The Words of the Prophets

Joseph Smith
In pitching my tent we found three massasaguas, or prairie rattlesnakes, which the brethren were about to kill, but I said, "Let them alone--don't hurt them! How will the serpent ever lose his venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition, and continue to make war upon it? Men must become harmless, before the brute creation; and when men lose their vicious dispositions and cease to destroy the animal race, the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the suckling child can play with the serpent in safety.

Brigham Young, 2nd President
Instead of doing two days' work in our day, wisdom would dictate to [the Saints], that if they desire long life and good health, they must, after sufficient exertion, allow the body to rest before it is entirely exhausted. When exhausted, some argue that they need stimulants in the shape of tea, coffee, spirituous liquors, tobacco, or some of those narcotic substances which are often taken to goad on the lagging powers to greater exertions. But instead of these kind of stimulants they should recruit by rest. Work less, wear less, eat less, and we shall be a great deal wiser, healthier, and wealthier people than by taking the course we now do.
Teachings of Presidents of the Church, Brigham Young, p, 212

Then let us not trifle with our mission by indulging in the use of injurious substances. These lay the foundation of disease and death in the systems of men, and the same are committed to their children, another generation of feeble human beings is introduced into the world. Such children have insufficient bone, sinew, muscle, and constitution, and are of little use to themselves, or to their fellow creatures; they are not prepared for life.
Ibid, p. 213

Let the people be holy, and the earth under their feet will be holy. . .and every animal and creeping thing will be filled with peace; the soil of the earth will bring forth in its strength, and the fruits thereof will be meat for man. The more purity that exists, the less is the strife; the more kind we are to our animals, the more will peace increase, and the savage nature of the brute creation vanish away.
Ibid, p. 333

Mothers, keep the children from eating meat; and let them eat vegetables that are fully matured, not unripe, and bread that is well baked, not soft. Do not put your loaf into the oven with a fire hot enough to burn it before it is baked through, but with a slow heat, and let it remain until it is perfectly baked; and I would prefer, for my own eating, each and every loaf to be no thicker than my two hands--you tell how thick they are--and I would want the crust as thick as my hand.
Journal of Discourses, Vol.19, p.68 - p.69, Brigham Young, July 19, 1877

If the days of man are to begin to return, we must cease all extravagant living. When men live to the age of a tree, their food will be fruit. Mothers, to produce offspring full of life and days, must cease drinking liquor, tea, and coffee, that their systems may be free from bad effects. If every woman in this Church will now cease drinking tea, coffee, liquor, and all other powerful stimulants, and live upon vegetables, &c., not many generations will pass away before the days of man will again return. But it will take generations to entirely eradicate the influences of deleterious substances. This must be done before we can attain our paradisiacal state, for the Lord will bring again Zion to its paradisiacal state.
Journal of Discourses, Vol.8, p.63 - p.64, Brigham Young, May 20, 1860

It is an imposition for gentlemen to spit tobacco juice around, or to leave their quids of tobacco on the floor; they dirty the house, and if a lady happen to besmear the bottom of her dress, which can hardly be avoided, it is highly offensive. We therefore request all gentlemen attending Conference to omit tobacco chewing while here. To the Elders of Israel who cannot and will not keep the Word of Wisdom, I say, omit tobacco chewing while here.
Journal of Discourses, Vol.13, p.343 - p.344, Brigham Young, May 5, 1870

George Q. Cannon, Apostle
We are told that flesh of any kind is not suitable to man in the summer time, and ought to be eaten sparingly in the winter.

