The following quotes come from the book Discourses of Brigham Young, the second president of the church. It was originally compiled and edited by Apostle John A. Widtsoe, as he took the citations from the Journal of Discourses (cited throughout and abbreviated as JOD), a 26-volume set from the 19th century teachings of LDS Church leaders. This edition was an employee gift by the First Presidency in 1992. To visit the site with all of the books and quotes from these, go here.

America

“This American continent will be Zion; for it is so spoken of by the prophets. Jerusalem will be rebuilt and will be the place of gathering, and the tribe of Judah will gather there; but this continent of America is the land of Zion. JOD 5:4” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 120).

“This is the land of Zion—this is the continent whereon the Lord has commenced his work for the last time, and whereon Jesus will make his appearance the second time, when he comes to gather and save the House of Israel. JOD 8:81-2” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 120).

Bible

“The Bible—In the Bible are the words of life and salvation. JOD 13:214” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 124).

“But I want to know if we agree with the teachings of the Bible, in our belief and practice. The Latter-day Saints believe in doing just what the Lord has told them to do in this book. JOD 1:239” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 124).

“We have a holy reverence for and a belief in the Bible. JOD 14:113” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 124).

“Take the Bible just as it reads; and if it be translated incorrectly and there is a scholar on the earth who possesses to be a Christian, and he can translated it any better than King James’s translators did it, he is under obligation to do so. If I understood Greek and Hebrew as some may profess to do,  and I knew the Bible was not correctly translated, I should feel myself bound by the law of justice to the inhabitants of the earth to translate that which is incorrect and give it just as it was spoken anciently. Is that proper? Yes, I would be under obligation to do it. But I think it is translated just as correctly as the scholars could get it, although it is not correct in a great many instances. But it is no matter about that. Read it and observe it and it will not hurt any person in the world. JOD 14:226” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 124).

“The Bible is true. It may not all have been translated aright, and may precious things may have been rejected in the compilation and translation of the Bible; but we understand, from the writings of one of the Apostles, that if all the sayings an doings of the Savior had been written, the world could not contain them. I will say that the world could not understand them. JOD 14:135” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 124).

“Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter-day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test. JOD 17:46” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 126).

“The doctrine that we preach is the doctrine of the Bible, it is the doctrine the Lord has revealed for the salvation of the children of God, and when men, who have once obeyed it, deny it, they deny it with their eyes wide open, and knowing that they deny the truth and set at naught the counsels of the Almighty. JOD 14:200” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 126).

“The doctrine that we preach is the doctrine of the Bible, it is the doctrine the Lord has revealed for the salvation of the children of God, and when men, who have once obeyed it, deny it, they deny it with their eyes wide open, and knowing that they deny the truth and set at naught the counsels of the Almighty. JOD 14:200” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 126).

“There is no clash in the principles revealed in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and have the Doctrines and Covenants; and there would be no clash between any of the doctrines taught by Joseph the Prophet and by the brethren now, if all would live in a way to be governed by the Spirit of the Lord. All do not live so as to have the Spirit of the Lord with them all the time, and the result is that some get out of the way. JOD 5:329” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 126).

“No man can say that this book (laying his hand on the Bible) is true, is the word of the Lord, is the way, is the guide-board in the path, and a charter by which we may learn the will of God; and at the same time say, that the Book of Mormon is untrue; if he has had the privilege of reading it, or of hearing it read, and learning its doctrines. There is not that person on the face of the earth who has had the privilege of learning the Gospel of Jesus Christ from these two books, that can say that one is true, and the other is false. No Latter-day Saint, no man or woman can say that the Book of Mormon is true, and at the same time say that the Bible is untrue. If one be true, both are; and if one be false, both are false. JOD 1:38″ (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 459).

