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Wherefore Ye Must Press Forward
Book by Neal A. Maxwell
150 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
About the author
Neal A. Maxwell
89 books155 followersNeal A. Maxwell was well known as an Apostle, author, administrator, and educator. A graduate of the University of Utah, he was the Commissioner of Education for the Church Educational System for six years. He also held a variety of administrative and teaching positions at the University of Utah, including that of executive vice-president.
In 1974 Elder Maxwell was called as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve. From 1976 to 1981 he served as member of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and in 1981 was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Elder Maxwell has written numerous books on Latter-day Saint themes, including "If Thou Endure It Well"; "Lord, Increase Our Faith"; "That Ye May Believe"; and "Not My Will, But Thine". He and his wife, Colleen Hinckley Maxwell, had four children.
Elder Maxwell died July 21, 2004.
In 1974 Elder Maxwell was called as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve. From 1976 to 1981 he served as member of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and in 1981 was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Elder Maxwell has written numerous books on Latter-day Saint themes, including "If Thou Endure It Well"; "Lord, Increase Our Faith"; "That Ye May Believe"; and "Not My Will, But Thine". He and his wife, Colleen Hinckley Maxwell, had four children.
Elder Maxwell died July 21, 2004.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 10, 2009
Very interesting to read a book published in the 1970's that is yet so applicable to our time. Here is a favorite quote:
Perhaps the greatest trial to descend upon modern disciples will not be military or political bondage, but environmental bondage in which we are forced to live in a wicked world with evil ever present around us. To rear our children in such circumstances could be a terrible trial. In military bondage of a whole people there are at least many others who are trying to throw off that bondage. But behavioral bondage (that bondage which causes so many to make allegiance with evil) leaves the minority who cannot condone such a way of life without succor and support from many of their peers, because their peers are part of the problem.
Neal A. Maxwell, "Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward", Deseret Book Company, 1977, pg 54.
Perhaps the greatest trial to descend upon modern disciples will not be military or political bondage, but environmental bondage in which we are forced to live in a wicked world with evil ever present around us. To rear our children in such circumstances could be a terrible trial. In military bondage of a whole people there are at least many others who are trying to throw off that bondage. But behavioral bondage (that bondage which causes so many to make allegiance with evil) leaves the minority who cannot condone such a way of life without succor and support from many of their peers, because their peers are part of the problem.
Neal A. Maxwell, "Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward", Deseret Book Company, 1977, pg 54.
January 8, 2014
This was a great inspirational/devotional read. Neal A Maxwell's capacity for phrasing is matched by his careful sharing of necessary truths.
I had a couple of quotes that I really liked from the book:
I had a couple of quotes that I really liked from the book:
The Last thing the youth need is to be envied or worshiped.
...we need the church because it is organized love.
June 11, 2012
This little book took me so long to read because there is so much to think about on every page. Very catalytic and invigorating.
May 17, 2026
This five-star book’s premise is the extreme importance of pressing forward as believers. He offers a variety of steps you and I can take to ensure we’re moving forward.
When I was nine, my dad snagged a circuit board used in avionics. This board didn’t include the etchings that make today’s chips and boards less tactile to a curious little blind kid. This board was chockablock full of transistors, capacitors, and diodes, all of which stuck up from the surface of the board and fascinated the little kid who used it to understand what a ceramic capacitor felt like as opposed to a stubby resistor with its wiry legs. As I ran my hands over that board, this remarkable parent who received his GED well into his adulthood, almost offhandedly pointed out that life and science have much in common. “There’s really no such thing as standing still. he said, “You’re either moving forward or you’re moving backward, even if that backward movement is barely detectable.”
I’ve marveled in the years since that this quiet parent knew when to capture the teaching moment. I’ve met many in the ensuing years who crowd their walls with certificates of achievement, awards, and diplomas. Yet few of them were ever able, despite the impressive, framed flotsam and jetsam that adorned every wall and crowded every desktop, to so impactfully explain eternal principles in so memorable a way.
