Harold B. Lee
"To be persecuted for righteousness' sake in a great cause where truth and virtue and honor are at stake is God-like. Always there have been martyrs to every great cause. The great harm that may come from persecution is not from the persecution itself but from the possible effect it may have upon the persecuted who may thereby be deterred in their zeal for the righteousness of their cause. Much of that persecution comes from lack of understanding, for men are prone to oppose that which they do not comprehend. Some of it comes from men intent upon evil. But from whatever cause, persecution seems to be so universal against those engaged in a righteous cause that the Master warns us, 'Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.' (Luke 6:26.)
"May youth everywhere remember that warning when you are hissed and scoffed at because you refuse to compromise your standards of abstinence, honesty, and morality in order to win the applause of the crowd. If you stand firmly for the right, despite the jeers of the crowd or even physical violence, you shall be crowned with the blessedness of eternal joy. Who knows but that again in our day some of the saints or even apostles, as in former days, may be required to give their lives in defense of the truth. If that time should come, God grant they will not fail." (Stand Ye In Holy Places, p. 348)
Joseph Smith
"Those who cannot endure persecution, and stand in the day of affliction, cannot stand in the day when the Son of God shall burst the veil, and appear in all the glory of His Father, with all the holy angels." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 42)
Neal A. Maxwell
"The straight and narrow is the path of perspiration and is too arduous to be free from adversity. There are many ways in which the disciple can suffer as a Christian, and for righteousness' sake. Practical, perceptive Peter said, 'For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.' (1 Peter 2:20. Italics added.)
"…those who have suffered most, and for the right reasons, will have stretched their capacity for joy and happiness.
"Peter says, 'If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, . . . but let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief. . . .' (1 Peter 4:14) To 'suffer as a Christian' or for 'righteousness' sake' is a consequence to be considered as separate and apart from the self-inflicted misery that too often grows out of our failures to be Christian." (A Time To Choose, p. 43)