John Taylor, 3rd President
From these verses (Gen 1:29,30) we learn . . . every thing that grew was just calculated for the food of man, beast, fowl, and creeping thing; and their food was all vegetable; flesh and blood were never sacrificed to glut their souls, or gratify their appetites. . . .
Government of God, p. 108

Much disease can be avoided by . . . simple diet . . . pure air and bright sunshine . . . avoid the use of much animal food and of stimulants.
General Conference, April 1887

We should seek to know more about ourselves and our bodies, about what is most conducive to health an how to preserve health and how to avoid disease; and to know what to eat and what to drink, and what to abstain from taking into our systems. We should become acquainted with the physiology of the human system, and live in accordance with the laws that govern our bodies, that our days may be long in the land which the Lord our God has given us.
TEACHINGS OF PRESIDENTS OF THE CHURCH John Taylor, p.89-90

Wilford Woodruff, 4th President
We have been taught the Word of Wisdom. It was given to us many years ago, and the Lord said it was applicable to the weakest Saint. Very few of us have kept the Word of Wisdom; but I have no doubt that if the counsel of President Young were carried out it would save the people of this Territory a million of dollars annually. I feel that we ought to put these things into practice. We ought to unite together in all matters required of us in order to carry out the purposes of the Lord our God. The people are able to do it if they feel disposed. Why, Bishop Hardy told me here this morning that he had laid aside his tobacco; he has loved it almost ever since he was born, and if he can leave it off every man in Israel ought to be able to do it.
Journal of Discourses, Vol.11, p.370, Wilford Woodruff, April 7th, 1867

I want to see a change, especially with the Latter-day Saints, in their treatment of the beasts of the field. They have been given to us for our use. They are a great blessing to us, and we should treat them gently and with consideration. It is wrong to exercise tyranny over anything. . . . Tyranny is not good, whether it be exercised by kings, by presidents, or by the servants of God. Kind words are far better than harsh words.
Collected Discourses, Vol.1, Wilford Woodruff, May 19th, 1889

You may have noticed that in the early days of the Church, although the Prophets had complete understanding of the full Word of Wisdom, their main problem was getting the people to stop using tobacco and alcohol. When my husband and I were fairly new converts in California we decided to move to Utah to raise our family in Zion. I was puzzled by the state liquor stores in every little town and wondered if the people had put up a fight to keep them out. I soon learned that the Saints brought the problem with them!

By President McKay's time, smoking had been conquered but alcohol was still a problem, though it then seemed more related to social drinking among businessmen and their wives who thought refusing a drink would derail a career. When Apostle Ezra Taft Benson was asked by President Eisenhower to serve in his cabinet, the Benson's showed the Saints that they could entertain without serving alcohol. I wonder, though, if maybe the real progress came when Hollywood decided it was acceptable to not drink.
Although adults in the church do not drink or smoke today, there are many substitute stimulants, from the steroids in meat, cheese, and milk (it's not the chocolate; it's the milk) to caffeine drinks to prescription drugs. And alcohol is a major problem among our youth today, a problem brought on by the disobedience of the Saints in earlier generations. - ed]

I have never felt so humiliated in my life over anything as that the State of Utah voted for the repeal of Prohibition. - President Heber J. Grant, Conference, Oct. 1934

From this very stand he pleaded with us not to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. He didn't speak as Heber J. Grant, the man, he spoke as the President of the Church and the representative of our Heavenly Father. And yet in a state where we could have retained what we had, there were enough Latter-day Saints . . . who paid no attention to what the Lord wanted . . .and what is the result? Such delinquency as we have never known. . . . - George Albert Smith, Conference, Oct 1943

One of the saddest days in all of Utah's history was when the people, including the Latter-day Saints (for it could not have been done without them), rejected the counsel and urging of the Lord's prophet, Heber J. Grant, and repealed Prohibition long years ago--yet many of those voters had sung numerous times, "We Thank Thee, O God, For A Prophet." - The Teachings of Spencer. W. Kimball

Lorenzo Snow, 5th President
At the general and local conference of the 18880'smuch time was devoted to sermons on the "liquor habit," the "tobacco habit,," and similar vices. There is evidence that the church's governing "Council of Twelve Apostles" took the pledge to obey the "Word of Wisdom" at this time. This program was so effective that in the late 1890's it was possible for President Lorenzo Snow to state that he believed the Word of Wisdom was "violated as much or more in the improper use of meat as in other things, and (he) thought the time was near at hand when the Latter-day Saints should be taught to refrain from meat eating and the shedding of animal blood."
An Economic Interpretation of the "Word of Wisdom," Leonard J. Arrington, BYU Studies, Winter 1959, p.47

I do not believe any man should kill animals or birds unless he “needs” them for food....Love of nature is akin to the love of God...

