1 Ne 17: 41 because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished

Boyd K. Packer

"How silly," some must have said. ‘How can such a thing cure me? I'll not show my stupidity by paying any attention,’ and some would not look….

“And today many say, ‘How silly! How could accepting Christ save me?’ They will not turn their heads to look nor incline their ears to hear. They ignore the great witness that comes from these conferences. We ought to, indeed we must, heed the counsel of these men, for the Lord said, ‘What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.’ (DC 1:38)” (Conference Report, Oct. 1, 1968, p. 76)

Harold B. Lee

“Some may say all of what I have said sounds so simple. It is. It is like the rod of Moses on which the serpent-bitten Israelites had only to look to be healed. But, as the Book of Mormon reminds us, ‘because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished’ (1 Nephi 17:41). Strange as it seems, some men are, as Jacob described them, forever ‘looking beyond the mark’ (Jacob 4:14), missing the plain and simple truths in their search for complexity!” (Teachings of Harold B. Lee, p. 334)

Rex D. Pinegar

“Brothers and sisters, we must not fail to do the simple and easy things that the gospel requires and thereby deny ourselves and our families the great blessings that the Lord has promised….Charles Francis Adams, the grandson of the U.S. ambassador to Britain. Amidst his responsibilities, he had little time to spare. He did, however, keep a diary. One day he wrote, ‘Went fishing with my son today—a day wasted!’ On that same date, Charles’s son, Brooks Adams, had printed in his own diary, ‘Went fishing with my father today—the most wonderful day of my life’ (Daily Guideposts, 1994). President Hunter has said, ‘Frequently it is the commonplace tasks that have the greatest positive effect on the lives of others’ (BYU 1986-87 Devotional and Fireside Speeches, p. 115). I pray that we will heed the counsel of our prophet and have the faith to follow the Savior by doing the simple things His gospel requires.” (Ensign, Nov. 1994, p.82 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p.53)