Student Success Statement: Dennis Prager

"The most important thing you will ever have is good values."

Good values are a mix of everything that makes a person good. So instead of just having one or two of these qualities have them all. Have good values is important because it betters you as a person. You will be more positive and make everyone else around you positive. You will also attract people who also have good values so you'd have more friends with good values. Values are what help us make good decision. Having good values you will decide not to steal or kill or anything of the such. It helps us differentiate right from wrong.  

Student Success Statement: Wilford Woodruff

"Nothing is ever gained in doing what's wrong."

This statement tells us that, why do something wrong when you won't get anything good out of it. You do get something out of doing what is wrong but it is never pleasant. Think of karma when you do good things, good things happen. When you do bad things, bad things happen. This is what happens when you make a  decision. You either do something wrong and it blows up in your face or you do something good and you get good back.

Student Success Statement: Alan Paton

"When a deep injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive."

This statement is telling us to forgive and forget. Living a life seeking for revenge is no way to live. We must remember that we are all human. We were all created with flaws. Not only should we learn to live with these flaws of ours but we must also learn to accepted peoples flaws. You need to understand why that person made that mistake. We have to be understanding of one another. Before you go off on someone for something they did to you ask yourself, "Why did they do this?" Then ask yourself, "Is this really what they deserve?"

Student Success Statement: Thomas S. Monson

"Dare to stand alone."
So many people now a days are afraid to make their own choices. Out of peer pressure they decide not to do what's right and decide to be a follower. There is a fine line to when you can be a follower. If you are following someone who makes good choices, is studious, and kind then that is amazing. Go ahead and follow all you want. When your friends want you to do something illegal with them or just bad then you shouldn't be friends with those people. They will only lead you to trouble. Besides who likes being a follower anyways. You should be the leader and be the one to stand up and make good choices.

Student Success Statement: Pam Knox

"It's a great moment when someone has character to step up and do the right thing at the right time."

Imagined being blamed of something you had no part of. As much as you implore the person blaming you to believe that you couldn't have blamed you for that thing, the refuse to listen and are insistent that you are to blame. Then suddenly someone steps up. They explain that they are to blame. There is a sense of relief that comes upon you when someone tells the truth. First of all you might think. 'Thank goodness, I won't be getting in trouble, because the real culprit has stepped up'. What we should be thinking is 'Wow, it must have taken a lot of courage to tell the truth!' If I were in this situation I would firstly thank the person, because were it not for them I would still be getting in trouble.

Student Success Statement: Alexander Hamilton

"A promise must never be broken."

This, in a way reminds me of Harry Potter. In the very popular series by JK Rowling there is a type of promise made called an unbreakable promise. Basically if you break this promise you will die. Dying if the promise is broken is a way to encourage that that promise is kept. I don't think there should be any form of encouragement to keep a promise it should just be common sense to keep a promise. For example, if your best friend tells you a secret that won't lead to the harm of herself or anyone else and you promise that  you won't tell it should just be a given that you shouldn't tell. If you tell your mom and you know she won't leak it, it is still not okay. If you break a promise you are breaking trust.

Student Success Statement: Henry David Thoreau

"Goodness is the only investment that never fails."

Making an investment with money is a risk. You'll either get rich or die trying. The thing about investments with money is that you don't know if you'll win or lose. When you do good and give back that is an investment that in no way will ever hurt you. If you decide to do a good deed that person will remember the goodness you did for them. They don't have to repay you. They could give back to someone else in need. In that way you will possibly be starting a chain reaction of good deeds and decrease worldsuck.

Student Success Statement: Theodore Hesburgh

"My basic principle is that you don't make decisions because they are easy; you don't make them because they are cheap; you don't make them because they're popular; you make them because they're right"

This quote is basically saying that the only reason we do things is because it is the right thing to do. I believe that in our subconscious mind we do certain things because they are right. It is not until we second guess our decisions that we start to wonder if we will get more popular if we make that decision. We ask ourselves which decision will better advantage us. I do thing people do things for reasons that aren't because it is right. However, I do believe we do do things for selfish purpose even if our first idea was right.

Student Success Statement: Joseph Smith

"It is our duty to concentrate all our influence to make popular that which is sound and good, and unpopular that which is unsound."

This quote means that we have to popularize and normalize things that are good for you and the people around you. Doing good things or actions that you do that aren't selfish are viewed as strange and most people won't do them because they fear ridicule. If we make good deeds popular more people would do good deeds without hesitance.

Student Success Statement: Abraham Lincoln

"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong."

Abraham Lincoln says in this quote that he will always do what's right and will support anyone who does the same. He will not support liars and cheaters. I do this as well. If I know what my friends are doing is right I will support them 100%. If I know what they are doing is wrong I will try to convince not to do it, and if that doesn't work I will not show my support for that friend. It is because of this that I have lost friends, but it is not much of a loos and more of a gain because I don't like to surround myself with cheaters and liars.

Student Success Statement: Tyler Haws

"I trust that my hard work will pay off."

