"[God] extends us personal invitations to strengthen and deepen our trust in Him.  Each time we accept and act on an invitation, our trust in God grows.  If we ignore or decline an invitation, our progress stops until we're ready to act on a new invitation."

-Paul B. Pieper, Trust in the Lord, Liahona Nov. 2023

"We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed in the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, until his mind is capable in some measure of comprehending6 the propriety, justice, equality, and consistency of the same."

-Joseph Smith, Jr., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith

"There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit."

-Ronald Reagan

"Life by the yard is hard; by the inch it's a cinch.  Each of us can be true for just one day -- and then one more and then one more after that -- until we've lived a lifetime guided by the Spirit, a lifetime close to the Lord, a lifetime of good deeds and righteousness."

Thomas S. Monson
Believe, Obey, and Endure, Ensign May 2012

"Some people I’ve encountered seem to believe that we are here to prove to God, to everyone around us, and even to ourselves just how perfect we are—that we can and do live all of the gospel principles to their fullest, right from the start, never faltering!

"There is danger in such a prideful perspective. Such a view may make us reluctant to admit our mistakes. When inevitably we do fall short, it becomes difficult for us to square our life view with the fact that we have weaknesses and have committed sin. It makes it hard for us to see clearly and acknowledge just where we are on the path of progress. It leads us to harshly judge and condemn ourselves and at the same time rationalize how and why our actions really don’t disqualify us. It can lead us to try to hide our sins, which serves only to shade them from healing light. It can lead us to judge others harshly, crowding out the ability to develop the crowning virtue of charity.

"Perhaps instead the Lord expects that we acknowledge that we are weak, that we have much to learn through the experiences we have, and that we make mistakes, and then prove to Him that we will repent and put our whole heart into doing better. That we are here to humbly learn and grow and to make changes and turn to Him as we go is a liberating truth."

Douglas F. Prawitt

BYU Devotional, Line Upon Line:  Finding Joy in the Progress, July 19, 2011

"Line upon line and precept upon precept, gradually and almost imperceptibly, our motives, our thoughts, our words, and our deeds become aligned with the will of God.  Conversion unto the Lord requires both persistence and patience."

David A. Bednar
"Converted Unto the Lord," Ensign November 2012