Choosing and Using Quotes

Quotes from General Authorities can lend credibility to a lesson. Most lesson manuals supply quotes, but there are frequently more than you can use, and so you must decide which ones meet your needs.

Too many quotes can make a lesson feel too much like school. For a thirty minute lesson, generally two or three quotes, in addition to the scriptures used, are plenty unless the topic is very complex. How do you decide which quotes to use?

If a doctrine is likely to be unfamiliar to your students, use a quote from a prophet or general authority to back it up. This prevents arguments from erupting over whether or not it's true.

If a teaching is sensitive or controversial, use a quote from a leader to make it less personal. Examples of sensitive topics: Mothers working outside the home, temple marriage, and, oddly, Seminary attendance. The last, when I write about it, often generates unhappy email when I write about its importance.

If a quote is especially powerful or brings out a point it would be difficult for you to make alone, use the quote. Quotes also help when a topic is complex.

Quotes are one way to invite others to participate. Print them out with a number on them for easy identification. ("Who has quote number 2?")Then hand them out prior to the start of the lesson. Be sure not to put anyone on the spot, since there may be some who don't read well or see well, or who simply forgot their reading glasses. Some quotes may be difficult for some members to handle if they're emotional. Ask for volunteers or approach someone and say, "I have a few quotes today. Are you interested in reading one today or is this a listening day for you?" This gives them an easy way out if they don't want to explain their reluctance. Handing them out in advance allows readers to review the quote before having to read.

If you're using a quote not in the lesson manual, select it from a church approved resource, such as another lesson manual, a church magazine, or a conference talk. We should not quote from popular LDS or non-LDS fiction or non-fiction as a rule, since lessons are to be taught from official church sources only. As an example, a quote from Ezra Taft Benson on politics given in General Conference is appropriate. A quote from him given in a speech he gave as a political leader is not. Quoting a Bible story is appropriate, but quoting The Work and the Glory is not.

When chosen wisely, quotes lend authority to your lesson and help to involve your class in the teaching. They're a wonderful tool to help students learn to listen to the prophets.