The man who lays up his gold and silver, who caches it away in a bank, or in his iron safe, or buries it up in the earth, and comes here, and professes to be a Saint, would tie up the hands of every individual in this kingdom, and make them his servants if he could.—J. of D., Vol. I., p. 253.
If I am not smart enough to take care of what the Lord lends me, I am smart enough to hold my tongue about it, until I come across the thief myself.—J. of D., Vol. I., p. 255.
When I have gold and silver in my possession, which a thief may steal, or friends borrow, and never pay me back again, or which may take the wings of the morning, and I behold it no more, I only possess the negative of the true riches.—J. of D., Vol. I, p. 266.
If this people will do as they are told, will live their religion, walk humbly before their God, and deal justly with each other, we will make you one promise, in the name of Israel's God, that you will never be driven from the mountains.—J. of D., Vol. I., p. 319.
It is folly in the extreme for persons to say that they love God, when they do not love their brethren.—J. of D., Vol. I, p. 297.
Speaking as the world view men and things, in the eyes of the vast majority of mankind, the devil is the greatest gentleman that ever made his appearance on this earth.—J. of D., Vol. IV., p. 347.
I hope as I grow old, to grow wise. As I advance in years, I hope to advance in the true knowledge of God and godliness. I hope to increase in the power of the Almighty, and in influence to establish peace and righteousness upon the earth, and to bring all the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, even all who will hearken to the principles of righteousness, to a true sense of the knowledge of God and godliness, of themselves, and the relation they sustain to heaven and heavenly beings.—J. of D., Vol. IV., p. 326.
It would be better if you and I never should have anything pertaining to this world, than to lose the spirit of the gospel and love the world.—J. of D., Vol. IV., p, 342.
The difficulty with the whole world in their divisions and subdivisions, is that they have no more confidence in each other than they have in their God, and that is none at all.—J. of D., Vol. IV., p. 296.
There never was that necessity; there never has been a time on the face of the earth, from the time that the church went to destruction, and the Priesthood was taked from the earth, that the powers of darkness and the powers of earth and hell were so embittered, and enraged, and incensed against God and godliness on the earth, as they are at the present. And when the spirit of persecution, the spirit of hatred, of wrath, and malice ceases in the world against this people, it will be the time that this people have apostatized and joined hands with the wicked, and never until then.—J. of D., Vol. IV., p. 327.