Birth Control

“Birth Control – There are multitudes of pure and holy spirits waiting to take tabernacles, now what is our duty?—To prepare tabernacles for them; to take a course that will not tend to drive those spirits into the families of the wicked, where they will be trained in wickedness, debauchery, and every species of crime. It is the duty of every righteous man and woman to prepare tabernacles for all the spirits they can. This is the reason why the doctrine of plurality of wives was revealed, that the noble spirits which are waiting for tabernacles might be brought forth. JOD 4:56” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 197. Italics in original).

Blacks

“The seed of Ham, which is the seed of Cain descending through Ham, will, according to the curse put upon him, serve his brethren, and be a ‘servant of servants’ to his fellow creatures, until God removes the curse; and no power can hinder it. JOD 2:184” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 279. Also cited by 10th President Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, pp. 109-110.)

Blood Atonement

“There is not a man or woman, who violates the covenants made with their God, that will not be required to pay the debt. The blood of Christ will never wipe that out, your own blood must atone for it; and the judgments of the Almighty will come, sooner or later, and every man and woman will have to atone for breaking their covenants. To what degree? Will they have to go to hell? They are in hell enough now. I do not wish them in a greater hell when their consciences condemn them all the time. Let compassion reign in our bosoms. Try to comprehend how weak we are, how we are organized, how the spirit and the flesh are continually at war. JOD 3:247” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 385).

Commandments

“Some of you may ask, ‘Is there a single ordinance to be dispensed with? Is there one of the commandments that God has enjoined upon the people, that he will excuse them from obeying?’ Not one, no matter how trifling or small in our own estimation. No matter if we esteem them non-essential, or least or last of all the commandments of the house of God, we are under obligation to observe them. JOD 8:339” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 221).

Constitution, The

“The Constitution of the United States, an Inspired Document–We mean to sustain the Constitution of the United States and all righteous laws. JOD 9:157″ (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 358).

“We will cling to the Constitution of our country, and to the government that reveres that sacred charter of freemen’s rights; and, if necessary, pour out our best blood for the defense of every good and righteous principle. JOD 10:41” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 358).

“To accuse us of being unfriendly to the Government, is to accuse us of hostility to our religion, for no item of inspiration is held more sacred with us than the Constitution under which she acts. As a religious society, we, in common with all other denominations, claim its protection. JOD 2:175” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 359).

“The Saints Will Yet Save the Constitution – When the day comes in which the Kingdom of God will bear rule, the flag of the United States will proudly flutter unsullied on the flagstaff of liberty and equal rights, without a spot to sully its fair surface; the glorious flag our fathers have bequeathed to us will then be unfurled to the breeze by those who have power to hoist it aloft and defend its sanctity. JOD 2:317″ (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 360).

“How long will it be before the words of the prophet Joseph will be fulfilled? He said if the Constitution of the United States were saved at all it must be done by this people. It will not be many years before these words come to pass. JOD 12:204” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 360).

“When the Constitution of the United States hangs, as it were, upon a single thread, they will have to call for the ‘Mormon’ Elders to save it from utter destruction; and they will step forth and do it. JOD 2:182” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 361).

“The present Constitution, with a few alterations of a trifling nature, is just as good as we want; and if it is sustained on this land of Joseph, it will be done by us and our posterity. JOD 8:324” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 361).

“I expect to see the day when the Elders of Israel will protect and sustain civil and religious liberty and every constitutional right bequeathed to us by our fathers, and spread these rights abroad in connection with the gospel for the salvation of all nations. I shall see this whether I live or die. JOD 11:262” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 361).

“Will the Constitution be destroyed? No; it will be held inviolate by this people; and, as Joseph Smith said, ‘The time will come when the destiny of the nation will hang upon a single thread. At this critical juncture, this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction.’ It will be so. JOD 7:15” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 469).

Depravity, Total

“We are the sons and daughters of celestial Beings, and the germ of the Deity dwells within us. When our spirits took possession of these tabernacles, they were as pure as the angels of God, wherefore total depravity cannot be a true doctrine. JOD 10:192” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 50-51).

“Many of us have been taught the doctrine of total depravity – that man is not naturally inclined to do good. I am satisfied that he is more inclined to do right than to do wrong. There is a greater power within him to shun evil and perform good, than to do the opposite. JOD 9:247” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 78).

