Elder Hales quote

. . . Remember our agency is not only for us. We have the responsibility to use it in behalf of others, to lift and strengthen others in their trials and tribulations. Some of our brothers and sisters have lost the full use of their agency through unrighteous choices. Without exposing ourselves to temptation, we can and should invite others to receive the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through friendship and love, we may lead them along the path of obedience and encourage them to use their agency to make the right choices once again.

"To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessing of Agency" Robert D. Hales General Conference April 2006

Elder Hales quote

The promptings that come to us to flee evil reflect our Heavenly Father’s understanding of our particular strengths and weaknesses and His awareness of the unforeseen circumstances of our lives. When these promptings come, they will not generally stop us in our tracks, for the Spirit of God does not speak with a voice of thunder. The voice will be as soft as a whisper, coming as a thought to our minds or a feeling in our hearts. By heeding its gentle promptings, we will be protected from the destructive consequences of sin.

But if we ignore those promptings, the light of the Spirit will fade. Our agency will be limited or lost, and we will lose the confidence and ability to act. We will be “walking in [spiritual] darkness at noon-day.”  Then how easy it is to wander into strange paths and become lost! How quickly we are bound in the chains of sin spoken of by Lehi to his rebellious sons.

"To Act for Ourselves: The Gifts and Blessing of Agency" Robert D. Hales General Conference April 2006

Elder Bednar quote

The fundamental purposes for the gift of agency were to love one another and to choose God. 

Thus we become God’s chosen and invite His tender mercies as we use our agency to choose God.

"The Tender Mercies of the Lord" David A. Bednar General Conference April 2005

Elder Hales quote

. . . Use your agency to develop yourself personally. As you discover your gifts and talents, remember that parents and mentors may assist you, but you must let the Spirit guide you. Choose and act for yourself. Be motivated from within. Make a plan for your life, including education or vocational training. Explore interests and skills. Work and become self-reliant. Set goals, overcome mistakes, gain experience, and finish what you begin.

"Stand Strong in Holy Places" Robert D. Hales General Conference April 2013

Quentin L. Cook quote

Agency is essential to the plan of happiness. 

It allows for the love, sacrifice, personal growth, and experience necessary for our eternal progression. This agency also allows for all the pain and suffering we experience in mortality, even when caused by things we do not understand and the devastating evil choices of others. The very War in Heaven was waged over our moral agency and is essential to understanding the Savior’s earthly ministry.

"Personal Peace: The Reward of Righteousness" Quentin L. Cook General Conference April 2013

Elder Ballard quote

Our Heavenly Father loves all of His children, and He wants them all to have the blessings of the gospel in their lives. Spiritual light is not lost because God turns His back on His children. Rather, spiritual darkness results when His children turn their collective backs on Him. It is a natural consequence of bad choices made by individuals, communities, countries, and entire civilizations.

"Learning the Lessons of the Past" Elder M. Russell Ballard General Conference April 2009

L. Tom Perry quote

Men and women receive their agency as a gift from God, but their liberty and, in turn, their eternal happiness come from obedience to His laws. 

"Obedience to Law is Liberty" L. Tom Perry General Conference April 2013

L. Tom Perry quote

We recognize that when God the Eternal Father presented His plan to us at the beginning of time, Satan wanted to alter the plan. He said he would redeem all mankind. Not one soul would be lost, and Satan was confident he could deliver on his proposal. But there was an unacceptable cost—the destruction of man’s agency, which was and is a gift given by God. About this gift, President Harold B. Lee said, “Next to life itself, free agency is God’s greatest gift to mankind.”  Then it was no small thing for Satan to disregard man’s agency. In fact, it became the principal issue over which the War in Heaven was fought. Victory in the War in Heaven was a victory for man’s agency. Satan, however, was not done. His backup plan—the plan he has been executing since the time of Adam and Eve—was to tempt men and women, essentially to prove we are undeserving of the God-given gift of agency. . .

Each choice you and I make is a test of our agency—whether we choose to be obedient or disobedient to the commandments of God is actually a choice between “liberty and eternal life” and “captivity and death.”

"Obedience to Law is Liberty" L. Tom Perry General Conference April 2013

Boyd K. Packer quote

We are free to choose what we will and to pick and choose our acts, but we are not free to choose the consequences. They come as they will come.

Agency is defined in the scriptures as “moral agency,” which means that we can choose between good and evil. The adversary seeks to tempt us to misuse our moral agency. . .

All are born with the Light of Christ, a guiding influence which permits each person to recognize right from wrong. What we do with that light and how we respond to those promptings to live righteously is part of the test of mortality.

"These Things I Know" Boyd K. Packer General Conference April 2013

Jose A. Teixeira quote

Our Father in Heaven respects our freedom to choose and will never force us to do what is right, nor will He impede us from making mediocre choices.  His invitation, however, concerning this important and vital gift is clearly expressed in the scriptures: “But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.” 

^{Choices have consequences attached, which may or may not be manifested immediately after our decisions.}

^{"Gifts to Help us Navigate our lives" Jose A. Teixeira General Conference April 2009}