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Dallin H. Oaks Quotes From Every General Conference

President Oaks talks cover topics like desire, repentance, and trust in the Lord.

President Oaks quotes cover topics like desire, repentance, and trust in the Lord. He has given 88 general conference talks—including 19 addresses as a member of the First Presidency. Similar to our article with Russell M. Nelson quotes, this piece includes Dallin H. Oaks quotes from every general conference.


Learn more about the Dallin H. Oaks biography, In the Hands of the Lord.


Dallin H. Oaks quotes


2023

The Teachings of Jesus Christ

We are given the scriptures to direct our lives. As the prophet Nephi taught us, we should “feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.”

The Teachings of Jesus Christ

2022

Helping the Poor and Distressed

All of the humanitarian efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seek to follow the example of a righteous people described in the Book of Mormon:

“And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, … and they … were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church” (Alma 1:30).

Helping the Poor and Distressed

Divine Love in the Father’s Plan

To help us develop the godly attributes and the change in nature necessary to realize our divine potential, the Lord has revealed doctrine and established commandments based on eternal law.

Divine Love in the Father’s Plan
Dallin H. Oaks talks in general conference include “Timing,” “Good, Better, Best,” and “Trust in the Lord.”

Introductory Message

The doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone.

Introductory Message

2021

The Need for a Church

Some say that attending church meetings is not helping them. Some say, “I didn’t learn anything today” or “No one was friendly to me” or “I was offended.” Personal disappointments should never keep us from the doctrine of Christ, who taught us to serve, not to be served.

The Need for a Church

Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution

We should trust in the Lord and be positive about this nation’s future.

Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution

What Has Our Savior Done for Us?

Because He loves us, He challenges us to focus on Him instead of the things of this mortal world.

What Has Our Savior Done for Us?

2020

Be of Good Cheer

Most of us do not face decisions of giant proportions, like leaving our homes to pioneer an unknown land. Our decisions are mostly in the daily routines of life, but as the Lord has told us, “Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33).

Be of Good Cheer

Love Your Enemies

Knowing that we are all children of God gives us a vision of the worth of others and the ability to rise above prejudice.

Love Your Enemies

The Great Plan

I testify of Jesus Christ,

The Great Plan

The Melchizedek Priesthood and the Keys

Holders of the priesthood should also keep the commandments so they will have the power of the priesthood to give blessings to their family members. They should cultivate loving family relationships so that family members will want to ask them for blessings.

The Melchizedek Priesthood and the Keys


2019

Two Great Commandments

For reasons we do not understand, we have different challenges in our mortal experiences. But we do know that God will help each of us overcome these challenges if we sincerely seek His help.

Two Great Commandments

Trust in the Lord

Remember that God loves His children and will surely do what is best for each of us.

Trust in the Lord

Cleansed by Repentance

Because of God’s plan and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can be cleansed by the process of repentance.

Cleansed by Repentance

Where Will This Lead?

We make better choices and decisions if we look at the alternatives and ponder where they will lead.

Where Will This Lead?

2018

Truth and the Plan

When we seek the truth about religion, we should use spiritual methods appropriate for that search.

Truth and the Plan

Be kind to others.

Parents and Children

The Powers of the Priesthood

President [Harold B.] Lee had another teaching about magnifying the priesthood:

“If anybody magnifies their priesthood—that is, makes it bigger than they first thought it was and more important than anyone else thought it was—that is the way you magnify your priesthood.”

The Powers of the Priesthood

Small and Simple Things

We are taught many small and simple things in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to be reminded that in total and over a significant period of time, these seemingly small things bring to pass great things.

Small and Simple Things

2017

The Plan and the Proclamation

We grow and mature spiritually by choosing to obey God’s commandments in a succession of right choices. These include covenants and ordinances and repentance when our choices are wrong.

The Plan and the Proclamation

He loves us, and all that He does is for our eternal benefit.

The Godhead and the Plan of Salvation

2016

Sharing the Restored Gospel

We can all pray for desire to help with this vital part of the work of salvation. All efforts begin with desire.

Sharing the Restored Gospel

Opposition in All Things

Opposition permits us to grow toward what our Heavenly Father would have us become.

Opposition in All Things

2015

Strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ

Because of His atoning experience in mortality, our Savior is able to comfort, heal, and strengthen all men and women everywhere, but I believe He does so only for those who seek Him and ask for His help.

Strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ

Spiritual food is necessary for spiritual survival.

The Parable of the Sower

2014

Loving Others and Living with Differences

We are to live in the world but not be of the world.

Loving Others and Living with Differences

The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood

I testify of the power and blessings of the priesthood of God, available for His sons and daughters alike.

The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood

2013

No Other Gods

The question posed by the second commandment is “What is our ultimate priority?”

No Other Gods

Followers of Christ

Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice but a continuous commitment and way of life that applies at all times and in all places.

Followers of Christ

2012

Protect the Children

We can all remember our feelings when a little child cried out and reached up to us for help. A loving Heavenly Father gives us those feelings to impel us to help His children.

