D&C 1:28; Ether 12:27; refer in this text to Mosiah 2:25-26; The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis
“It’s hard to feel sufficiently humble. If you can, you may not be.” (Henry B. Eyring)
“The Prophet Joseph Smith, in our own dispensation, said this: ‘When the Twelve or any other witnesses stand, before the congregations of the earth, and they preach in the power and demonstration of the Spirit of God, and the people are astonished and confounded at the doctrine, and say, “That man has preached a powerful discourse, a great sermon,” Then let that man or those men take care that they do not ascribe the glory unto themselves, but be careful that they are humble, and ascribe the praise and glory to God and the Lamb; for it is by the power of the Holy Priesthood and the Holy Ghost that they have power thus to speak. What art thou, O man, but dust? And from whom receivest thou thy power and blessings, but from God?’
Who has the right to be smug and conceited in his own powers or accomplishments or talents? God gave us our breath, our life, our talents, our brains, our capacities.” (Spencer W. Kimball, BYU Speeches, Jan. 1963, pp. 10-11)
“Humility! That does not mean weakness; that does not mean lack of courage, lack of faith, lack of self-confidence; but it means the recognition of a higher power upon which we are dependent …” (Ezra Taft Benson, So Shall Ye Reap, pp. 33-34)
“When one becomes conscious of his great humility, he has already lost it. When one begins boasting of his humility, it has already become pride—the antithesis of humility… . Somebody asked me this morning, How do you keep humble? Sometimes I am humble and sometimes I am unhumble.’ I think there is a formula that will never fail. First, you evaluate yourself… . I would be nothing without the Lord. My breath, my brains, my hearing, my sight, my locomotion, my everything depends upon the Lord. That is the first step and then we pray, and pray often, and we will not get up from our knees until we have communicated. The line may be down; we may have let it fall to pieces, but I will not get up from my knees until I have established communication—if it is twenty minutes, if it is all night like Enos… If it takes all day long, you stay on your knees until your unhumbleness has dissipated, until you feel the humble spirit and realize, ‘I could die this minute if it were not for the Lord’s good grace. I am dependent upon him—totally dependent upon him,’ and then you read the scriptures.” (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, pp. 233-234)