Virtue

See also Chastity; Integrity; Power.

Virtue is a prerequisite to entering the Lord’s holy temples and to receiving the Spirit’s guidance. Virtue “is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards.” It encompasses chastity and moral purity. Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind. It is nurtured in the home. It is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions. Virtue is a word we don’t hear often in today’s society, but the Latin root word virtus means strength. Virtuous women and men possess a quiet dignity and inner strength. They are confident because they are worthy to receive and be guided by the Holy Ghost. President Monson has counseled: “You be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone. Have the moral courage to be a light for others to follow. There is no friendship more valuable than your own clear conscience, your own moral cleanliness—and what a glorious feeling it is to know that you stand in your appointed place clean and with the confidence that you are worthy to do so” (“Examples of Righteousness,” Apr. 2008 general conference).

Church Magazine Articles

“Let Virtue Garnish Thy Thoughts Unceasingly”

There is no limit to your potential. If you will take control of your lives, the future is filled with opportunity and gladness.
“Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts”

We need to stand tall and be firmly fixed in perpetuating Christlike virtues.
“Guardians of Virtue”

Prepare now so that you may qualify to receive all the blessings that await you in the Lord’s holy temples.
“A Return to Virtue”

Now is the time for each of us to arise and unfurl a banner to the world calling for a return to virtue.
“May You Have Courage”

My earnest prayer is that you will have the courage required to refrain from judging others, the courage to be chaste and virtuous, and the courage to stand firm for truth and righteousness.
“Cleansing the Inner Vessel”

Nowhere are the generosity and the kindness and mercy of God more manifest than in repentance.
“Personal Purity”

Adapted from an October 1998 general conference address. Why is sexual sin such a serious matter? And what are the blessings for those who remain—or become—clean?
“Your Happily Ever After”

Heavenly Father offers to you the greatest gift of all—eternal life—and the opportunity and infinite blessing of your own “happily ever after.”
“Reasons to Stay Pure”

Adapted from an article printed in the April 1981 Tambuli. The blessings of obedience are beautiful. Disobedience is spiritually crippling. The power to choose is yours.

Additional Study Materials

- Integrity and moral excellence, power and strength (Luke 8:46), or sexual purity (Moroni 9:9).
- Thou art a virtuous woman (Ruth 3:11).
- He that has clean hands and a pure heart shall stand in the Lord’s holy place (Psalm 24:3–4).
- A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband (Proverbs 12:4).
- The price of a virtuous woman is far above rubies (Proverbs 31:10–31).
- Add to your faith virtue (2 Peter 1:5; D&C 4:6).
- Try the virtue of the word of God (Alma 31:5).
- Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly (D&C 121:45).
- We believe in being virtuous (Articles of Faith 1:13; Philippians 4:8).