Protect the Children

Sacrifice

For most followers of Christ, our sacrifices involve what we can do on a day-to-day basis in our ordinary personal lives.

Sacrifice

2011

Teachings of Jesus

He is the way and He is the light because His teachings light our path in mortal life and show us the way back to the Father.

Teachings of Jesus

Desire

Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming.

Desire

2010

Two Lines of Communication

Jesus Christ has the power to prescribe the conditions we must fulfill to qualify for the blessings of His Atonement. That is why we have commandments and ordinances. That is why we make covenants. That is how we qualify for the promised blessings. They all come through the mercy and grace of the Holy One of Israel, “after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23).

Two Lines of Communication

Healing the Sick

Faith is essential for healing by the powers of heaven.

Healing the Sick

2009

Love and Law

The love of God does not supersede His laws and His commandments, and the effect of God’s laws and commandments does not diminish the purpose and effect of His love.

Love and Law

Unselfish Service

Our Savior gave Himself in unselfish service. He taught that each of us should follow Him by denying ourselves of selfish interests in order to serve others.

Unselfish Service

2008

Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament

How can we have the Spirit of the Lord to guide our choices?

Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament

Testimony

A testimony of the gospel is not a travelogue, a health log, or an expression of love for family members. It is not a sermon.

President [Spencer W.] Kimball taught that the moment we begin preaching to others, our testimony is ended.

Testimony

2007

Good, Better, Best

Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives.

Good, Better, Best

Divorce

I testify to the sweetness of the marriage and family life that the family proclamation describes as founded upon a husband and wife’s “solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children” and “upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Divorce

2006

He Heals the Heavy Laden

He knows of our anguish, and He is there for us.

He Heals the Heavy Laden

All Men Everywhere

What we get from a book—especially a sacred text—is mostly dependent on what we take to its reading—in desire and readiness to learn, and in attunement to the light communicated by the Spirit of the Lord.

All Men Everywhere

2005

Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church

The theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints centers on the family. Our relationship to God and the purpose of earth life are explained in terms of the family.

Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church

Pornography

Those who seek out and use pornography forfeit the power of their priesthood.

Pornography

2004

Be Not Deceived

The Holy Ghost will protect us against being deceived, but to realize that wonderful blessing we must always do the things necessary to retain that Spirit.

Be Not Deceived

Preparation for the Second Coming

While we are powerless to alter the fact of the Second Coming and unable to know its exact time, we can accelerate our own preparation and try to influence the preparation of those around us.

Preparation for the Second Coming

2003

Repentance and Change

The purpose of the gospel is to transform common creatures into celestial citizens, and that requires change.

Repentance and Change

Give Thanks in All Things

We give thanks for commandments. They are directions away from pitfalls, and they are invitations to blessings. Commandments mark the path and show us the way to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come.

Give Thanks in All Things

2002

I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go

Jesus showed the way.

I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go

The Gospel in Our Lives

The Church gives us opportunities to serve the Lord and our fellowmen. If given in the right way and for the right reasons, that service will reward us beyond anything we have given.

The Gospel in Our Lives

2001

Sharing the Gospel

From our love of God and our fellowmen, we acquire our desire to share that great gift with everyone. The intensity of our desire to share the gospel is a great indicator of the extent of our personal conversion.

Sharing the Gospel

Focus and Priorities

We also need focus to avoid what is harmful.

Focus and Priorities

2000

The Challenge to Become

The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.

The Challenge to Become

Resurrection

In our eternal journey, the resurrection is the mighty milepost that signifies the end of mortality and the beginning of immortality.

Resurrection

1999

Gospel Teaching

A gospel teacher, like the Master we serve, will concentrate entirely on those being taught. His or her total concentration will be on the needs of the sheep—the good of the students. A gospel teacher does not focus on himself or herself. One who understands that principle will not look upon his or her calling as “giving or presenting a lesson,” because that definition views teaching from the standpoint of the teacher, not the student.

Gospel Teaching

The Witness: Martin Harris

One of Martin Harris’s greatest contributions to the Church, for which he should be honored for all time, was his financing the publication of the Book of Mormon.

The Witness: Martin Harris

1998

The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament

Those who hold the Aaronic Priesthood open the door for all Church members who worthily partake of the sacrament to enjoy the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord and the ministering of angels.

The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament

Have You Been Saved?

As Latter-day Saints use the words saved and salvation, there are at least six different meanings.

Have You Been Saved?

1997

Following the Pioneers

Many of our challenges are different from those faced by former pioneers but perhaps just as dangerous and surely as significant to our own salvation and the salvation of those who follow us.

Following the Pioneers

“Bishop, Help!”

To lighten the load of the bishopric, auxiliary presidencies and Melchizedek Priesthood quorum presidencies and group leaders need to exercise initiative and fully function in the great responsibilities of their callings.

“Bishop, Help!”

1996

“Always Have His Spirit”

It is important to remember that the illumination and revelation that come to an individual as a result of the gift of the Holy Ghost do not come suddenly or without seeking.