Endowment

“Let me give you a definition in brief. Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you
to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 416. See also Ensign, “The Doctrine of Temple Work,” October 2003, p. 60 and Endowed from on High: Temple Preparation Seminar Teacher’s Manual, p. 2).

Eternity

“Time—When was there a beginning? There never was one; if there was, there will be an end; but there never was a beginning, and hence there will never be an end; that looks like eternity. When we talk about the beginning of eternity, it is rather simple conversation, and goes far beyond the capacity of man. JOD 2:307” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 47).

“There never was a time when man did not exist, and there never will be a time when he will cease to exist. Eternity is without confines, and all things animate and inanimate have their existence in it. JOD 10:5” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 49).

Garden of Eden

“In the beginning, after this earth was prepared for man, the Lord commenced his work upon what is now called the American continent, where the Garden of Eden was made. In the days of Noah, in the days of the floating of the ark, he took the people to another part of the earth. JOD 8:195” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 102).

God

“The God that I serve is progressing eternally, and so are his children: they will increase to all eternity, if they are faithful. JOD 11:286” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 22).

“Personality and Fatherhood of God–Some would have us believe that God is present everywhere. It is not so. He is no more everywhere present in person than the Father and Son are one in person. JOD 6:345″ (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 23-24).

“Our God and Father in Heaven, is a being of tabernacle, or, in other words, he has a body, with parts the same as you and I have; and is capable of showing forth his works to organized beings, as for instance, in the world in which we live, it is the result of the knowledge and infinite wisdom that dwell in his organized body. His Son Jesus Christ has become a personage of tabernacle, and has a body like his Father. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of the Lord, and issues forth from himself, and may properly be called God’s minister to execute his will in immensity; being called to govern by his influence and power; but he is not a person of flesh as we are, and as our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ are. JOD 1:50” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 24).

“How to Know Oneself–No man can know himself unless he knows God, and he cannot know God unless he knows himself. JOD 16:75″ (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 426. Italics in original).

Gospel

“I will now say to my friends,–and I call you all, and all mankind, friends, until you have proved yourselves enemies,–you who do not belong to this Church, that we have got the Gospel of life and salvation. I do not say that we have a Gospel, but I say that we have the definite and only Gospel that ever was or ever will be that will save the children of men. JOD 12:313” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 5).

“How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time when there were not Gods and worlds, and when men were not passing through the same ordeals that we are now passing through. That course has been from all eternity, and it is and will be to all eternity. You cannot comprehend this; but when you can, it will be to you a matter of great consolation. JOD 7:333” (Brigham Young, October 8, 1859, Journal of Discourses 7:333).

Godhood

“The Lord created you and me for the purpose of becoming Gods like himself; when we have been proved in our present capacity, and have been faithful with all things he puts into our possession. JOD 3:93” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 57).

“Intelligent beings are organized to become Gods, even the Sons of God, to dwell in the presence of the Gods, and become associated with the highest intelligences that dwell in eternity. We are now in the school, and must practice upon what we receive. JOD 8:160” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 245).

“We cannot receive, while in the flesh, the keys to form and fashion kingdoms and to organize matter, for they are beyond our capacity and calling, beyond this world. In the resurrection, men who have been faithful and diligent in all things in the flesh, have kept their first and second estate, and are worthy to be crowned Gods, even the Sons of God, will be ordained to organize matter. How much matter do you suppose there is between here and some of the fixed stars which we can see? Enough to frame many, very many millions of such earths as this, yet it is now so diffused, clear and pure, that we look through it and behold the stars. Yet the matter is there. Can you form any conception of this? Can you form any idea of the minuteness of matter? JOD 15:136” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 398).

Heaven

“Eternal Increase—Whenever we get into the Kingdom of Heaven, where God and Christ dwell, we shall find something more to do than to ‘sit and sing ourselves away to everlasting bliss.’ The mind of man is active, and we must have exercise and amusement for the mind as well as the body. JOD 12:313” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 97).

