President Gordon B. Hinckley: "Women in the Church are associates with their brethren in carrying forward this mighty work of the Lord. . . . They stand in an associate role to the priesthood, all striving together to build the kingdom of God in the earth. We honor and respect you for your capacity. We expect leadership, and strength, and impressive results from your management of the organizations for which you are responsible. We uphold and sustain you as daughters of God, working in a great partnership to assist him in bringing to pass the immortality and the eternal life of all of the sons and daughters of God" ("If Thou Art Faithful," Ensign, Nov. 1984, 89).

Kathleen H. Hughes, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency: "Relief Society was established by God, through a prophet, by the power of priesthood authority; its existence is a necessary part of the organization of the Church. Men and women stand together in priesthood and Relief Society as we strive to bring families to Christ. As women, we should never think that our role in the Church is a lesser role than that played by men. Just as we as righteous women honor the priesthood, we need to hold sacred our calling as women as well. . . . [Relief Society] grew out of our divine calling and our desire to serve, to love, and to care for each other. Just as the ordinances and direction of the priesthood are necessary in the Lord's work, so is the service that we do" ("In Covenant with Him," Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2003, 108).