President Spencer W. Kimball taught that the Holy Ghost “comes a little at a time as you merit it. And as your life is in harmony, you gradually receive the Holy Ghost in a great measure” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 114).

“Always Have His Spirit”

Joseph, the Man and the Prophet

Joseph’s candor about his shortcomings is evident in the fact that one of the first revelations he recorded in writing and published to the world was a crushing rebuke he received from the Lord.

Joseph, the Man and the Prophet

1995

Powerful Ideas

When we understand our relationship to God, we also understand our relationship to one another.

Powerful Ideas

Apostasy and Restoration

In the process of what we call the Apostasy, the tangible, personal God described in the Old and New Testaments was replaced by the abstract, incomprehensible deity defined by compromise with the speculative principles of Greek philosophy.

Apostasy and Restoration

1994

Worship through Music

The singing of hymns is one of the best ways to put ourselves in tune with the Spirit.

Worship through Music

Tithing

The law of tithing is not a remote Old Testament practice, but a commandment directly from the Savior to the people of our day.

Tithing

“Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ”

Faith does not exist by itself.

“Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ”

1993

“The Great Plan of Happiness”

Modern revelation shows that our first parents understood the necessity of the Fall.

“The Great Plan of Happiness”

The Language of Prayer

We should address prayers to our Heavenly Father in words which speakers of that language associate with love and respect and reverence and closeness.

The Language of Prayer

1992

Bible Stories and Personal Protection

The protection promised to the faithful servants of God is a reality today as it was in Bible times.

Bible Stories and Personal Protection

The Relief Society and the Church

The Relief Society has great significance for every member of the Church.

The Relief Society and the Church

1991

Joy and Mercy

The opposite of joy is misery. Misery is more than unhappiness, sorrow, or suffering. Misery is the ultimate state of disharmony with God and his laws.

Joy and Mercy

“Honour Thy Father and Thy Mother”

Like many scriptures, this commandment has multiple meanings.

“Honour Thy Father and Thy Mother”

1990

Witnesses of Christ

Apostles have the calling and ordination to be special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world (see D&C 107:23), but the duty to witness and testify of Christ at all times and in all places applies to every member of the Church who has received the testimony of the Holy Ghost.

Witnesses of Christ

World Peace

What can one person do to promote world peace? The answer is simple: keep God’s commandments and serve his children.

World Peace

1989

Modern Pioneers

The days of the pioneers are not past.

Modern Pioneers

Alternate Voices

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not attempt to isolate its members from alternate voices. Its approach, as counseled by the Prophet Joseph Smith, is to teach correct principles and then leave its members to govern themselves by personal choices.

Alternate Voices

1988

“What Think Ye of Christ?”

That question is as penetrating today as when Jesus used it to confound the Pharisees almost two thousand years ago. Like a sword, sharp and powerful, it uncovers what is hidden, divides truth from error, and goes to the heart of religious belief.

“What Think Ye of Christ?”

Always Remember Him

What does it mean to “always remember” our Savior?

Always Remember Him

1987

“The Light and Life of the World”

The Book of Mormon tells of the resurrected Lord visiting some of the people of the Americas. Clothed in a white robe, he descended out of heaven. Standing in the midst of a multitude, he stretched forth his hand and said:

“Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

“And behold, I am the light and the life of the world” (3 Ne. 11:10–11).

“The Light and Life of the World”

Priesthood Blessings

There are many kinds of priesthood blessings.

Priesthood Blessings

1986

“Brother’s Keeper”

Are we our brothers’ keepers? In other words, are we responsible to look after the well-being of our neighbors as we seek to earn our daily bread? The Savior’s Golden Rule says we are. Satan says we are not.

“Brother’s Keeper”

Reverent and Clean

Profanity is profoundly offensive to those who worship the God whose name is desecrated. We all remember how a prophet reacted from a hospital bed when an operating room attendant stumbled and cursed in his presence.

Even half-conscious, Elder [Spencer W.] Kimball “recoiled and implored: ‘Please! Please! That is my Lord whose names you revile.’” (Improvement Era, May 1953, p. 320.)

Reverent and Clean

1985

Spirituality

As we draw farther from worldliness, we feel closer to our Father in Heaven and more able to be guided by his Spirit. We call this quality of life spirituality.

Spirituality

Taking upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ

It is significant that when we partake of the sacrament we do not witness that we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. We witness that we are willing to do so. (See D&C 20:77.) The fact that we only witness to our willingness suggests that something else must happen before we actually take that sacred name upon us in the most important sense.

What future event or events could this covenant contemplate?

Taking upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ

1984

Why Do We Serve?

We know from these inspired words that even the most extreme acts of service—such as giving all of our goods to feed the poor—profit us nothing unless our service is motivated by the pure love of Christ.

Why Do We Serve?

1971

Strive for Excellence

I know that the gospel is true because my Father in heaven has answered my prayers and borne witness to me by the power of the Holy Ghost. I am devoted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am loyal to the chosen servants of the Lord, whom I sustain with all my heart.

Strive for Excellence

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By Kurt Manwaring

Writer. History nerd. Latter-day Saint.

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