Hell

“There are none ticketed for the pit, unless they fill up that ticket themselves through their own misconduct. JOD 4:268” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 382).

“You hear some of them preach and teach that which I never taught; you hear them preach people into hell. Such doctrine never entered into my heart; but you hear others preach, that people will go there to dwell throughout the endless ages of eternity. Such persons know no more about eternity, and are no more capable of instructing others upon the subject, than a little child. JOD 1:352” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 382).

“Hell Defined—Any person knowing and understanding the Scriptures as they are, and understanding the mind and will of God, can understand at once that when he is shut out from the presence of the Lord, when he does not hear his voice, sees not his face, receives not the ministering of his angels or ministering spirits, and has no messenger from the heavens to visit him, he must surely be in hell. JOD 2:137” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 385).

Jesus

“The Apostles and Prophets, when speaking of our relationship to God, say that we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone, God is our Father, and Jesus Christ is our Elder Brother, and both are our everlasting friends. JOD 6:332” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 25).

Joseph Smith

“I honor and revere the name of Joseph Smith. I delight to hear it; I love it. I love his doctrine. JOD 13:216” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 458. Also see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 1997, p. 345).

“Not that Joseph was the Savior, but he was a Prophet. As he said once, when some one asked him, ‘Are you the Savior?’ ‘No, but I can tell you what I am–I am his brother.’ So we can say. JOD 14:202” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 458).

“Whosoever confesseth that Joseph Smith was sent of God to reveal the holy Gospel to the children of men, and lay the foundation for gathering Israel, and building up the Kingdom of God on the earth, that spirit is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that God has sent Joseph Smith, and revealed the everlasting Gospel to and through him, is of Antichrist, no matter whether it is found in a pulpit or on a throne. JOD 8:176″ (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 435).

Kingdoms, Future

“The sectarian doctrine of final rewards and punishments is as strange to me as their bodiless, partless, and passionless God. Every man will receive according to the deeds done in the body, whether they be good or bad. All men, excepting those who sin against the Holy Ghost, who shed innocent blood or who consent thereto, will be saved in some kingdom; for in my Father’s house, says, Jesus as many mansions. JOD 11:125” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 382).

“None will become angels to the Devil except those who have sinned against the Holy Ghost. JOD 11:271” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 385).

Lamanites (Indians)

“There is a curse on these aborigines of our country who roam the plains, and are so wild that you cannot tame them. They are of the House of Israel; they once had the Gospel delivered to them, they had the oracles of truth; Jesus came and administered to them after his resurrection, and they received and delighted in the Gospel until the fourth generation when they turned away and became so wicked that God cursed them with this dark and benighted and loathsome condition. JOD 14:86” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 123).

Marriage

“Be careful, O, ye mothers in Israel, and do not teach your daughters in future, as many of them have been taught, to marry out of Israel. Woe to you who do it; you will lose your crowns as sure as God lives. JOD 12:97” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 196).

“You ought to love a woman only so far as she adorns the doctrine you profess. JOD 3:360” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 199).

Matter

“The Organized Universe—The creations of God—the worlds that are and the world that have been,–who can grasp in the vision of his mind the truth that there never has been a time where there have not been worlds like this, and that there never will be a time when there will not be worlds organized and prepared for intelligent beings to dwell upon? JOD 8:81” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 48).

“There is an eternity of matter. Astronomers estimate that there is between us and the nearest fixed star matter enough from which to organize millions of earths like this. There is an eternity of matter, and it is all acted upon and filled with a portion of divinity. Matter is to exist; it cannot be annihilated. Eternity is without bounds, and is filled with matter; and there is no such place as empty space. And matter is capacitated to receive intelligence. JOD 7:2” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 48).

