Brigham Young

“ All the power and dignity that wealth can bestow is a mere shadow, the substance is found in the bone and sinew of the toiling millions. Well directed labor is the true power that supplies our wants. It gives regal grandeur to potentates, education and supplies to religious and political ministers, and supplies the wants of the thousands of millions of earth's sons and daughters. There are conditions and panics in society that all the power of earthly wealth cannot avert.
How happy, how secure that nation or people would be who knew how to sustain themselves for ever and for ever. ”

“ Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long a time with you and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father, and how sayest thou then show us the Father?" The Father is a perfect man in every part, a person of tabernacle endowed with all the features and attributes of a perfect being.
"The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof." How vain it is for us to think that we are going to grasp all things independently of God. ”

“ What would the present rulers give for knowledge and power to so control the minds of that portion of the people who are still in the Union as to continue themselves in office—the leading spirits of the nation—to dictate the condition, future life and prosperity of this great and magnanimous people?
When the pioneers came into these valleys we knew nearly all the families which composed the settlements in Upper and Lower California. Is there a man that has ever been elected to represent that people in Congress that has not bought his election with money? ”

“ If I have a man-servant or a maid-servant, they are flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone—they are the children of God as much as I am. In the providences of God their ability is such that they cannot rise above the position of a servant, and they are willing to serve me and have me dictate their labor. Then let them do service to me, and it is my duty to treat them kindly and reward them accordingly. All the nations of the earth are composed of one flesh and blood, and God will bring into judgment the nation that abuses the liberties it possesses. ”

“ No one can suppose that Jesus wished to be understood that he and his Father and his disciples were all one person.
We believe in one God, one Mediator and one Holy Ghost. We cannot believe for a moment that God is destitute of body, parts, passions or attributes. Attributes can be made manifest only through an organized personage. All attributes are couched in and are the results of organized existence. True knowledge will teach the people who they are and the design of their creation. We are the sons and daughters of celestial beings, and the germ of the Deity dwells within us. ”

“ Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin." "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" "He giveth to the beast his food and to the young ravens which cry." If we are faithful we shall learn in due time that all things are sustained and endured by his all-wise providences. ”

“ Were I to bring a proof in favor of our religion I would quote the sayings, relating to this nation, of that man whom God has sent in the latter-days with eternal life to them. There is more solid proof in favor of a Prophet's being divinely sent when his words are fulfilled than all the miracles he can work.
The nineteenth century is not destitute of miracles; we have spirit-rapping, spirit-writing, spirit-muttering, table-moving and the curing of diseases of long standing by the same influence and power. ”

“ Men think the power and influence I possess are obtained by necromancy or some other evil power. The power of the Devil is great upon the earth, but it is fast playing out, and the inhabitants of the earth must have true knowledge.
It has been told me from my youth up that opposition is the life of business, especially in the political arena. It is opposition that has ruined our nation, and has been, is and will be the ruin of all nations. In our nation slavery is the great bone of contention. ”

“ With all the power I possess, I cannot prevent a man from cursing and swearing if he is disposed to do so; the Lord himself has not influence enough to do it, what then is to be done with him? Guide his mind and affections into a better channel until he sees the folly of his course and understands the benefit of a more righteous way and a more manly life, then will he pursue the path to truth, peace and the fellowship of the Saints of God on earth and in the heavens; then will he increase in love, joy, wisdom, knowledge and power. ”

“ It is somewhat remarkable that wealth is considered the root and foundation of all earthly influence and power, when the truth is that gold is not power. A man may possess all the gold, silver, and precious stones in the world, which are called wealth, and yet starve to death. Wealth does not give true greatness. ”

“ Those who understand the spirit that rules in the atmosphere and in the hearts of the children of men are aware that they do not feel to-day as yesterday, to-morrow as to-day. Many men have greeted me and my brethren with all the cordiality with which one man can greet another, and in a short time their feelings have changed to the most deadly hatred. ”

“ If you wish to gain power in the minds of any people, give them the same opportunity that you possess to become independent and self-sustaining, and endow them with all the wisdom and knowledge that they are capable of receiving, and let them increase with you and unitedly grow and become strong. Through their oneness, the Latter-day Saints have become a terror to the enemies of truth. ”

“ They say that man is naturally prone to evil. In some respects this is true, where by the force of example and wrong tradition has become ingrained, but if man had always been permitted to follow the instincts of his nature, had he always followed the great and holy principles of his organism, they would have led him into the path of life everlasting, which the whole human family are constantly trying to find.
Every person is, to a greater or less degree, seeking to sustain himself, to obtain influence, power, wealth, wisdom and knowledge, all to further his individual aims. ”

“ If I were the dictator of the nation in which I live, I should be held responsible to Him for that power and influence. He would expect me to rule in righteousness.
This people is an astonishment to all the world. We pick up the beggar in the street in England—and we have baptized hundreds of them—we bring him here and put him in a situation to earn his living. They never owned anything before, but after they come here they soon begin to own a pig, a cow, a few chickens, and by-and-bye a team; then open farms and soon become men of wealth. ”

