3 Ne. 1:24; Hel. 16:22; D&C 10:62-63; 38:39; 136:23; 2 Ne. 26:32; 4 Ne. 1:2, 15; Mosiah 2:32-33, 37; 18:18, 21; Phil. 2:3; Gospel Doctrine, Smith, p.373; Conference Report, Oct. 1945, pp. 90-91; Conference Report, Oct. 1969, p. 35; Doctrines of the Book of Mormon, ed. by Van Oren & Top, pp. 21-23
“Quarrel not at all. No man resolved to make the most of himself can spare time for personal contention. Better give your path to a dog than be bitten by him.” (Abraham Lincoln, A letter to J. M. Cutts, Oct. 26, 1863)
“He [Satan] damages and often destroys families within the walls of their own homes. His strategy is to stir up anger between family members… . The verb stir sounds like a recipe for disaster: Put tempers on medium heat, stir in a few choice words, and bring to a boil; serve cold; lots of leftovers… . This doctrine or command from the Lord presupposes agency and is an appeal to the conscious mind to make a decision. The Lord expects us to make the choice not to become angry.” (Lynn G. Robbins, Ensign, May 1998, p. 80)
“Another face of pride is contention. Arguments, fights, unrighteous dominion, generation gaps, divorces, spouse abuse, riots, and disturbances all fall into this category of pride. Contention in our families drives the Spirit of the Lord away. It also drives many of our family members away. Contention ranges from hostile spoken words to worldwide conflicts. The scriptures tell us that ‘only by pride cometh contention’ (Proverbs 13:10; 28:25).” (Ezra Taft Benson, Conference Report, Apr. 1989, p. 5)
“As we dread any disease that undermines the health of the body, so should we deplore contention, which is a corroding canker of the spirit… . My concern is that contention is becoming accepted as a way of life. From what we see and hear in the media, the classroom, and the workplace, all are now infected to some degree with contention… . Well do I remember a friend who would routinely sow seeds of contention in church classes. His assaults would invariably be preceded by this predictable comment: ‘Let me play the role of devil’s advocate.’ Recently he passed away. One day he will stand before the Lord in judgment. Then, I wonder, will my friend’s predictable comment again be repeated?” (Russell M. Nelson, Conference Report, Apr. 1989, p. 85)
“Contention and division are of the devil… . Hence, there is no occasion to debate, to argue, to contend, to champion one cause as against another. Those who have the Spirit do not hang doggedly to a point of doctrine or philosophy for no other reason than to come off victorious in a disagreement.” (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:105)
“Whenever factions exist among us, whenever disunion prevails, whenever there is opposition in views concerning points of doctrine or concerning counsel, it may be set down as indisputable that the Spirit of God is not in our midst and that there is something wrong. Whenever two men in this Church differ upon points of doctrine, they may know and others who may be acquainted with the fact may know also that there is something wrong; for the Spirit of God will not teach two men different ideas… . Men may differ in their views, but after they have expressed these differences then contention should cease; in fact, it should never exist… . I do not care what we may claim or what our pretensions may be, we are not the people of God when we are not united. Union is one of the fruits of the Spirit… . [The devil] seeks for division, for contention and for strife… . He tries to persuade the people that it is true independence to divide up and every man go for himself and to refuse to do as the servants of God say.” (George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truths, pp. 159-160, 165)
“Be one who nurtures and who builds. Be one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart, who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them. Be fair with your competitors, whether in business, athletics, or elsewhere. Don’t get drawn into some of the parlance of our day and try to ‘win’ by intimidation or by undermining someone’s character… . The Spirit of the Lord cannot dwell where there is bickering, judging, contention, or any kind of bashing.” (Marvin J. Ashton, Ensign, May 1992, p. 20)
“Should there be any quarrelling or fault-finding? No; because where the Spirit of God exists there is no disposition of this character. There is a manifestation to suffer wrong rather than to do wrong; not to revile, not to prosecute, not to assail back when we are assailed. If a brother comes up to me, he is in a bad temper, he says something that is annoying, and I lose my temper and reply in the same spirit, do I do right? Certainly not. However much the provocation may be, it is not my duty as a Latter-day Saint … to indulge in any such feeling or expression… . If a man forgets himself so far as to call his brother a liar, or any other offensive name, there should be enough of the Spirit of God and the spirit of patience and the spirit of self-respect left in the brother to bear the insult without resenting in the same spirit… . It is the duty of every man and woman in this Church to live at peace with him and herself, and then to live at peace with everybody else, husbands with wives, wives with husbands, parents with children, children with parents, brothers with sisters and sisters with brothers… .” (George Q. Cannon, Journal of Discourses 22:102-103)