“In these respects we differ from the Christian world, for our religion will not clash with or contradict the facts of science in any particular. You may take geology, for instance, and it is true science; not that I would say for a moment that all the conclusions and deductions of its professors are true, but its leading principles are; they are facts—they are eternal; and to assert that the Lord made this earth out of nothing is preposterous and impossible. God never made something out of nothing; it is not in the economy or law by which the worlds were, are, or will exist. There is an eternity before us, and it is full of matter; and if we but understand enough of the Lord and his ways we would say that he took of this matter and organized this earth from it. How long it has been organized it is not for me to say, and I do not care anything about it. JOD 15:116” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 258-259).

Mormonism

“’Mormonism,’ so-called, embraces every principle pertaining to life and salvation, for time and eternity. No matter who has it. If the infidel has got truth it belongs to ‘Mormonism.’ The truth and sound doctrine possessed by the sectarian world, and they have a great deal, all belong to this Church. As for their morality, many of them are, morally, just as good as we are. All that is good, lovely, and praiseworthy belongs to this Church and Kingdom. ‘Mormonism’ includes all truth. There is no truth but what belongs to the Gospel. It is life, eternal life; it is bliss; it is the fulness of all things in the gods and in the eternities of the gods. JOD 11:375” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 3).

“We declare it to all the inhabitants of the earth from the valleys in the tops of these mountains that we are the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—not a church but the Church—and we have the doctrine of life and salvation for all the honest-in-heart in all the world. JOD 12:173” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 7).

“When a man begins to find fault, inquiring in regard to this, that, and the other, saying, ‘Does this or that look as though the Lord dictated it?’ you may know that that person has more or less of the spirit of apostasy. JOD 8:12” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 83).

“Result of Persecution–Every time you kick ‘Mormonism’ you kick it upstairs; you never kick it downstairs. The Lord Almighty so orders it. JOD 7:145” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 351. Also see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 1997, p. 264).

“Our religion is called ‘Mormonism’ because the ancient records revealed to Joseph Smith were entitled, the Book of Mormon, according to the instructions given to him by the Lord; but I will call it the Plan of Salvation, devised in the heavens for the redemption of mankind from sin, and their restoration to the presence of God. JOD 9:149” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 448).

“But ‘Mormonism’ has opened up light. Removing the curtain from the broad sunshine, it has lighted up the souls of hundreds of thousands, and they have been made to rejoice in the light of truth. JOD 8:129” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 448).

“I feel happy. ‘Mormonism’ has made me all I am, and the grace, the power, and the wisdom of God will make me all that I ever will be, either in time or eternity. JOD 8:162” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 448).

“Again, I say, if ‘Mormonism’ is not all I anticipated it to be, it is nothing. If it is not in me, and I in it, if it is not all and in all to me, I am deceived in myself. It is everything in heaven and on earth to those who possess it truly. JOD 2:128” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 451).

“’Mormonism’ has done everything for me that ever has been done for me on the earth; it has made me happy; it has made me wealthy and comfortable; it has filled me with good feelings, with joy and rejoicing. Whereas, before I possessed the spirit of the Gospel I was troubled with that which I hear others complain of, that is, with, at times, feeling cast down, gloomy, and despondent; with everything wearing to me, at times, a dreary aspect. JOD 3:320” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 452).

“’Mormonism’ keeps men and women young and handsome; and when they are full of the Spirit of God, there are none of them, but what will have a glow upon their countenances; and this is what makes you and me young; for the Spirit of God is with us and within us. JOD 5:210” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 455).

Obedience

“Blessings Conditioned Upon Good Works–Every blessing the Lord proffers to his people is on conditions. These conditions are: ‘Obey my law, keep my commandments, walk in my ordinances, observe my statutes, love mercy, preserve the law that I have given to you inviolate, keep yourselves pure in the law, and then you are entitled to these blessings, and not until then.’ JOD 16:162″ (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 454. Italics in original).

Perfection

“When we use the term perfection, it applies to man in his present condition, as well as to heavenly beings. We are now, or may be, as perfect in our sphere as God and angels are in theirs, but the greatest intelligence in existence can continually ascend to greater heights of perfection. JOD 1:39” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 89).

