Daily Inspiration Quote by Thomas S. Monson

Monson’s line lands like a quiet corrective to a consumer-age theology: salvation is not a subscription you inherit, it’s a discipline you practice. As a modern LDS leader speaking to an audience steeped in the language of ordinances, covenants, and ongoing commitment, he frames “eternal life” not as a vague afterlife perk but as the highest spiritual outcome - and then yokes it to “effort,” a word that smuggles in daily choices, self-mastery, and persistence.

The sentence is built to be unarguable. “Reward” flatters the listener’s moral instinct (you want the good ending), while “requires” shuts the door on shortcuts. That verb matters: it implies a standard that can’t be negotiated down, a gate that doesn’t care about excuses. Monson often preached in a register of practical righteousness - less mystical ecstasy, more steady consecration - and this reflects that managerial clarity. It’s faith translated into a workload.

The subtext is both motivational and boundary-drawing. Motivational, because effort suggests agency: your life isn’t spiritually passive; you’re not trapped by circumstance or temperament. Boundary-drawing, because it resists cheap grace. If “eternal life” is the reward, then good intentions and cultural affiliation don’t suffice. The line quietly critiques spiritual entitlement while dignifying struggle: the work is not evidence of failure; it’s the price of entry.

In a church that emphasizes lifelong learning, service, and repentance as ongoing practices, Monson’s formula turns doctrine into a behavioral ethic. The promise is immense, but the economy is strict: glory isn’t granted, it’s pursued.