"Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our religion? We have none;..." -President Joseph Smith (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 71)
"How many witnesses has the Book of Mormon? Hundreds and thousands are now living upon the earth, who testify to its truth." -President Brigham Young (Journal of Discourses, vol. 10, p. 326.)"...The gospel in the Book of Mormon and the gospel in the Bible both agree: The doctrines in both books are one." -President John Taylor (Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 240)
"As I did so [began to read the Book of Mormon], the Spirit bore witness that the record which it contained was true. I opened my eyes to see, my ears to hear, and my heart to understand. I also opened my doors to entertain the servants of God." -President Wilford Woodruff (Wilford Woodruff: History of His Life and Labors, p. 34.)
"I had an intimate acquaintance with Joseph Smith, the Prophet, for a number of years. The position he occupied before the world and the declarations which he made were of an extraordinary character. It was a position which no individual before or since has attempted to assume. I know Joseph Smith to have been an honest man, a man of truth, honor and fidelity, willing to sacrifice everything he possessed, even life itself, as a testimony to the heavens and the world that he had borne the truth [about the restored gospel and the Book of Mormon] to the human family." --President Lorenzo Snow (The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, pp. 56-57).
"There is not a word or doctrine, of admonition, of instruction within its [the Book of Momon] lids, but what agrees in sentiment and veracity with those of Christ and His Apostles, as contained in the Bible. Neither is there a word of counsel, of admonition or reproof within its lids, but what is calculated to make a bad man a good man, and a good man a better man, if he will hearken to it." -President Joseph F. Smith (Journal of Discourses, vol. 25, p. 100)
"The Book of Mormon is the great, the grand, the most wonderful missionary that we have."
-President Heber J. Grant (General conference address, April 1937.)
"The Book of Mormon is a sacred record containing information that is found in no other book." -President George Albert Smith (General conference address, April 1936.)
"The Book of Mormon itself is the best memorial to the claim of the vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith....
"It is a physical fact, a sensible fact, there were witnesses to it;..."
-President David O. McKay (Treasures of Life by David O. McKay, pp. 273-74).
"No member of this Church can stand approved in the presence of God who has not seriously and carefully read the Book of Mormon..."
-President Joseph Fielding Smith (General conference address, October 1961.)
"There is nothing better that we can do to prepare ourselves spiritually that to read the Book of Mormon. Many doctrines of the Bible that are only partially covered there are beautifully explained in the Book of Mormon..."
--President Harold B. Lee (The Improvement Era, January 1969, pp. 13-14.)
"This inspiring book was never tampered with by unauthorized translators or biased theologians but comes to the world pure and directly from the historians and abridgers. The book is not on trial-- its readers are."
-President Spencer W. Kimball (General conference address, April 1963.)
"There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called 'the words of life' (D & C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon."
-President Ezra Taft Benson (General conference address, October 1986.)