Plan of Salvation

“This is the plan of salvation. Jesus will never cease his work until all are brought up to the enjoyment of a kingdom in the mansions of his Father, where there are many kingdoms and many glories, to suit the works and faithfulness of all men that have lived on the earth. Some will obey the celestial law and receive of its glory, some will abide the terrestrial and some the telestial, and others will receive no glory. JOD 13:76” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 56. See also Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, p. 52).

“If Brother Brigham shall take a wrong track, and be shut out of the Kingdom of heaven, no person will be to blame but Brother Brigham. I am the only being in heaven, earth, or hell, that can be blamed. This will equally apply to every Latter-day Saint. Salvation is an individual operation. I am the only person that can possibly save myself. When salvation is sent to me, I can reject it or receive it. JOD 1:312” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 390).

Preexistence

“The Devil with one-third part of the spirits of our Father’s Kingdom got here before us, and we tarried there with our friends, until the time came for us to come to the earth and take tabernacles, but those spirits that revolted were forbidden ever to have tabernacles of their own. You can now comprehend how it is that they are always trying to get possession of the bodies of human beings; you read of a man’s being possessed of a legion, and Mary Magdalene had seven. JOD 3:369” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 55-56).

“We had an existence before we came into the world. Our spirits came here pure to take these tabernacles; they came to occupy them as habitations, with the understanding that all that had passed previously to our coming here should be taken away from us, that we should not know anything about it. JOD 3:367” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 58).

“The spirits of devils have been deprived of bodies, and that constitutes their curse, that is to say, speaking after the manner of men, you shall be wanderers on the earth, you have got to live out of doors all the time you live. JOD 3:368” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 68).

“You may remember it and lay it to heart, and if you wish, write it in your journals that some of the best spirits that have ever been sent to earth are coming at the present time. JOD 11:117” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 109).

Plural Marriage

“This is the reason why the doctrine of plurality of wives was revealed, that the noble spirits which are waiting for tabernacles might be brought forth. JOD 4:56” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 197).

Priesthood

“If they had been sanctified and holy, the Children of Israel would not have traveled one year with Moses before they would have received their endowments and the Melchizedek Priesthood. JOD 6:100” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 106).

Repentance

“Some of our old traditions teach us that a man guilty of atrocious and murderous acts may savingly repent when on the scaffold; and upon his execution will hear the expression, ‘Bless God! he has gone to heaven, to be crowned in glory, through the all-redeeming merits of Christ the Lord.’ This is all nonsense. Such a character never will see heaven. Some will pray, ‘O that I had passed through the veil on the night of my conversion!’ This proves the false ideas and vain notions entertained by the Christian world. JOD 8:61” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 157).

Revelation

“How do we know that prophets wrote the word of the Lord? By revelation. How do we know that Joseph Smith was called of God to establish his Kingdom upon the earth? By revelation. How do we know that the leaders of this people teach the truth? By revelation. How do we know the doctrine of baptism for the remission of sins to be true? It is written in the Bible; but the Christian world deny it, because it is not manifested to them by the revelations of the Lord Jesus. JOD 14:209” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 38).

Sabbath

“Now, remember, my brethren, those who go skating, buggy riding or on excursions on the Sabbath day—and there is a great deal of this practiced—are weak in the faith. Gradually, little by little, little by little, the spirit of their religion leaks out of their hearts and their affections, and by and by they begin to see faults in their brethren, faults in the doctrines of the Church, faults in the organization, and at last they leave the Kingdom of God and go to destruction. I really wish you would remember this, and tell it to your neighbors. JOD 15:83” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 165).

Salvation

“To explain how much confidence we should have in God, were I using a term to suit myself, I should say implicit confidence. I have faith in my God, and that faith corresponds with the works I produce. I have no confidence in faith without works. JOD 4:24″ (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 155. Italics in original).

“My faith is, when we have done all we can, then the Lord is under obligation, and will not disappoint the faithful; he will perform the rest. JOD 4:91” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 155).