Maxwell stresses the importance of spiritual forward movement in this book and provides inspiring, uplifting steps those who feel stymied and stuck can take to move forward.
He warns of the dangers inherent in spiritual forward movement because inevitably the disciple will experience opposition from Satan, and that opposition can come in many ways.
“We must not let ourselves be worn down by the world either through intimidation or temptation,” Maxwell writes. “There is so much that the church stands for that will more and more be confronted by and coexist with evil, cheek by jowl, wheat by tares, until the end comes. Our time will become a calendar of contrasts in which the forces of evil will not only attack righteousness, but will do so with an ersatz enthusiasm and plastic nobility as they do the devil’s work.”
He stresses the value of self-monitoring and recognizing when personal spiritual change is necessary.
“Just as the black box carried by commercial planes to record what happens in flight can, when recovered after air tragedies, tell so much, so the seismograph of the soul can tell us much about those moments of decision when we knew what we did was wrong even as we did it.”
The above quote reflects the pure magic and excellence of Maxwell’s writing. Only he would think to refer to our conscience as “the seismograph of the soul.” I love both the imagery and alliteration, and he spent much of his writing life providing both in remarkably moving ways.
I suspect Maxwell saw 2026 and beyond—a world where anxiety even among faithful disciples runs high. In 1977 when he wrote this, he wrote:
“The disciple should be anxiously engaged and watchful, but he need not be filled with over anxiety to the point of lessened effectiveness.
“When conscientiousness has caused us to do all that can reasonably be done, then we can, in some serenity, both stand and withstand.
“Over anxiety, by contrast, is like pulling up the daisies to see how the roots are doing, checking up on the sentries so insistently that they become trigger happy, and ringing one’s hands instead of folding them in prayer.
Anxiety spreads, and even if our personal wiring can stand the voltage from our over anxiety, someone else may blow a fuse because of an overload to which we have contributed.”
Maxwell points out the extreme value of hope despite adversity. He worries about those who ruminate incessantly about how bad they feel. He writes because of the remarkable promises given to us by one who always keeps promises, “proximate pessimism ought not to envelope us. We ought not to be blitzed by our moods.” He points out that turning outward and reaching out to others who need our help is a good antidote for that “proximate pessimism.”
He addresses those instances in life when carping critical people can strive to impede our spiritual progress.
“The critics of the church, who are often those within the church, frequently say, ‘Why doesn’t the church do this or that?’ Or ‘Why does the church do this or that?’ Those who desire to make the greatest demands of the church are usually those who make the fewest demands of themselves in terms of their discipleship.”
He warns that some of the church’s most shrill critics will be its former members and even many who retain their membership in coming years.
“No attacks on the church will be more bitter and more persistent than those made in the Salt Lake Valley,” he asserts. “No taunt will be more shrill than those of apostates and excommunicants. In that valley, and in the state of Utah, church members will be accused of the crime of being the majority. Some clever defectors will imitate their model, Satan, and will try to take others over the side with them.”
I see the truth in this when I look at social media posts, and upon digging a bit deeper into the poster, I learn that the individual often lives adjacent to the church’s headquarters.
Maxwell devotes a chapter to encouraging young people to find ways to press forward in their discipleship as well.
“Oh, youth and young adults of the church, remember the son of God is your best friend, and His light is ever shining. In some ways, His light is like that of the sun. We may turn away from the light, but it is still there. Its rays and warmth only seem to be gone because of our moodiness and the cloud cover of our concerns.
“Likewise, Christ is ever there. We may ignore Him, but He will break through. For our provincialism will not keep His love from shining upon us.”
Maxwell sums up his book beautifully this way:
“Even those who see life as pointless will one day point with adoration to the performance of the man of Galilee in the crowded moments of time known as Gethsemane and Calvary. Those who now say life is meaningless will yet applaud the atonement which saved us all from meaninglessness.
