Agency

1) "Today I speak to all whose freedom to choose has been diminished by the effects of ill-advised choices of the past. I speak specifically of choices that have led to excessive debt and addictions to food, drugs, pornography, and other patterns of thought and action that diminish one’s sense of self-worth. All of these excesses affect us individually and undermine our family relationships. "(Becoming provident providers temporally and spiritually elder hales April 2009)

2)“Most of the problems that Lot later encountered in his life, and there were several, can be traced back to his early decision to position the door of his tent to look upon Sodom.” (President L. Tom Perry The Power of Deliverance General conferences  April  2012)

3)" good intentions are not enough. We must do. Even more important, we must become what Heavenly Father wants us to be.[...]We do matter. We determine our happiness[...] it is my testimony that many of the deepest regrets of tomorrow can be prevented by following the Savior today.” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf  OF REGRETS AND RESOLUTIONS General Conferences October 2012)

4)“If we serve with faith, humility, and a desire to do God’s will, I testify that the judgment bar of the great Jehovah will be pleasing. We will see our loving Father and His Son as They see us now—with perfect clarity and with perfect love. “(President Eyring Where Is the Pavilion? General Conferences October 2012) 

5)“Patience and perseverance are part of our eternal progression.” (Russell M.  Nelson  Ask, Seek, Knock.  General conference October 2009)

6)“[O]ur Heavenly Father is aware of our needs and will help us as we call upon Him for assistance. I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant. The Lord is in the details of our lives.” ( Thomas S. Monson Count your blessings General conferences October 2012)

7)“Although we live in increasingly perilous times, the Lord loves us and is mindful of us. He is always on our side as we do what is right. He will help us in time of need.[...] The purpose of mortality is to learn and to grow to be more like our Father, and it is often during the difficult times that we learn the most, as painful as the lessons may be. Our lives can also be filled with joy as we follow the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ."  (God be with you until we meet again Thomas S. Monson General Conferences October 2012)  

8)“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (The race of life Thomas S. Monson General Conferences April 2012)

9)“As our youth follow President Monson’s counsel by preparing to serve missions, and as we all live the principles the Savior taught and prepare to meet God, we win a much more important race. We will have the Holy Ghost as our guide for spiritual direction. For any whose lives are not in order, remember, it is never too late to make the Savior’s Atonement the foundation of our faith and lives.” (Elder Quentin L. Cook Can Ye Feel So Now? General Conferences October 2012)

10)“The War in Heaven was fought after Satan said that he would force everyone to obey his ideas. That was rejected. As a result, we have our moral agency and the freedom to choose our course in this life. But we also are accountable for that agency.” (Elder Quentin L. Cook Stewardship—a Sacred Trust General Conferences October 2010)

11)“We teach that agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and ‘to act for [ourselves] and not to be acted upon.’ Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions. Our agency is essential to the plan of salvation. With it we are ‘to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil.’ ” (Elder Hales Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life General Conferences October 2010)

12)“in our premortal state we chose to follow the Savior Jesus Christ! And because we did, we were allowed to come to earth. I testify that by making the same choice to follow the Savior now, while we are here on earth, we will obtain an even greater blessing in the eternities. But let it be known: we must continue to choose to follow the Savior. Eternity is at stake, and our wise use of agency and our actions are essential that we might have eternal life.” “We teach that agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and ‘to act for [ourselves] and not to be acted upon.’ Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions. Our agency is essential to the plan of salvation. With it we are ‘to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil.’ ” (Elder Hales Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life General Conferences October 2010)

Why does it matter?: Though Agency in the worlds view is either a business organization or making choice it is actually much more in the LDS vocabulary. Agency is the gift that God gave us to let us to choose right or wrong. It isn't something we keep independently  we can give it to Satan or we can give it to God. We aren't just acted upon in this world, powerless to change our situation because we always can change our attitude. I have a testimony that any trial can be lightened (not that it is taken away) if we will use our agency to turn towards God.