Quotes about Priorities

Our agenda becomes secondary. The preacher's agenda becomes secondary. God's agenda for his people takes center stage, reorders our priorities, and directs us in the course that most honors him. The Lord himself proclaimed, "My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). Listening to the voice of Jesus as it is heard in his Word is critical to following him.

I am delighted to have you play football. I believe in rough, manly sports. But I do not believe in them if they degenerate into the sole end of any one's existence. I don't want you to sacrifice standing well in your studies to any over-athleticism and I need not tell you that character counts for a great deal more than either intellect or body in winning success in life. Athletic proficiency is a mighty good servant, and like so many other good servants, a mighty bad master.

It is better for the Government to help a poor man to make a living for his family than to help a rich man make more profit for his company.

Books are all very well in their way, and we love them at Sagamore Hill; but children are better than books.

It is exceedingly interesting and attractive to be a successful business man, or railroad man, or farmer, or a successful lawyer or doctor; or a writer, or a president, or a ranchman, or the colonel of a fighting regiment, or to kill grizzly bears and lions. But for unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly makes all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison.

For a small reward, a man will hurry away on a long journey; while for eternal life, many will hardly take a single step.

Remember, your prerogative is to govern, and not to serve the things of this world.

It is vanity to desire a long life, and to have little care for a good life.

It is vanity to wish for a long life and to care little about a well-spent life.

I cannot bring Christ to my neighbor and to the world if I have not first given him to my family.

Many of us enjoy going to ball games and watching them on television. I am no exception. I love to watch a good athletic contest. If we spend excessive time with sporting events, however, we may neglect things that are much more important.

The problem is, lifestyle demands can quickly lock in place the personal resource allocation process.