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Ezra Taft Benson

Ezra Taft Benson Quotes

Farmer

Ezra Taft Benson was a notable American farmer and politician. Born on August 4, 1899, in Whitney, Idaho, he dedicated much of his life to agricultural endeavors. Serving as the Secretary of Agriculture under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1956, Benson was also a member of the LDS Church and a leader within the church's ranks.

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All Men Lord Ifs Children Pride Spirit Father People Should Christ

Famous Ezra Taft Benson Quotes

“Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves.”

Sin Pride Sin Of Pride

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“The proud do not change to improve, but defend their position by rationalizing. Repentance means change, and it takes a humble person to change.”

Mean Persons Position Proud Humble Repentance Humble Person

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation upon which sincere and meaningful repentance must be built. If we truly seek to put away sin, we must first look to Him who is the Author of our salvation.”

Ifs Firsts Looks Jesus Christ Sin Lord Jesus Christ Built Foundation Salvation Meaningful Repentance Sincere Lord Jesus Christ Jesus Christ Easter

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“One of the trials of life is that we do not usually receive immediately the full blessing for righteousness or the full cursing for wickedness.”

Life Is Blessing Trials Righteousness Wickedness Cursing

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“To the proud, the applause of the world rings in their ears; to the humble, the applause of heaven warms their hearts.”

World Heart Heaven Proud Ears Humble Rings Applause Humble Heart

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Wickedness never did, never does, never will bring us happiness.”

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Would we not do well to have the pleasing of God as our motive rather than to try to elevate ourselves above our brother and outdo another?”

Trying Wells Brother Motive

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“Years of happiness can be lost in the foolish gratification of a momentary desire for pleasure.”

Years Desire Lost Pleasure Foolish Gratification Momentary

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“You cannot do wrong and feel right. It is impossible!”

Feels Impossible Righteousness Feels Right

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Build traditions of family vacations and trips and outings. These memories will never be forgotten by your children.”

Children Memories Tradition Forgotten Your Children Vacation Family Vacation

Book:Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

Source: Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

“Daily, constantly, we choose by our desires, our thoughts, and our actions whether we want to be blessed or cursed, happy or miserable.”

Want Action Desire Blessed Miserable Our Thoughts Our Actions Cursed Being Blessed

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“Satan knows that youth is the springtime of life when all things are new and young people are most vulnerable.”

People Knows Young Youth All Things Vulnerable Satan Springtime

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Go on daddy-daughter dates and father-and-sons' outings with your children. As a family, go on campouts and picnics, to ball games and recitals, to school programs, and so forth. Having Dad there makes all the difference.”

Children School Father Games Differences Son Goes On Dad Daughter Program Balls Your Children Daddy Picnics Father And Son Ball Games Recitals

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“Prayer in the hour of need is a great boon. From simple trials to our Gethsemanes, prayer - persistent prayer - can put us in touch with God, our greatest source of comfort and counsel.”

Needs Hours Prayer Simple Source Comfort Trials Persistent Boon Gethsemane

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“God loves us; the devil hates us. God wants us to have a fulness of joy as He has. The devil wants us to be miserable as he is. God gives us commandments to bless us. The devil would have us break these commandments to curse us.”

Want Giving Joy Hate Break Devil Miserable God Love Curse Bless Commandments God Loves Us

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“Husbands, recognize your wife's intelligence and her ability to counsel with you as a real partner regarding family plans, family activities, and family budgeting. Don't be stingy with your time or with your means. Give her the opportunity to grow intellectually, emotionally, and socially as well as spiritually.”

Giving Wells Mean Real Opportunity Grows Ability Wife Plans Activity Husband Partners Stingy Budgeting

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“What does it mean to love someone with all your heart? It means to love with all your emotional feelings and with all your devotion. Surely when you love your wife with all your heart, you cannot demean her, criticize her, find fault with her, or abuse her by words, sullen behavior, or actions.”

Heart Mean Doe Feelings Action Wife Emotional Behavior Abuse Faults Devotion Criticize Love Someone Sullen Love Your Wife

Book:Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

Source: Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

“Youth is the spirit of adventure and awakening. It is a time of physical emerging when the body attains the vigor and good health that may ignore the caution of temperance. Youth is a period of timelessness when the horizons of age seem too distant to be noticed.”

May Body Seems Age Spirit Youth Adventure Periods Awakening Horizon Caution Emerging Good Health Vigor Temperance Timelessness Spirit Of Adventure

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Are you honest with the Lord in the payment of your tithes? Living this divine law will bring both spiritual and material blessings.”

Spiritual Law Lord Honest Divine Materials Blessing Payment Tithe Divine Law

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible.”

Growth Becoming Lifetime Pursuit Change And Growth

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Besides the physical ordinance of baptism and the laying on of hands, one must be spiritually born again to gain exaltation and eternal life.”

Hands Born Eternal Gains Eternal Life Baptism Born Again Exaltation Ordinances

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.”

Men World Humans Christ Environment Human Nature Shapes Behavior Human Behavior Slums

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Communism introduced into the world a substitute for true religion. It is a counterfeit of the gospel plan.”