“Every ordinance, every commandment and requirement is necessary for the salvation of the human family. JOD 13:215” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 152. See also Teachings of Presidents of the Church – Brigham Young, p. 18).

Spirit World

“Father Smith and Carlos and Brother Partridge, yes, and every other good Saint, are just as busy in the spirit world as you and I are here. They can see us, but we cannot see them unless our eyes were opened. What are they doing there? They are preaching, preaching all the time, and preparing the way for us to hasten our work in building temples here and elsewhere, and to go back to Jackson County and build the great temple of the Lord. They are hurrying to get ready by the time we are ready and we are all hurrying to get reading by the time our Elder Brother is ready. JOD 3:369-370” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 378).

“If a person is baptized for the remission of sins, and dies a short time thereafter, he is not prepared at once to enjoy a fulness of the glory promised to the faithful in the Gospel; for he must be schooled, while in the spirit, in the other departments of the house of God, passing on from truth to truth, from intelligence, until he is prepared to again receive his body and to enter into the presence of the Father and the Son. We cannot enter into celestial glory in our present state of ignorance and mental darkness. JOD 7:332” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 378-379).

Temple

“It is absolutely necessary that the Saints should receive the further ordinances of the house of God before this short existence shall come to a close, that they may be prepared and fully able to pass all the sentinels leading into the celestial kingdom and into the presence of God. JOD 12:163-164” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 395).

“Who Should Represent the Dead—A man is ordained and receives his washings, anointings, and endowments for the male portion of his and his wife’s progenitors, and his wife for the female portion. JOD 3:372” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 405. Italics in original).

“For instance, a man and his wife come into the Church; he says, ‘My father and mother were good people; I would like to officiate for them.’ ‘Well, have you any other friends in the Church?’ ‘Nobody but myself and my wife.’ Well, now, the wife is not a blood relation , consequently she is not in reality the proper person, but she can be appointed the heir if there are no other relatives—if there are no sisters, this wife of his can officiate for the mother; but if the man has a sister in the Church, it is the privilege and place of the sister of this man, the daughter of those parents that are dead, to go and officiate—be baptized, go and be sealed with her brother for her father and mother. If this man and woman have a daughter old enough to officiate for her grandmother, she is a blood relation, and is the heir, and can act; but if there is no daughter, the man’s wife can be appointed as the heir. JOD 16:188” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 405).

“Saviors on Mount Zion”—We have a work to do just as important in its sphere as the Savior’s work was in its sphere. Our fathers cannot be made perfect without us; we cannot be made perfect without them. They have done their work and now sleep. We are now called upon to do ours; which is to be the greatest work man ever performed on the earth. Millions of our fellow creatures who have lived upon the earth and died without a knowledge of the Gospel must be officiated for in order that they may inherit eternal life (that is, all that would have received the Gospel). And we are called upon to enter into this work. JOD 18:213” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 406. Italics in original).

Three Degrees of Glory

“We are placed on this earth to prove whether we are worthy to go into the celestial world, the terrestrial, or the telestial or to hell, or to any other kingdom, or place, and we have enough of
life given to us to do this. JOD 4:269” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 87. See also Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, pp. 85-86).

“More will prove faithful than will apostatize. A certain class of this people will go into the celestial kingdom, while others cannot enter there, because they cannot abide a celestial law; but they will attain to as good a kingdom as they desire and live for. JOD 8:39” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 383).

“The very heathen we were talking about; if they have a law, no matter who made it, and do the best they know how, they will have a glory which is beyond your imagination, by any description I might give; you cannot conceive of the least portion of the glory of God prepared for his beings, the workmanship of his hands. JOD 3:93” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 385).

“Is it not a glorious thought that there are kingdoms, mansions of glory and comfortable habitations prepared for all the sons and daughters of Adam, except the sons of perdition? All will not have part in the first resurrection, and perhaps many will not appear in the second; but all will be resurrected, and, except the sons of perdition, enter kingdoms, the least of which I presume is more glorious than ever John Wesley saw in vision. JOD 8:197-197” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 391).

