Thomas S. Monson, “The Three R’s of Choice”, October 2010 General Conference
“Brethren, you are of a noble birthright. Eternal life in the kingdom of our Father is your goal. Such a goal is not achieved in one glorious attempt but rather is the result of a lifetime of righteousness, an accumulation of wise choices, even a constancy of purpose. As with anything really worthwhile, the reward of eternal life requires effort.”
Boyd K. Packer, “Atonement, Agency, Accountability”, May 1988 Ensign
“Those scriptural words, “Thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee” (Moses 3:17), introduced Adam and Eve and their posterity to all the risks of mortality. In mortality men are free to choose, and each choice begets a consequence. The choice Adam made energized the law of justice, which required that the penalty for disobedience would be death.”
Robert D. Hales, “Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life”, October 2010 General Conference
“I was surprised he did not understand what we mean by the word agency. I went to an online dictionary. Of the 10 definitions and usages of the word agency, none expressed the idea of making choices to act. We teach that agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and “to act for [ourselves] and not to be acted upon.” 1 [ 2 Nephi 2:26] Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions. Our agency is essential to the plan of salvation. With it we are “free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil.” 2 [ 2 Nephi 2:27]”
Richard G. Scott, “First Things First”, April 2001 General Conference
“Why has your moral agency been given to you? Only to live a pleasurable life and to make choices to do the things you want to do? Or is there a more fundamental reason—to be able to make the choices that will lead you to fully implement your purpose for being here on earth and to establish priorities in your life that will assure the development and happiness the Lord wants you to receive.”
Russell M. Nelson, “Celestial Marriage”, October 2008 General Conference
God’s plan of happiness allows us to choose for ourselves. As with the patterns of the shopper, we may choose celestial marriage or lesser alternatives. Some marital options are cheap, some are costly, and some are cunningly crafted by the adversary. Beware of his options; they always breed misery! The best choice is a celestial marriage. Thankfully, if a lesser choice has previously been made, a choice can now be made to upgrade it to the best choice. That requires a mighty change of heart and a permanent personal upgrade. Blessings so derived are worth all efforts made.”
Harold B. Lee, “A Time of Decision”, April 1966 General Conference
“One of the ambitious sons of God’s spiritual creations in the premortal world promised salvation for all mankind without effort on their part, provided he would be given almighty power, even to the dethroning of God himself, whose divine right it is to reign over the earth. Intense bitterness ensued between that son, who became Satan, and those who followed after him, and the beloved Son of God and those who followed after him, whose plan of salvation, by contrast, would give to every soul the right of choice, and the glory be to the Father. He even offered himself as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” ( Rev. 13:8), that by the redemption of his atoning sacrifice, “all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel” ( A of F 1:3).”
Robert D. Hales, “To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency”, April 2006 General Conference
“Now we are here on earth, where opportunities to use our agency abound; for here “there is an opposition in all things.” 12 [ 2 Ne. 2:11] This opposition is essential to the purpose of our lives. As Lehi explained, “To bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, … the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.” [ 2 Ne. 2:15–16]”
Howard W. Hunter, “The Golden Thread of Choice”, October 1989 General Conference
“To fully understand this gift of agency and its inestimable worth, it is imperative that we understand that God’s chief way of acting is by persuasion and patience and long-suffering, not by coercion and stark confrontation. He acts by gentle solicitation and by sweet enticement. He always acts with unfailing respect for the freedom and independence that we possess. He wants to help us and pleads for the chance to assist us, but he will not do so in violation of our agency. He loves us too much to do that, and doing so would run counter to his divine character.”
Howard W. Hunter, “As He Thinketh”, April 1960 General Conference
“Since the beginning God has given to every man the power to control his thoughts. He has also given man the freedom to select the course in life he wishes to pursue. When Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden, the Lord commanded him saying: "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" ( Gen. 2:16-17).”
David O. McKay, “The True Purpose of Life”, October 1963 General Conference
“As God intended man to become as he, it was necessary that He should first make him free. Thus man was endowed with the greatest blessing that can be given to mortal beings—the gift of free agency. Without this divine power to choose, humanity cannot progress.”
Personal Statement:
I am so grateful for agency in my life. The ability to choose is one of the greatest gifts that the Lord has given us. If we did not have agency, we would not be able to learn and grow. Life would be repetitious and we would never learn anything. Heavenly Father knew that in order to become like Him, we would have to make important choices for ourselves. By using our agency in the right way, we can bless our own lives and better, we can bless the lives of others. The Lord knows that we are going to make mistakes. But because of agency, we have the ability to repent and be clean of our sins. We can become like our Heavenly Father. Someone once said “We sow our thoughts, we reap our actions. We sow our actions, we reap our habits. We sow our habits, we reap our character. We sow our character, we reap our destiny.” Making a choice today will effect who we become tomorrow.