Joseph F. Smith, 6th President
President Joseph F. Smith taught that the Word of Wisdom was more than a prohibition against tea, coffee, tobacco, and alcohol; it contained practical counsel for good health and spiritual growth, and those Saints who obeyed it would draw nearer to the Lord and become more like Him. To remind the Saints of the importance of the Word of Wisdom, he sometimes read Doctrine and Covenants 89 in its entirety in a meeting. "Now, it may seem altogether unnecessary and out of place, perhaps, to many, for me to occupy the time of this vast congregation in reading this revelation," he once said, but read every word of it anyway to emphasize the great value of the message.
Teachings of Presidents of the Church, Joseph F. Smith, p. 323

We pray God to heal us when we are sick, and then we turn round from our prayers and partake of the very things that He has told us are not good for us! How inconsistent it is for men to ask God to bless them, when they themselves are taking a course to injure and to bring evil upon themselves.
Ibid, p.325

I would rather feel tired and exhausted by labor, and let nature have a chance to restore itself, than I would attempt to doctor myself by the use of narcotics and drugs that would sap the foundation of my physical and spiritual health.
Ibid, p. 327

Are these glorious promises not sufficient to induce us to observe this Word of Wisdom? Is there not something here that is worthy our attention? Are not "great treasures" of knowledge, even "hidden treasures," something to be desired?
Ibid, p. 328

Heber J. Grant, 7th President
In this revelation, the Lord prohibits the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and hot drinks, which latter-day prophets have defined to be tea and coffee. The Lord also says that wholesome herbs, grains, and fruits are “ordained for the use of man,” along with meat, which is “to be used sparingly.” . . . No man who breaks the Word of Wisdom can gain the same amount of knowledge and intelligence in this world as the man who obeys that law. I don’t care who he is or where he comes from, his mind will not be as clear, and he cannot advance as far and as rapidly and retain his power as much as he would if he obeyed the Word of Wisdom.
TEACHINGS OF PRESIDENTS OF THE CHURCH Heber J. Grant, p.189, 192

I think that another reason why I have very splendid strength for an old man is that during the years we have had a cafeteria in the Utah Hotel, I have not, with the exception of not more than a dozen times, ordered meat of any kind...I have endeavored to live the Word of Wisdom and that, in my opinion, is one reason for my good health, and another, for which I thank the Lord, is the prayers of the Saints that have been offered and answered in my behalf.
Conference Report, April 1937, p. 15

George Albert Smith, 8th President
In the summer he eats no meat, and even in the winter months he eats very little.

Let me plead with you, search the Word of Wisdom prayerfully. Do not just read it, search it prayerfully. Discover what our Heavenly Father gave it for. He gave it to us with a promise of longer life and happiness, not if we fail to observe it, but if we observe it.

David O. McKay, 9th President
That in these dire days, we may, each in his own place, enjoy the abundant physical blessings of the righteous life, we call upon all true Latter-day Saints, in or out of office, to keep this law of health,—completely to give up drink, to quit using tobacco, which all too often leads to drink, to abandon hot drinks and the use of harmful drugs, and otherwise to observe the Word of Wisdom. We urge the Saints to quit trifling with this law and so to live it that we may claim its promises.
James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, Vol.6, p.173

John A. Widtsoe, Apostle
. . . plants contain all of the necessary food substances: proteins, fats, starches, and other carbohydrates, minerals and water [and vitamins]. The great Builder of the earth provided well for the physical needs of His children. (Priesthood Manual)

Joseph Fielding Smith, 10th President
My husband doesn't eat meat but rather lots of fruit and vegetables.
(Jessie Evans Smith)

Small children do not need the flesh of animals. May I add also that adults would be far better if they would refrain from too much eating of meat. As far as I am concerned the eating of meat should be very sparingly. In fact, I will be contented if the Millennium was to be ushered in next week. When it is, we will learn that the eating of meat is not good for us. Why do we feel that we do not have a square meal unless it is based largely on meat? Let the dumb animals live. They enjoy life as well as we do...Naturally, in times of famine the flesh of animals was perhaps a necessity, but in my judgment when the Millennium reaches us, we will live above the need of killing dumb innocent animals and eating them. If we will take this stand in my judgment, we may live longer.

