Parley P. Pratt

“ But if you will manifest to me a spirit in any person, I will tell you where that spirit leads, and so can President Young and his Counsellors, and every true-hearted Saint who has experience in the operations of spiritual powers. We will try to act in time, and not suffer the spirit of destruction to ripen in our midst.
It is not enough for people to have liberty to worship according to sectarianism, Judaism, heathenism, and everything else, but they wish the liberty to stab you to the heart. ”

“ The only safe way is for the good and bad to be separated. I like to see the roads open, the snow disappear from the kanyons, that spirits not congenial to the Gospel of peace may go as many roads as there are points of the compass. ”

“ In all the general persecutions, from that time to the present, I do not recollect of a single instance, that the general storm was not brought about by men from among ourselves, professing the name, membership, and Priesthood of the Latter-day Saints, traitors to the cause that they professed to believe. ”

“ We are as able to be destroyed as any people living. What care we whether we are destroyed or not? These old tabernacles will die of themselves, if let alone.
We have nothing to fear on that head, for we are as well prepared to die as to live. One thing we have heard to-day, and I am glad to hear it. We shall not be destroyed in the old way—as we have been heretofore. We shall have a change in the manner, at least. We shall probably be destroyed standing, this time, and not in a sitting or lying position. We can die as well as others who are not as well prepared! ”

“ You may say, Wait till an enemy forms a league with others for your destruction. We would do this, if we did not know the spirit that actuates our enemies. Ignorant of this, we might sit down and wait till men did actually cut our throats, in order to prove them. ”

“ If the city, or a large portion of its citizens, wish to discuss any general principle, here is the Tabernacle, and yonder is the StateHouse, or the Theatre—all owned by the people, and under their control. ”

“ Where shall we begin to improve? I don't know of anything better calculated to improve our union than to have some wide meshes in the net, to let those slip through who don't wish to be gathered, and to unite with the rest. ”

“ It was the direct means of this last persecution which led to the martyrdom of the Prophet, and the destruction of many others; the plundering of millions, the burning of our Temple, and our migration to this country. ”

“ I am glad that while we do live we shall not submit to be yoked or saddled like a dumb ass. We shall not stand still to see men, women, and children murdered, robbed, plundered, and driven any more, as in the States heretofore. ”

“ We have obtained our local, political rights and privileges, and have been enabled to preserve them inviolate in the face of all the opposition, lies, and slanders, which have been so industriously circulated. ”

“ The Presbyterians, Methodists, Quakers, &c., have here the liberty to worship God in their own way, and so has every man in the world. People have the privilege of apostatizlng from this Church, and of worshipping devils, snakes, toads, or geese, if they please, and only let their neighbors alone. ”

“ There are more truths poured out from the eternal fountain, already, than our minds can contain, or than we have places and preparations to carry out. And yet we are called upon to prove—what ? Whether an egg that was known to be rotten fifteen years ago, has really improved by reason of age!! ”