--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many of us have a tendency to forget the…" description: "\"Many of us have a tendency to forget the Gracious Hand which has preserved our nation, enriched it, strengthened it. Many of us imagine in the foolishn..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/ezra-taft-benson-443_blessing_many-of-us-have-a-tendency-to-forget-the_2946890.jpg" --- # Many of us have a tendency to forget the Gracious Hand… ![“Many of us have a tendency to forget the Gracious Hand which has preserved our nation, enriched it, strengthened it. Many of us imagine in the foolishness of pride, that our manifold blessings are due not to God's goodness, but to our own wisdom and virtue. Too many of us have been so drunk with…” quote by Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/ezra-taft-benson-443_blessing_many-of-us-have-a-tendency-to-forget-the_2946890.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/ezra-taft-benson-443_blessing_many-of-us-have-a-tendency-to-forget-the_2946890.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/ezra-taft-benson-443_blessing_many-of-us-have-a-tendency-to-forget-the_2946890.jpg) > “Many of us have a tendency to forget the Gracious Hand which has preserved our nation, enriched it, strengthened it. Many of us imagine in the foolishness of pride, that our manifold blessings are due not to God's goodness, but to our own wisdom and virtue. Too many of us have been so drunk with self-sufficiency as no longer to feel the need of prayer.” [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often forget divine providence, attributing national blessings to self‑reliance rather than God's grace, leading to pride and neglect of prayer. **In simple terms:** Remember God's role in blessings. Key Takeaway Cultivate humility and gratitude. Themes faith humility gratitude Mood reverent hopeful Type spiritual motivational When to use this quote - church services - public prayers - civic education - personal reflection Key Concepts theology national identity Questions to Reflect On - How does gratitude affect civic duty? - What practices reinforce humility? A Different Perspective Pride can blind spiritual awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessing/) [Blessings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessings/) [Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk/) [Foolishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolishness/) [Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self sufficiency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-sufficiency/) [Sufficiency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sufficiency/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [“so true is it that a gracious hand leads us in ways that we know not, and blesses us not only without, but even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/so-true-is-it-that-a-gracious-hand-leads-us-in-ways-that-we-know-not/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [Though the wisdom or virtue of one can very rarely make many happy, the folly or vice of one man often make many miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/though-the-wisdom-or-virtue-of-one-can-very-rarely-make-many-happy/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Wisdom and virtue are like two wheels of a cart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-and-virtue-are-like-two-wheels-of-a-cart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The soul is no traveller; the wise man stays at home, and when his necessities, his duties, on any occasion call him from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-soul-is-no-traveller-the-wise-man-stays-at-home-and-when-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Who, under pressing temptations to lie, adheres to truth, nor to the profane betrays aught of a sacred trust, is near the summit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/who-under-pressing-temptations-to-lie-adheres-to-truth-nor-to-the/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [Happiness and Prosperity are now within our Reach; but to attain and preserve them must depend upon our own Wisdom and Virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/happiness-and-prosperity-are-now-within-our-reach-but-to-attain-and/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [Only wisdom and virtue can truly win men's devotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-bei/only-wisdom-and-virtue-can-truly-win-men-s-devotion/) [Liu Bei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-bei/) > [But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/but-what-is-liberty-without-wisdom-and-without-virtue-it-is-the/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Happy will it be for ourselves, and most honorable for human nature, if we have wisdom and virtue enough to set so glorious an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/happy-will-it-be-for-ourselves-and-most-honorable-for-human-nature-if/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Sincerity does not only complete the self; it is the means by which all things are completed. As the self is completed, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamamoto-tsunetomo/sincerity-does-not-only-complete-the-self-it-is-the-means-by-which/) [Yamamoto Tsunetomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamamoto-tsunetomo/) > [No man is born wise; but wisdom and virtue require a tutor; though we can easily learn to be vicious without a master.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/no-man-is-born-wise-but-wisdom-and-virtue-require-a-tutor-though-we/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [“the creative soul creates not children, but conceptions of wisdom and virtue,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-creative-soul-creates-not-children-but-conceptions-of-wisdom-and/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Wisdom and virtue are by no means sufficient, without the supplemental laws of good-breeding, to secure freedom from degenerating into rudeness, or self esteem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/wisdom-and-virtue-are-by-no-means-sufficient-without-the-supplemental/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-have-been-preserved-these-many-years-in-peace-and-prosperity-we/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [However great an evil immorality may be, we must not forget that it is not without its beneficial consequences. It is only through extremes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-von-humboldt/however-great-an-evil-immorality-may-be-we-must-not-forget-that-it-is/) [Wilhelm von Humboldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-von-humboldt/) ## More by Ezra Taft Benson > [What would God have me do with my life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/what-would-god-have-me-do-with-my-life/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Records, radio, television, movies, magazines-all are monopolized by the money managers who are guided by one ethic, the words wealth and power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/records-radio-television-movies-magazines-all-are-monopolized-by-the/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Every Latter-day Saint should make the study of this book a lifetime pursuit. Otherwise, he is placing his soul in jeopardy and neglecting that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/every-latter-day-saint-should-make-the-study-of-this-book-a-lifetime/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Do not be caught up in materialism, one of the real plagues of our generation-that is, acquiring things, fast-paced living, and securing career success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/do-not-be-caught-up-in-materialism-one-of-the-real-plagues-of-our/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [The high cost of low living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/the-high-cost-of-low-living/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“We must each of us do our home work. 