This quote is great for motivation especially when you know about Tyler's background. Tyler was devastated after being cut off his basketball team and instead of moping around he actually tried to get better and it worked for him. He now plays for BYU. I think that if more people applied this to their lives it wouldn't matter how bad you are at something or if you have natural talent. If you work hard for something anything is possible but if you don't try you are doomed to fail. Working Hard for something also allows risks which come with the best outcomes.

Student Success Statement: George Mitchell

"Many think that the short term gain will be worth the long term pain, but it isn't. In addition, using steroids is cheating, and there is nothing worse in sports than a cheater. Don't do it."

Winning a game only takes up seconds of your life but it does affect the rest of your life, especially if you cheat. Guilt from cheating will affect you inside and out. You will be stressed because you want to confess about what you did but you don't want to tell because everything will be taken away from you. When your stressed people will know something is wrong then they'll get suspicious and the truth will come out. if you don't cheat you won't have to worry about this because you know you won fair and square so you deserve it as opposed to a person who will have winning unfairly in the back of their minds for the rest of their life. Finally, winning isn't everything you will go on with your life after you've won so if you do things fairly at least you can go back and remember what you won with a clean conscience.

Student Success Statement: Dale Murphy

"Character matters most."

This quote means that it doesn't matter what you do oar the accomplishments you make but how you got there. If you made it to the type by cheating and lying that wouldn't be a good thing. All your accomplishments would go down the toilet because of this. If you were honest and you didn't lie or steal to get to the top then that is what matters because you deserve everything you have achieved unlike those who decided to take the easy way. The easy way never justifies a wrong doing.

Student Success Statement: Benjamin Franklin

"Great beauty, great strength, and great riches are really truly of no great use; a right heart exceeds all."

Beauty fades, strength will definitely not last, and when we all die we will not take our money with us. This is why it is important to be kind to one another. What truly matters is the kindness that comes in the heart. How will any god accept you into their heaven if you are a bad person. How will they accept you if you have cheated and lied to keep a possession, or anything like that while you were alive. All of our material possessions won't matter because when you are off this earth you aren't going to take any of it with you. Besides not being kind makes you ugly. Not being kind makes you weak.

Student Success Statement: Otto Graham, Jr.

"Ask yourself is it right or wrong and act accordingly."

Otto Graham, Jr.

This statement means what it says which is basically do the right thing. If you are a good person of integrity with a good conscience you will know when you are facing the difficulty of something good or bad. The wrong path may be ten times easier as the right path but that shouldn't matter. You should always choose the right side because it may take a lot more time to accomplish this task but at least you know in your heart that you didn't cheat your way to it. At the end of the day those that chose the wrong will be punished and you will be rewarded for doing the right thing.

Student Success Statement: Victor Hugo

"Right is tight only when entire."

This means that when you do something right you have to do the whole thing right for it to be considered right. Say for example you have a test. The question you are struggling to answer is worth four points. You only answer two parts of that question right and you don't get any points for it. You can't go and complain about your score because you didn't answer the whole thing. Another example of this is when you cheat on a test. If the teacher catches you cheating he or she will have to give you a 0 for lying.

Student Success Statement: Arnold H. Glasgow

"In life as in football, you won't go far, unless you know where the goalposts are."
This is very true. If you go around dancing through life with no care in the world one day that will catch up to you. A life without goals is meaningless. The goals you set for yourself can be anything from getting a job to doing things you never thought you'd be able to do. Goals give life hope. My mother never had goals because she never thought she'd be able to reach them. She decided to leave her country and came to America in search of goals. Although she did not reach her goals she hopes that with her help her children will reach their own goals like the ones she was never able to dream of.

Student Success Statement: Count Leo Tolstoy

“Only those live who do good.”

When I think of this all I think about is telenovelas. There is always a good hearted yet poor heroine who can’t seem to catch a break meanwhile there is a cruel and rich antagonist who seems to have everything the heroine deserves. These telenovelas always end with the death of the antagonist and the heroine gets to “live.” She gets family and love. I feel that like these telenovelas this quote is hopeful for what could happen; how life will reward you for causing no malice.

Student Success Statement: Ben Carson

A Choice: Poverty or Prosperity

"I hated poverty. Poverty is more of a choice than anything else, and I can change that [poverty]. It depends upon how hard I want to work, and I decided that I would change it."

I am half and half on this because while I do believe that with hard work and determination can get you out of poverty i don't believe everyone has the choice the to get out of poverty. In some situations people either have to work to make money for their family or abandon them and hope they'll live long enough for them to watch you get rich. In my eyes money is greed but of course if you want to live you need money. Everything is about survival. I for one want to survive. But we have people like Ben who may disagree with me. He was born extremely poor. His mother didn't even know how to read so he may see things differently. 

Student Success Statement: Thomas S Monson

"You can't be right by doing wrong; you can't be wrong by doing right."

I agree with this statement because as much as you may think you may be doing the right thing if it's wrong it's wrong and vice versa. Chances are if you're questioning your actions you are choosing the wrong.