“Christ’s victory over death routes the rationale that there is a general and irreversible human predicament. There are only personal predicaments. But even from those we can also be rescued by following the pathway of him who rescued us from general extinction.
“A disciples’ brightness of hope, therefore, means that at funerals, his tears are not because of termination, but because of interruption and separation. Though just as wet, his tears are not of despair, but of appreciation and anticipation. Yes, for disciples, the closing of a grave is but the closing of a door that will later be flung open. It is the garden tomb, not life, that is empty.”
When I was nine, my dad snagged a circuit board used in avionics. This board didn’t include the etchings that make today’s chips and boards less tactile to a curious little blind kid. This board was chockablock full of transistors, capacitors, and diodes, all of which stuck up from the surface of the board and fascinated the little kid who used it to understand what a ceramic capacitor felt like as opposed to a stubby resistor with its wiry legs. As I ran my hands over that board, this remarkable parent who received his GED well into his adulthood, almost offhandedly pointed out that life and science have much in common. “There’s really no such thing as standing still. he said, “You’re either moving forward or you’re moving backward, even if that backward movement is barely detectable.”
I’ve marveled in the years since that this quiet parent knew when to capture the teaching moment. I’ve met many in the ensuing years who crowd their walls with certificates of achievement, awards, and diplomas. Yet few of them were ever able, despite the impressive, framed flotsam and jetsam that adorned every wall and crowded every desktop, to so impactfully explain eternal principles in so memorable a way.
Maxwell stresses the importance of spiritual forward movement in this book and provides inspiring, uplifting steps those who feel stymied and stuck can take to move forward.
He warns of the dangers inherent in spiritual forward movement because inevitably the disciple will experience opposition from Satan, and that opposition can come in many ways.
“We must not let ourselves be worn down by the world either through intimidation or temptation,” Maxwell writes. “There is so much that the church stands for that will more and more be confronted by and coexist with evil, cheek by jowl, wheat by tares, until the end comes. Our time will become a calendar of contrasts in which the forces of evil will not only attack righteousness, but will do so with an ersatz enthusiasm and plastic nobility as they do the devil’s work.”
He stresses the value of self-monitoring and recognizing when personal spiritual change is necessary.
“Just as the black box carried by commercial planes to record what happens in flight can, when recovered after air tragedies, tell so much, so the seismograph of the soul can tell us much about those moments of decision when we knew what we did was wrong even as we did it.”
The above quote reflects the pure magic and excellence of Maxwell’s writing. Only he would think to refer to our conscience as “the seismograph of the soul.” I love both the imagery and alliteration, and he spent much of his writing life providing both in remarkably moving ways.
I suspect Maxwell saw 2026 and beyond—a world where anxiety even among faithful disciples runs high. In 1977 when he wrote this, he wrote:
“The disciple should be anxiously engaged and watchful, but he need not be filled with over anxiety to the point of lessened effectiveness.
“When conscientiousness has caused us to do all that can reasonably be done, then we can, in some serenity, both stand and withstand.
“Over anxiety, by contrast, is like pulling up the daisies to see how the roots are doing, checking up on the sentries so insistently that they become trigger happy, and ringing one’s hands instead of folding them in prayer.
Anxiety spreads, and even if our personal wiring can stand the voltage from our over anxiety, someone else may blow a fuse because of an overload to which we have contributed.”
Maxwell points out the extreme value of hope despite adversity. He worries about those who ruminate incessantly about how bad they feel. He writes because of the remarkable promises given to us by one who always keeps promises, “proximate pessimism ought not to envelope us. We ought not to be blitzed by our moods.” He points out that turning outward and reaching out to others who need our help is a good antidote for that “proximate pessimism.”
He addresses those instances in life when carping critical people can strive to impede our spiritual progress.