World Plans Communism Substitutes True Religion Counterfeit

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“I have a vision of artists putting into film, drama, literature, music, and paintings great themes and great characters from the Book of Mormon.”

Book Character Film Artist Literature Vision Painting Drama Theme Great Character

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“In the scriptures there is no such thing as righteous pride. It is always considered as a sin.”

Sin Pride Scripture Righteous Sin Of Pride

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“Inspiring music may fill the soul with heavenly thoughts, move one to righteous action, or speak peace to the soul.”

May Soul Action Moving Speak Music Heavenly Righteous

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“One of Satan's most frequently used deceptions is the notion that the commandments of God are meant to restrict freedom and limit happiness.”

Used Limits Notion Deception Satan Commandments Commandments Of God

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Our desires, be they spiritual or temporal, should be rooted in a love of the Lord.”

Should Spiritual Desire Lord Rooted

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Our mothers put God first when they fill their highest mission within the walls of their own homes.”

Firsts Home Mother Wall Highest Missions God First Put God First

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Periodic fasting can help clear up the mind and strengthen the body and the spirit.”

Mind Helping Body Spirit Clear Fasting

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God's.”

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“Retirement from work has depressed many a man and hastened his death.”

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“Satan works through human agents.”

Humans Agents Satan

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“Since the beginning, a woman's first and most important role has been ushering into mortality spirit sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven.”

Firsts Has Beens Important Spirit Father Heaven Roles Son Daughter Mortality Our Father Son And Daughter Father In Heaven

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“The earth was cursed for Adam's sake. Work is our blessing, not our doom. God has a work to do, and so should we.”

Should Earth Blessing Sake Adam Doom Cursed

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it.”

Life Is Lord Tasks

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like Him.”

Effort Lord Strive Tiny

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“To lose yourself in righteous service to others can lift your sights and get your mind off personal problems, or at least put them in proper focus.”

Mind Problem Loses Focus Sight Lifts Righteous Service To Others Losing Yourself Personal Problems

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“We must not lose hope. Hope is an anchor to the souls of men. Satan would have us cast away that anchor.”

Men Soul Loses Casts Satan Anchors Cast Away

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives.”

Firsts Spiritual Fall Our Lives Priorities God First Put God First Keep God First

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“It is mother's influence during the crucial formative years that forms a child's basic character. Home is the place where a child learns faith, feels love, and thereby learns from mother's loving example to choose righteousness.”

Feels Years Children Character Home Form Mother Influence Example Righteousness Crucial Formative Years

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing. The central feature of pride is enmity - enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen.”

Thinking Heart Stills Self Sin Missing Pride Elements Core Features Arrogance Conceit Enmity Self Centeredness Centeredness Haughtiness Sin Of Pride

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“A woman whose life is involved in the righteous rearing of her children has a better chance of keeping up her spirits than the woman whose total concern is centered in her own personal problems.”

Children Problem Life Is Spirit Chance Involved Concern Righteous Personal Problems

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“A young woman who knows and loves the Book of Mormon, who has read it several times, who has an abiding testimony of its truthfulness, and who applies its teachings will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil and will be a mighty tool in the hands of the Lord.”

Knows Book Hands Able Young Lord Teaching Devil Tools And Love Young Women Testimony Abiding Truthfulness

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“An almost forgotten means of economic self-reliance is the home production of food. We are too accustomed to going to stores and purchasing what we need.”

Needs Mean Self Home Economic Forgotten Productions Stores Self Reliance Accustomed Reliance Purchasing

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Encourage good music and art and literature in your homes. Homes that have a spirit of refinement and beauty will bless the lives of your children forever.”

Children Art Home Spirit Literature Forever Your Children Bless Refinement Home Home

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

“Every Latter-day Saint should love the inspired Constitution of the United States - a nation with a spiritual foundation and a prophetic history - which nation the Lord has declared to be his base of operations in these latter days.”

Should States Spiritual Nations United Lord United States Constitution Foundation Inspired Saint Operations Latter Prophetic Constitution Of The United States Latter Days Latter Day Saints

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“God our Father, Jesus, our Elder Brother and our Redeemer, and the Holy Ghost, the Testator, are perfect. They know us best and love us most and will not leave one thing undone for our eternal welfare. Should we not love them for it and honor them first?”

Knows Should Firsts Father Jesus Perfect One Thing Brother Honor Holy Eternal And Love Ghost Welfare Elders Our Father Holy Ghost Undone Redeemer

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein.”

Ifs Feels Children Book Home Spirit Certain Parent Great Book Scripture Study

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed his stamp of approval on the Constitution of this land.”

States United United States Land Constitution Sacred Revelations Reverence Approval Documents Stamps Constitution Of The United States

Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

Source: The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

About the Author

Born: August 4, 1899
Died: May 30, 1994
Known for: Farmer
Quotes: 391

Related Topics

Men Lord Ifs Children Pride Spirit Father People Should Christ

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People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

The Teachings of Ezra Taft BensonRelated source material

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