There are certain passages in the Book of Mormon which the Bible cannot equal. This is one of them. The phrase "wickedness never was happiness" encompasses all of the plan of salvation in four words. It applies to the pre-mortal life, the mortal experience, and the final state of man. It demonstrates that all of Satan's temptations are actually lies intended to bring us nothing but misery. Likewise, it shows that all of God's commandments are given for our benefit and happiness. In the words of Samuel the Lamanite, we cannot seek for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head (Hel 13:38).
Joseph Smith
"Happiness is the object and design of our existence, and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God." (History of the Church, vol. 5, pp. 134-135)
Gordon B. Hinckley
"It is very important to be happy in this work. We have a lot of gloomy people in the Church because they do not understand, I guess, that this is the gospel of happiness. It is something to be happy about, to get excited about." (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, "Happiness")
Hugh B. Brown
"Our individual dignity and self-respect are based upon, and our hopes and ambitions are justified by, the fact that we are the offspring of Deity. You cannot afford to forget that fact. It is permanently, unavoidably, and sometimes painfully true. That relationship makes it impossible to do wrong and feel right. Sin and evil are repugnant to our inner, better selves. 'Wickedness never was happiness.'" (The Abundant Life, p. 49)
Gordon B. Hinckley
"The way of the Lord is the way of happiness. Wickedness never was happiness. Transgression never was happiness. Sin never was happiness. Disobedience never was happiness. The way of happiness is following the way of the Lord. I believe this with all my heart. If there is any message that runs through all of the Book of Mormon, it is this great transcendent message, that when the people lived in righteousness they were happy and they were prospered. And when they fell into wickedness they were miserable, they were at war, they were in poverty, they were in trouble. That theme goes all the way through the Book of Mormon. As it was true then, so it is true now. The way of happiness for the people of this Church lies in following the ways of the Lord." (Church News, 06/01/96)
A. Theodore Tuttle
"it is not nearly so hard to live the standards as not to live them.
"This was impressed upon me some years ago as I interviewed a young girl of seventeen or eighteen years of age. She said: 'I have broken all of the Ten Commandments, except the sixth one, and lots of other laws besides.' During the course of the interview, which incidentally, was conducted behind bars, she confessed ashamedly some of the sins which she had committed. Near the close of the interview she pulled up the sleeve of her sweater and pointed to the telltale puncture wounds left by a hypodermic needle. 'Those aren't mosquito bites,' she said pathetically. I asked her if she had found happiness in the type of life she had lived. As she shook her head negatively, tears began to fill her eyes. She buried her head in her arms and sobs literally racked her body. As I watched her suffer, helpless at the moment to bring much comfort, I thought of the statement of Alma made in the Book of Mormon: 'Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.' (Alma 41:10.)
"I have thought since of the statement Cecil B. DeMille made at the beginning of the film The Ten Commandments. Most of you have seen it. You will recall how, at the beginning of the motion picture, he walked through those large curtains and came onto the stage to give a short introduction to the film. As I remember he said something like this: 'The history of mankind teaches us that we cannot break God's laws, rather we break ourselves against them.'" (Conference Report, Oct. 1965, p. 31)
Ezra Taft Benson
"Do not be misled by Satan's lies. There is no lasting happiness in immorality. There is no joy to be found in breaking the law of chastity. Just the opposite is true. There may be momentary pleasure. For a time it may seem like everything is wonderful. But quickly the relationship will sour. Guilt and shame set in. We become fearful that our sins will be discovered. We must sneak and hide, lie and cheat. Love begins to die. Bitterness, jealousy, anger, and even hate begin to grow. All of these are the natural results of sin and transgression." (Morality, p. 86)
Hugh B. Brown
"I remember in my early days coming in contact with opponents of the Book of Mormon who charged, for instance, that it had no aphorisms of any importance, and that it was in this respect in strong contrast with the Jewish scriptures. I want to call your attention, however, to a few aphorisms that are of great worth, and that enrich the sacred literature of the world.
"For instance, there is that sharp-cut sentence: 'Wickedness never was happiness.'
"I think it would be difficult to find an epigram more important than that, and a truth that the world ought to know." (Conference Report, Apr. 1928, p. 108)