“Are all spirits endowed alike? No, not by any means. Will all be equal in the celestial kingdom? No. Some spirits are more noble than others; some are capable of receiving more than others. There is the same variety in the spirit world that you behold here, yet they are of the same parentage, of one Father, one God. JOD 4:268” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 391).

“The Celestial Kingdom—The celestial is the highest of all. The telestial and terrestrial are also spoke of; and how many more kingdoms of glory there are, is not for me to say. I do not know that they are not innumerable. This is a source of great joy to me. JOD 8:35” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 392).

Tithing

“The law of tithing is an eternal law. The Lord Almighty never had his Kingdom on the earth without the law of tithing being in the midst of his people, and he never will. It is an eternal law that God has instituted for the benefit of the human family for their salvation and exaltation. This is the law of the Priesthood, but we do not want any to observe it unless they are willing to do so. JOD 14:89” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 177. See also Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, p. 155).

Tolerance

“If I should hear a man advocate the erroneous principles he had imbibed through education, and oppose those principles, some might imagine that I was opposed to that man, when, in fact, I am only opposed to every evil and erroneous principle he advances. JOD 6:331” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 251).

Truth

“I want to say to my friends that we believe in all good. If you can find truth in heaven, earth or hell, it belongs to our doctrine. We believe it; it is ours; we claim it” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 2).

“Our doctrine and practice is, and I have made it mine through life—to receive truth no matter where it comes from. JOD 14:160” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 11).

“When truth is presented to an intelligent person, he ought to grasp it and receive it in his faith. JOD 8:59” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 65).

War in Heaven

“In regard to the battle in heaven, that Brother Truman O. Angell referred to, how much of a battle it was I have forgotten. I cannot relate the principal circumstances, it is so long since it happened; but I do not think it lasted very long; for when Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, claimed the privilege of having the control of this earth, and redeeming it, a contention arose; but I do not think it took long to cast down one-third of the hosts of heaven, as it is written in the Bible. But let me tell you that it was one-third part of the spirits who were prepared to take tabernacles upon this earth, and who rebelled against the other two-thirds of the heavenly host; and they were cast down to this world. It is written that they were cast down to the earth. They were cast down to this globe-to this terra firma that you and I walk upon, and whose atmosphere we breathe. One-third part of the spirits that were prepared for this earth rebelled against Jesus Christ, and were cast down to the earth, and they have been opposed to him from that day to this, with Lucifer at their head. He is their general—Lucifer, the Son of the Morning. He was once a brilliant and influential character in heaven, and we will know more about him hereafter. JOD 5:54-55” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 54-55).

“The spirits of devils have been deprived of bodies, and that constitutes their curse, that is to say, speaking after the manner of men, you shall be wanderers on the earth, you have got to live out of doors all the time you live. That is the situation of the spirits that were sent to the earth, when the revolt took place in heaven, when Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, was cast out. Where did he go? He came here, and one-third part of the spirits in heaven came with him. Do you suppose that one-third part of all beings that existed in eternity came with him? No, but one-third part of the spirits that were begotten and organized and brought forth to become tenants of fleshly bodies to dwell upon this earth. They forsook Jesus Christ, the rightful heir, and joined with Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, and came to this earth; they got here first. As soon as Mother Eve made her appearance in the garden of Eden, the Devil was on hand. JOD 11:141” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 68).

Word of Wisdom

“The Word of Wisdom—This Word of Wisdom prohibits the use of hot drinks and tobacco. I have heard it argued that tea and coffee are not mentioned therein; that is very true; but what were the people in the habit of taking as hot drinks when that revelation was given? Tea and coffee. We were not in the habit of drinking water very hot, but tea and coffee—the beverages in common use. JOD 13:277” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 182).

“I know that some say the revelations upon these points are not given by way of commandment. Very well, but we are commanded to observe every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. JOD 13:3” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 182-183).