Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Other Daily Quotes on Desire

Yesterday I wrote about one quote I read or recite daily.  There are four other quotes that I try to review on a daily basis.  I wanted to share those as well.  I've already shared a couple of them in a previous post on the topic of desire.  But I'll share them again here.

"Desire denotes a real longing or craving. Hence righteous desires are much more than passive preferences or fleeting feelings. Of course our genes, circumstances, and environments matter very much, and they shape us significantly. Yet there remains an inner zone in which we are sovereign, unless we abdicate. In this zone lies the essence of our individuality and our personal accountability. Therefore, what we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity." -Neal A. Maxwell

"Righteous desires need to be relentless, therefore, because, said President Brigham Young, 'the men and women, who desire to obtain seats in the celestial kingdom, will find that they must battle every day.' Therefore, true Christian soldiers are more than weekend warriors." - Neal A. Maxwell

"When we have a vision of what we can become, our desire and our power to act increase enormously." If our righteous desires are sufficiently intense, they will motivate us to cut and carve ourselves free from addictions and other sinful pressures and priorities that prevent our eternal progress. We should remember that righteous desires cannot be superficial, impulsive, or temporary. They must be heartfelt, unwavering, and permanent. So motivated, we will seek for that condition described by the Prophet Joseph Smith, where we have 'overcome the evils of [our lives] and lost every desire for sin.' That is a very personal decision." - Dallin H. Oaks

"And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers." - Abraham. 1:2