“Divinity and glory, hope and happiness—these and a hundred other virtues are already within you just waiting for you to discover them.”

—Patricia T. Holland, as quoted in With Power and Authority: Teachings of Latter-day Saint Women 

“Perfectionism can paralyze us and prevent us from accomplishing the good that can simply result from trying.”

—Kate Holbrook, as quoted in With Power and Authority: Teachings of Latter-day Saint Women

“God has preserved you to be born in this time so you can be the light to others. I don’t know why exactly each of us was born, when we were born, and where we were born, but I’m persuaded—I’m convinced—that God has a reason for each of us.”

—Elder D. Todd Christofferson, as quoted in Direct Messages: Words From God’s Prophets to You

“Each of you has a spiritual destiny. You are on a journey through mortality, with a specific mission to accomplish here on earth unique to you.

“ . . . You will face challenges. However, you are a son or daughter of God, made in His image. He made your spirit strong and capable of being resilient to the whirlwinds of life.”

—Elder Neil L. Andersen, as quoted in Direct Messages: Words From God’s Prophets to You

“Never forget—all of you, never forget—you are in the hands of the Lord. I never could have mapped out my own path. Never. It was like . . . I was a chess piece on a chess board, and the Lord and the Holy Ghost were moving me on that board to the next place the Lord wanted me to be. Now, in my life’s experience, I think that applies to all of us, because Heavenly Father is no respecter of persons. He loves every one of you . . . as much as He loves me or any of you. And so He wants us to develop our talents. He wants us to multiply our gifts. He wants us to give Him our very best. And at the end of the day, after we do all of that, leave it in the hands of the Lord.”

—Elder Ronald A. Rasband, as quoted in Direct Messages: Words From God’s Prophets to You

“Some people go into professions, some people go into the military. Some people go into the arts. Some people go into the vocations and the crafts and the trades and all of those are excellent choices. It’s just that we need to grow from where we are as young people, as youth, and continue, as President Nelson talks about, in lifelong learning. We have to prepare ourselves. We need to prepare ourselves. It’s a religious obligation, he said, so that we can be of service to other people. It’s not just for our own edification, our own income. Those things matter, but really we want to be of service in society, in the Church, and in the broader society. So I want to emphasize there’s no one profession, no one occupation, no one training that’s best for 100% of all of us. But each of us chooses a path, and . . . we can change it as we go along and we learn. You’re not expected . . . to know everything at the beginning. You don’t see the end from the beginning. And sometimes it’s just, ‘“Give [me] this day [my] daily bread” [Matthew 6:11]. I need this day, and I’ll move to that step and then see where we go after that.’ But that’s okay. You don’t have to know it all.”

—President D. Todd Christofferson, as quoted in Direct Messages: Words From God’s Prophets to You

“My dear young friends, I love you. I thank you. I believe in you. As the Lord’s prophet, I bless you to know the truth about who you are and to treasure the truth about what your glorious potential really is. I bless you to take charge of your own testimony. And I bless you to have the desire and strength to keep your covenants.

“As you do, I promise that you will experience spiritual growth, freedom from fear, and a confidence that you can scarcely imagine now. You will have the strength to have a positive influence far beyond your natural capacity. And I promise that your future will be more exhilarating than anything you can presently believe.”

—President Russell M. Nelson, as quoted in Now Is Your Time: A Message to the Rising Generation