Work and Avoiding Idleness

"If you are a young man of appropriate age and are not married, don’t waste time in idle pursuits. Get on with life and focus on getting married. Don’t just coast through this period of life. Young men, serve a worthy mission. Then make your highest priority finding a worthy, eternal companion."
The Eternal Blessings of Marriage Richard G. Scott given in April 2011 General Conference

"But our labor can be misdirected. One can be anxiously engaged in a meaningless cause. Or one can do something wrong a hundred times and call it experience! Some would avoid labor while pursuing the goals of wealth without working for it, or an honored position without preparing for it. The converted Lamanites taught this lesson: “Rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.” (Alma 24:18.)"
Protect the Spiritual Power Line given by Russell M. Nelson October 1984 General Conference 

"You have come into the world in a great season in this the work of the Lord. No other generation has had quite the same opportunities that you have and will have. Begin now to establish those goals which will bring you happiness—education in your chosen skill or branch of learning, whatever it may be; a mission in which to surrender yourself entirely to the Lord to do His work; future marriage in the house of the Lord to a wonderful and delightful companion of whom you will be worthy because of the way you have lived."
Converts and Young Men given by Gordon B. Hinckley in April 1997 General Conference

"Teaching children the joy of honest labor is one of the greatest of all gifts you can bestow upon them. I am convinced that one of the reasons for the breakup of so many couples today is the failure of parents to teach and train sons in their responsibility to provide and care for their families and to enjoy the challenge this responsibility brings. Many of us also have fallen short in instilling within our daughters the desire of bringing beauty and order into their homes through homemaking.

Oh, how essential it is that children be taught early in life the joy that comes from starting and fashioning a job that is the workmanship of their own hands. Teach children the joy of honest labor. Provide a foundation for life that builds confidence and fulfillment in each life. “Happy is the man who has work he loves to do. … Happy is the man who loves the work he has to do” (Anonymous)."                        The Joy of Honest Labor given by L. Tom Perry in October 1986 General Conference

"Procrastination is truly a thief of time—especially when it comes to downright hard work. I speak of the need to study diligently as you prepare for the tests of school and, indeed, the tests of life."
Pathways to Perfection given my Thomas S. Monson in April 2002 General Conference

“Thou shalt not be idle,” the Lord said. (D&C 42:42.) Idleness is of the devil, and we are not kind to our children when we become affluent and take from them their labors, their opportunities to serve and to be trained and to do things for themselves and for others."
Loving One Another by Spencer W. Kimball given in October 1976 General Conference 

"When people are able but unwilling to take care of themselves, we are responsible to employ the dictum of the Lord that the idler shall not eat the bread of the laborer. (See D&C 42:42.)"
Solving Emotional Problems in the Lord's Way by Boyd K. Packer General Conference April 1978

"The Lord will hold you responsible for your children. But I am suggesting that we spend a little less time in idleness, in the fruitless pursuit of watching some inane and empty television programs. Time so utilized can be put to better advantage, and the consequences will be wonderful. Of that I do not hesitate to assure you."
We Have a Work To Do by Gordon B. Hinckley given in April 1995 General Conference

"God has designed this mortal existence to require nearly constant exertion. I recall the Prophet Joseph Smith’s simple statement: “By continuous labor [we] were enabled to get a comfortable maintenance” (Joseph Smith—History 1:55). By work we sustain and enrich life. It enables us to survive the disappointments and tragedies of the mortal experience. Hard-earned achievement brings a sense of self-worth. Work builds and refines character, creates beauty, and is the instrument of our service to one another and to God. A consecrated life is filled with work, sometimes repetitive, sometimes menial, sometimes unappreciated but always work that improves, orders, sustains, lifts, ministers, aspires."                                                                                                     Reflections on a Consecrated Life by D. Todd Christofferson given in October 2010 General Conference

"The children of earlier pioneers were required to do incredibly hard physical work to survive their environment. That was no greater challenge than many of our young people now face from the absence of hard work, which results in spiritually corrosive challenges to discipline, responsibility, and self-worth. Jesus taught: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).
Following the Pioneers by Dallin H. Oaks October 1997 General Conference 

Work and Avoiding Idleness

My Patriarchal blessing warned me about being idle with my time. I have noticed at different times in my life that things have sucked away my time that have not left me a better person. I now gauge the worth of an activity on how it will help me to grow and learn. It has definitely cut back on mindless Internet surfing. I come from a family where hard work is expected and appreciated. I love President Hinckley’s reminder that we live in a very important time where the Lord expects and appreciates the work that we do.