Harold B. Lee, 11th President
Every child must learn that faith sufficient to perfection can only be developed by sacrifice and except he learns to sacrifice of his appetites and fleshly desires in obedience to the laws of the Gospel he cannot be sanctified and made holy before the Lord.
Teachings of Presidents of the Church Harold B. Lee, p.124

The Lord's word of wisdom . . . counsels the simple diet of fruits, grains and vegetables in season, with meats used sparingly, has been given you as a revelation of God's great law of health. . . . If by faith in this great law, you refrain from the use of food and drink harmful to your bodies, you will not become a ready prey to scourges that shall sweep the land, as in the days of the people of Moses in Egypt, bringing death to every household that has not heeded the commandments of God.
The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, p. 205-6

Spencer W. Kimball, 12th President sang
That the children may live long,
And be beautiful and strong,
Tea and coffee and tobacco they despise,
Drink no liquor, and they eat
But a very little meat;
They are seeking to be great and good and wise.
          (Hymn #307, In Our Lovely Deseret, by Eliza R. Snow,
          wife of two Prophets, sister of a third)
I still don’t eat very much meat.
          Gen. Conf., Priesthood Session, April & Oct 1978

Ezra Taft Benson, 13th President
We need a generation of young people who, as Daniel, eat in a more healthy manner than to fare on the “kings meat”—and whose countenances show it.
But what needs additional emphasis are the positive aspects...the need for vegetables, fruits, and grain, particularly wheat...We need a generation of people who eat in a healthier manner.
In general, the more food we eat in its natural state and the less it is refined without additives, the healthier it will be for us. To a great extent we are physically what we eat….What needs additional emphasis are the positive aspects--the need for vegetables, fruits, and grains, particularly wheat. In most cases, the closer these can be, when eaten, to their natural state -- without overrefinement and processing -- the healthier we will be. To a significant degree, we are an overfed and undernourished nation digging an early grave with our teeth, and lacking the energy that could be ours because we overindulge in junk foods….we need a generation of young people who, as Daniel, eat in a more healthy manner than to fare on the "king's meat" -- and whose countenances show it.
- Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 476-77

Gordon B. Hinckley, 15th President
It proscribes alcohol and tobacco, tea and coffee, and emphasizes the use of fruit and grains. This Word of Wisdom came to us from the God of Heaven, for our blessing. I regret that we as a people do not observe it more faithfully.
- Conference, October 1990

I thank the Lord for a testimony of the Word of Wisdom. I wish we lived it more fully, but even though we do not, the Lord pours out his blessing on those who try. The promise is before us that if we will do so, we shall receive health in the navel and marrow in the bones and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures, and shall run and not be weary and shall walk and not faint, and the destroying angel shall pass by us as the children of Israel and not slay us.
-Conference, October 1993

To me it is marvelous that beyond the promises of a physical nature is the promise of hidden treasures of knowledge concerning things divine and eternal.
Ensign, Nov 1993, p.53

Elder Robert S. Wood of the Seventy
Today many people manifest the desire for (God to rescue them) in small and large ways: the student who, having failed to study during the term, prays for assistance in an examination; the teacher who opens a lesson by saying that, having made no preparations, he or she intends to rely on the Spirit; the individual who, having abused his or her body through lack of exercise and violation of the Lord’s law of health, expects to be delivered, sometimes through priesthood administration, from the ravages of self-induced ill health. . . . expects mercy to utterly suppress the requirements of justice.
"On the Responsible Self" Ensign, March 2002