Richard L. Evans Quotes

We have to trust the Lord God for so many things, and it is but one thing more to trust him in the issues of life and death, and to accept the fact that his plans and promises and purposes transcend the bounds of this world and of this life. With such faith the years are kind, and peace and reconciliation do come to those who have laid to rest their loved ones - who, even in death, are not far removed from us, and of whom our Father in heaven will be mindful until we meet again even as we are mindful of our own children.

I don't think anything is unrealistic if you believe you can do it.

We should think seriously before we slam doors, before we burn bridges, before we saw off the limb on which we find ourselves sitting.

A boy is the only known substance from which a man can be made.

Work is the best wonder drug ever devised by God. Work is as necessary to man as eating and sleeping. Pleasure derived from labor is the sweetest of all pleasures.

We are what we are, wherever we are.

May I make two citations from the words of a discerning editorial writer, not one of my faith, but one of much faith: "If we neglect the divine . . . and give ourselves over wholly to the human," he said, "we may certainly count upon nothing but the triumph of pessimism. . . . True optimism must rest upon a calm, unshakable faith in eternal life and in the unlimited goodness of him who gives it."

May we never let the things we can't have or don't have or shouldn't have spoil our enjoyment of the things we do have and can have.

Live so as to have a quiet conscience.

There are some things you can give another person, and some things you cannot give him, except as he is willing to reach out and take them, and pay the price of making them a part of himself. This principle applies to studying, to developing talents, to absorbing knowledge, to acquiring skills, and to the learning of all the lessons of life.

Things I don't understand don't destroy my faith in the things I do understand.

What better can parents and children give to each other than respectful, understanding attention.

It is possible for two people who have wide differences of preference and opinion, of habits, of teaching, of training, of background and belief to enjoy the company of each other in many ways. Indeed, a diversity of friendships is one of life's real enrichments. To learn of the goodness of those who are unlike-their worth, their sincerity, their good hearts, their good minds, their good company-is rich and rewarding. It is wonderful to have a wide range of choice friends who can be counted on, friends who can be enjoyed and loved and trusted. Such is the meaning of friendship.

We need the courage to start and continue what we should do, and courage to stop what we shouldn't do.

A person soon learns how little he knows when a child begins to ask questions.

No man is so wise that he cannot benefit by talking things out with others.

Whatever you do, do not feel sorry for yourself - things could always be worse and they are for someone else!

Indeed, the greatest blessing that can follow the death of those we love is reconciliation. Without it there is no peace. But with it come quiet thoughts and quickened memories. And what else shall a man do except become reconciled? What purpose does he serve by fighting what he cannot touch or by brooding upon what he cannot change?

When in the world are we going to begin to live as if we understood that this is life? This is our time, our day...and it is passing. What are we waiting for?

Maturity begins on the day we accept responsibility for our own actions.

Too much pessimism has led too many men into making serious mistakes. And perhaps part of our pessimism comes because we are too close to ourselves to see in proper perspective.

It sometimes seems that we live as if we wonder when life is going to begin. It isn't always clear just what we are waiting for, but some of us sometimes persist in waiting so long that life slips by - finding us still waiting for something that has been going on all the time. . . . This is the life in which the work of this life is to be done. Today is as much a part of eternity as any day a thousand years ago or as will be any day a thousand years hence. This is it, whether we are thrilled or disappointed, busy or bored! This is life, and it is passing.

We can run away from where we are, but not from what we are.

One of our urgent opportunities is to respond to a child when he earnestly asks, remembering that they don't always ask.

Go ahead with your life, your plans.... Don't waste time by stopping before the interruptions have started.

Humor is essential to a full and happy life. It is a reliever and relaxer of pressure and tension, and the saving element in many situations.

Parents who indulge themselves 'in moderation' may have children who indulge themselves to excess.

One of the greatest accomplishments in this world would be that of lifting human hearts. Blessed are they who are kind and considerate of the feelings of other people.

Someone has to do everything that is done.

We must not let the things we can't do keep us from doing the things we can do.

Give no man sympathy because he has to work - it is his blessing that he can.

All things need watching, working at, caring for, and marriage is no exception. Marriage is not something to be indifferently treated or abused, or something that simply takes care of itself. Nothing neglected will remain as it was or is, or will fail to deteriorate. All things need attention, care and concern, and esp...ecially so in this most sensitive of all relationships of life.

Remember to build each other up, to strengthen and sustain, to keep companionship lovely and alive. Remember dignity and respect; understanding; not expecting perfection; a sense of humor and a sense of what is sacred and serious; common purposes, common convictions, and the character to stay with a bargain, to keep a covenant - in these are the making of a good and solid marriage.

Shouldn't the commandments be re-written? No, they should be re-read!

He who has ceased to pray has lost a great friendship.

Life moves in one direction only - and each day we are faced with an actual set of circumstances, not with what might have been, not with what we might have done, but with what is, and with where we are now- and from this point we must proceed; not from where we were, not from where we wish we were - but from where we are.

In answer to the question, "Shouldn't the commandments be rewritten?," someone thoughtfully replied, "No, they should be reread."

Any man who can't control his thoughts can't control his actions, and any man who can't control his actions isn't safe in society.

Realize that the privilege to work is a gift. Love of work is success. Be thankful that every morning that you get up that you have some thing that must be done (whether you like it or not).

Parents sometimes simply don't have enough hands and time and attention to do all that is urgent. But in all things there is a priority of importance....and one of our urgent opportunities is to respond to a child when he earnestly asks, remembering that they don't always ask, that they aren't always teachable, that they won't always listen.

Children will not remember you for the material things you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them.

The ever-present expectancy of death is never far removed from any of us - whether we realize it or not. None of us can avoid it. It comes alike to the great and to the unknown; to the righteous and to the unrighteous. Wherein we differ is not in our ability to avert it, but in the preparedness with which we meet it. At such times some question the judgments of God. Some find bitterness because of the circumstances and because of the seeming untimeliness of death.

One of the most fruitless, irritating wastes in the world is arguing-the contentious, endless kind of arguing that is akin to quarreling, and causes feuding in families and among friends, and leaves resentful feeling in homes, in hearts, in businesses and professions, and in all kinds of gatherings in public and private places, and in all relationships of life-and with so little that it ever seems to settle!

Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was.

Literally, no man ever sees himself as others see him. No photograph or reflection ever gives us the same slant on ourselves that others see. It has often been proved on the witness stand that no two people ever see the same accident precisely the same way. We see through different eyes and from different angles. But if we could see things as other people see them, we could come closer to knowing why they do what they do and why they say what they say.

Freedom cannot always continue in comfort and convenience, cannot be assured without sacrifice, without truth and decency, without willingness to work, without downright honesty and honor, and readiness to keep the commandments and live within the law...there is no liberty without a real respect for law; no liberty if we forget God, or fail to remember the principles on which freedom is founded.

If we don't want temptation to follow us, we shouldn't act as if we are interested. No one ever fell over a precipice who never went near one.

Keep courage. Whatever you do, do not feel sorry for yourself. You will win in a great age of opportunity.