“The critics of the church, who are often those within the church, frequently say, ‘Why doesn’t the church do this or that?’ Or ‘Why does the church do this or that?’ Those who desire to make the greatest demands of the church are usually those who make the fewest demands of themselves in terms of their discipleship.”
He warns that some of the church’s most shrill critics will be its former members and even many who retain their membership in coming years.
“No attacks on the church will be more bitter and more persistent than those made in the Salt Lake Valley,” he asserts. “No taunt will be more shrill than those of apostates and excommunicants. In that valley, and in the state of Utah, church members will be accused of the crime of being the majority. Some clever defectors will imitate their model, Satan, and will try to take others over the side with them.”
I see the truth in this when I look at social media posts, and upon digging a bit deeper into the poster, I learn that the individual often lives adjacent to the church’s headquarters.
Maxwell devotes a chapter to encouraging young people to find ways to press forward in their discipleship as well.
“Oh, youth and young adults of the church, remember the son of God is your best friend, and His light is ever shining. In some ways, His light is like that of the sun. We may turn away from the light, but it is still there. Its rays and warmth only seem to be gone because of our moodiness and the cloud cover of our concerns.
“Likewise, Christ is ever there. We may ignore Him, but He will break through. For our provincialism will not keep His love from shining upon us.”
Maxwell sums up his book beautifully this way:
“Even those who see life as pointless will one day point with adoration to the performance of the man of Galilee in the crowded moments of time known as Gethsemane and Calvary. Those who now say life is meaningless will yet applaud the atonement which saved us all from meaninglessness.
“Christ’s victory over death routes the rationale that there is a general and irreversible human predicament. There are only personal predicaments. But even from those we can also be rescued by following the pathway of him who rescued us from general extinction.
“A disciples’ brightness of hope, therefore, means that at funerals, his tears are not because of termination, but because of interruption and separation. Though just as wet, his tears are not of despair, but of appreciation and anticipation. Yes, for disciples, the closing of a grave is but the closing of a door that will later be flung open. It is the garden tomb, not life, that is empty.”
May 23, 2026
Doctrinal depth, elevated elocution
Using the prophet Nephi's words as a foundation, Elder Maxwell builds up a solid house of council, advice, and exquisite teaching. I'm glad to have reread this book, but there's a twinge of sadness that is passing. We lost a great one. However, he lives on in his books.
Using the prophet Nephi's words as a foundation, Elder Maxwell builds up a solid house of council, advice, and exquisite teaching. I'm glad to have reread this book, but there's a twinge of sadness that is passing. We lost a great one. However, he lives on in his books.
January 1, 2014
I don't know what else to contribute to the review of this book. Everyone seems to say the same things for good reason.
It's Maxwell, it's what you'd expect. He's frank and insightful, having thought about these things more than most of us ever will. He pulls no punches. He doesn't preach to the choir.
At times he attempts a bit of prose, and I'm not the biggest fan of his writing style. But he's always on point and drives straight at the heart of the matter. He's intelligently articulate and lays it out straight. I learned a lot.
It's Maxwell, it's what you'd expect. He's frank and insightful, having thought about these things more than most of us ever will. He pulls no punches. He doesn't preach to the choir.
At times he attempts a bit of prose, and I'm not the biggest fan of his writing style. But he's always on point and drives straight at the heart of the matter. He's intelligently articulate and lays it out straight. I learned a lot.
October 23, 2008
Occasionally a book provides me with a "refreshing reawakening experience" to the beauties and excitement of gospel truths. This book ranks among the best in conveying the peace and hope to be reaped by diligently trying to follow the Savior, an effort that by it's daunting nature can become discouraging at times. I highly recommend it.
March 22, 2011
An intellectual read on relating the LDS scriptures toward living a good life.
August 29, 2011
I loved this book--One of Maxwell's best. His ability to speak to the heart is amazing. :)
August 1, 2011
Neal Maxwell's words always uplift and inspire me to be better and endure with more faith. A marvelous read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews