . . trees, must be built on a sure foundation, deeply rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that when the winds and rains come into our lives, as they surely will, we will be strong enough to weather the storms that rage about us."
Sheldon F. Child, "A Sure Foundation," Ensign, Nov. 2003, 8
Topic: Testimony
"The Lord's invitation to follow him is individual and personal, and it is compelling. We cannot stand forever between two opinions. Each of us must at some time face the crucial question: 'Whom say ye that I am?' (Matt. 16:15.) Our personal salvation depends on our answer to that question and our commitment to that answer.
Peter's revealed answer was 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God'(Matt. 16:16). Many, many witnesses can give an identical answer by the same power, and I join with them in humble gratitude.
But we must each answer the question for ourselves--if not now, then later; for at the last day, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is the Christ. Our challenge is to answer correctly and live accordingly before it is everlastingly too late. Since Jesus is indeed the Christ, what must we do?"
Howard W. Hunter, "He Invites Us to Follow Him," Ensign, September 1994, p. 2
"You have been reserved to come forth at this particular time when the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth. Speaking of the gospel and of testimony, President Gordon B. Hinckley said: '[The] thing which we call testimony . . . is as real and powerful as any force on the earth. . . . It is found in young and old. . . It brings with it the assurance that life is purposeful, that some things are of far greater importance than others, that we are on an eternal journey, that we are answerable unto God' ("Testimony," Ensign, May 1998, 69-70)."
President Thomas S. Monson, "Be Thou an Example," Ensign, May 2005, 114
"It is both the duty and privilege of the Latter-day Saints to know that their religion is true.
"Let every one get a knowledge for himself that this work is true. We do not want you to say that it is true until you know that it is; and if you know it, that knowledge is as good to you as though the Lord came down and told you. It is a special privilege and blessing of the holy Gospel to every true believer, to know the truth for himself."
Brigham Young, in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], 317
Topic: Knowing For Ourselves
"In the genius of the gospel plan, there ultimately only has to be one witness, but that witness must be you. The testimony of others may initiate and nourish the desire for faith and testimony, but eventually every individual must find out for himself. None can permanently endure on borrowed light.
"The restored gospel is not truer today than when a solitary boy walked out of the Sacred Grove in 1820. Truth has never been dependent on the number who embrace it. When Joseph left the grove, there was only one man on earth who knew the truth about God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. It is necessary, however, that each find out for himself and carry that burning testimony into the next life."
Douglas L. Callister, "Knowing What We Know," General Conference, 7 October 2007
The Church is a home for all to come together, regardless of the depth or the height of our testimony. I know of no sign on the doors of our meetinghouses that says, "Your testimony must be this tall to enter."
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Oct. 2014 Gen. Conf.