'My people are destroyed,' said Hosea, 'for lack of knowledge.' We must be wise as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/we-must-each-of-us-do-our-home-work-my-people-are-destroyed-said/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“Man…need not stand alone. Prayer will open doors; prayer will remove barriers; prayer will ease pressures; prayer will give inner peace and comfort during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/man-need-not-stand-alone-prayer-will-open-doors-prayer-will-remove/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Humility does not mean weakness. It does not mean timidity. It does not mean fear. A man can be humble and fearless. A man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/humility-does-not-mean-weakness-it-does-not-mean-timidity-it-does-not/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [The scriptures record remarkable accounts of men whose lives changed dramatically, in an instant, as it were: Alma the Younger, Paul on the road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/the-scriptures-record-remarkable-accounts-of-men-whose-lives-changed/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [That government is best which governs the least, so taught the courageous founders of this nation. This simple declaration is diametrically opposed to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/that-government-is-best-which-governs-the-least-so-taught-the/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [No nation which has kept the commandments of God has ever perished, but I say to you that once freedom is lost, only blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/no-nation-which-has-kept-the-commandments-of-god-has-ever-perished/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Someone has said it is better to appreciate the things you don't own than to own things you don't appreciate. I hope we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/someone-has-said-it-is-better-to-appreciate-the-things-you-don-t-own/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“In framing that great document which Gladstone declared ‘the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/in-framing-that-great-document-which-gladstone-declared-the-most/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit. It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/godly-sorrow-is-a-gift-of-the-spirit-it-is-a-deep-realization-that/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) [Explore all 556 Ezra Taft Benson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) ## More Blessing quotes > [Being a new mother is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phaedra-parks/being-a-new-mother-is-a-blessing/) [Phaedra Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phaedra-parks/) > [God loves to glorify himself by suspending his gifts and blessings on our asking him for them. We should never presume to receive from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-storms/god-loves-to-glorify-himself-by-suspending-his-gifts-and-blessings-on/) [Sam Storms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-storms/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Life is all about experiences and being able to work with good people is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhumika-chawla/life-is-all-about-experiences-and-being-able-to-work-with-good-people/) [Bhumika Chawla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhumika-chawla/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [“When Jesus finished teaching in a synagogue one day, a woman called out from the audience, 'God bless your mother—the womb from which you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/when-jesus-finished-teaching-in-a-synagogue-one-day-a-woman-called/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“I've never felt a pain that didn't bear a blessing. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-knudsen-hoffman/i-ve-never-felt-a-pain-that-didn-t-bear-a-blessing/) Gene Knudsen Hoffman > [Mechanical instruments, potentially a vehicle of rational human purposes, are scarcely a blessing when they enable the gossip of the village idiot and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/mechanical-instruments-potentially-a-vehicle-of-rational-human/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/) [D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/) > [The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy. Others attain unto a glory and may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigham-young/the-only-men-who-become-gods-even-the-sons-of-god-are-those-who-enter/) [Brigham Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigham-young/) > [Being of Indian heritage is a challenge - and it's a blessing as well sometimes - because being good isn't good enough. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sacha-dhawan/being-of-indian-heritage-is-a-challenge-and-it-s-a-blessing-as-well/) [Sacha Dhawan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sacha-dhawan/) > [“Time wasted can never be compensated”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/time-wasted-can-never-be-compensated/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [The Louvre! The Louvre has me in its clutches. Every time I'm there rich blessings rain down upon me. I am coming to understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-modersohn-becker/the-louvre-the-louvre-has-me-in-its-clutches-every-time-i-m-there/) [Paula Modersohn-Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-modersohn-becker/) > [Life is such a very troublesome matter, when all is said and done, that it's as well even to take its blessings quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-braddon/life-is-such-a-very-troublesome-matter-when-all-is-said-and-done-that/) [Mary Elizabeth Braddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-braddon/) > [Down where I grew up, able-bodied people do that which we believe God created them to do. Work is a blessing; it's not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-southerland/down-where-i-grew-up-able-bodied-people-do-that-which-we-believe-god/) [Steve Southerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-southerland/) [Browse all 4,617 Blessing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Many of us have a tendency to forget the Gracious Hand which has preserved our nation, enriched it, strengthened it. Many of us imagine in the foolishness of pride, that our manifold blessings are due not to God's goodness, but to our own wisdom and virtue. Too many of us have been so drunk with self-sufficiency as no longer to feel the need of prayer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ezra Taft Benson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/many-of-us-have-a-tendency-to-forget-the-gracious-hand-which-has/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blessing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/many-of-us-have-a-tendency-to-forget-the-gracious-hand-which-has/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/ezra-taft-benson-443_blessing_many-of-us-have-a-tendency-to-forget-the_2946890.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/ezra-taft-benson-443_blessing_many-of-us-have-a-tendency-to-forget-the_2946890.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/ezra-taft-benson-443_blessing_many-of-us-have-a-tendency-to-forget-the_2946890.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Many of us have a tendency to forget the Gracious Hand which has preserved our nation, enriched it…” — Ezra Taft Benson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ezra Taft Benson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Many of us have a tendency...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/many-of-us-have-a-tendency-to-forget-the-gracious-hand-which-has/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/many-of-us-have-a-tendency-to-forget-the-gracious-hand-which-has/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```