“ Then shall you obtain all the influence and power you can wish for. In the government of God there is all the security offered to its subjects they can desire; in it their individual rights and property are perfectly safe. Were I worth millions of money I should wish to invest it under a government that offered to me the greatest protection and security. God rules in the heavens and on the earth; he sendeth seed time and harvest; winter and summer; he controls the good and the evil, and stays the evil and the plague when it has answered his pleasure ”

“ If there is a corner of the earth that can possibly be inhabited by mortals, the Latter-day Saints would venture there if they conceived it to be their duty, and overcome every obstacle and soon make the desert waste blossom as a rose. ”

“ The miracles of Jesus were known to the Jews, yet they suffered him to be put to death as a deceiver of mankind and one possessed of a devil.
If miracles prove a person to be divinely sent, then we are safe in declaring the Witch of Endor, who raised up Samuel, and the magicians of Egypt to be divinely sent. I will have it printed and sent to the world that no miracle is any proof of a man's being sent of God to perform a mission in his name. ”

“ I am limited in knowledge and in the ability to convey the knowledge that is within me and often resort to gestures to convey what my language fails to impart; neither am I mighty in writing—I can convey more by language than I can by writing. ”

“ Men are willing to spend all they have to attain the accomplishment of their purposes in a political point of view. All this power can be obtained by political aspirants without money, if they possessed true knowledge. I could be sent as a delegate to Congress without giving one farthing for the office, because I have true knowledge. Teach the people true knowledge, and they will govern themselves.
Men marvel that I possess the influence I do over this people, no matter where on the earth they are located. ”

“ My independence is sacred to me—it is a portion of that same Deity that rules in the heavens. There is not a being upon the face of the earth who is made in the image of God, who stands erect and is organized as God is, that should be deprived of the free exercise of his agency so far as he does not infringe upon others' rights, save by good advice and a good example. ”

“ I am accused of a thousand evils, but I have never feared but one thing with regard to myself—and that is, that I should be left to do an evil that people may truly blame me; while they cannot speak evil of me and tell the truth, it never harms me. ”

“ Moses gives us to understand that Adam was created precisely after the image and likeness of his God. And in the New Testament Jesus Christ says, "and call no man your father upon the earth, for one is your Father which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters, for one is your Master, even Christ." Again, Paul says, "Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" ”

“ We teach the whole human family the way of life and salvation. The Latter-day Saints have the advantage of the same power that revealed to Peter of old that Jesus was the Christ; "Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."
The Latter-day Saints and every other person who is entitled to salvation, and all except those who have sinned against the Holy Ghost, may know that Jesus is the Christ in the same way that Peter knew it. Miracles do not give this knowledge to mankind, though they may serve as collateral evidence to strengthen the believer. ”

“ Our hearts have been made to feel the divine influence that comes from heaven to prepare us to build up the Zion of our God upon the earth in the latter days. That we may enjoy our meeting this morning, let us strive to concentrate our thoughts upon the object of our assembling, for there is a proneness in the mind to wander, and it often requires considerable effort to stay it upon any one purpose. ”

“ When misuse of power has reached a certain stage, the divinity that is within the people asserts its right and they free themselves from the power of despotism. The nation that lifts itself up against God and rules in unrighteousness he will call to an account in his own way. ”

“ Confidence has left the human family; there is but little substantial principle or virtue left in which confidence can be placed. We have to restore confidence to the world by being just and true to ourselves, to one another and to our God from this time henceforth and for ever.
I suppose that more than half a million of the brave sons of our country now sleep in the dust in consequence of what I consider an unnecessary war, and the end is not yet. ”

“ We do not buy the people with money, but we have striven in every way that is lawful and right to get a little money to bring the poor and destitute of other nations here and put them in a position to take care of themselves. I am sorry to say that some few have requited this kindness by joining hands with our foes against us and have become our most deadly enemies. They, however, have no power to injure us, for God rules in the heavens ”

“ Do you wish to possess enlarged influence in a political point of view? Gather around you the poor and honest of mankind and bestow your charity on them, not by giving them in the way that charity is almost universally understood, but supply them labor that will pay an interest on the outlay of means and, at the same time, afford food, raiment and shelter to the laborer; in this way the man of means becomes a benefactor to his race. ”

“ If all men understood the great work of the last days brought forth by the Prophet Joseph and its ultimate results, they would invest all their capital stock in this great speculation. We are for self, for power, for knowledge, for thrones, for dominions, for eternal life. We are for the kingdoms that God has promised to the righteous; and they have received great and precious promises. Paul says, "For all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come ”

“ Again, "and every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake, shall receive an hundred fold and shall inherit everlasting life." ”