The Temple Cornner Stones - The Apostleshiop, &c.
delivered in the tabernacle April 6, 1853, at the General Conference pg 131 - 137

"Were it not that our bodies have to be fed and clothed, I would propose that we tarry here a few months, to give all a chance to speak, to exhort, to pray, to prophesy, to sing, to speak in tongues, or to do whatsoever the Spirit should manifest unto them." pg 131
"The salvation we are seeking is for the present, and sought correctly, it can be obtained, and be continually enjoyed." pg 131
"If we are saved, we are happy, we are filled with light, glory, intelligence, and we pursue a course to enjoy the blessings that the Lord has in store for us." pg 131
"I am happy to say that there has been a great deal of faith manifested by the Saints, and, through that faith, the Lord has granted unto us the desire of our hearts, or else the devil has been sent on an errand another way, and has forgotten himself." pg 132
"I do not like to prophesy much, I never do, but I venture to guess, that this day , and the work we have performed on it, will long be remembered by this people... It is a day in which all the faithful will rejoice in all time to come. [speaking about the corner stones for the temple being laid]" pg 132
"I never have cared but for one thing, and that is, simply to know that I am now right before my Father in Heaven. If I am this moment, this day, doing the things God requires of my hands, and precisely where my Father in Heaven wants me to be, I care no more about to-morrow than though it never would come." pg 132
"This I do know - there should be a Temple built here. I do know it is the duty of this people to commence to build a Temple." pg 132
"I scarcely ever say much about revelations, or visions, but suffice it to say, five years ago last July I was here, and saw in the Spirit the Temple not ten feet from where we have laid the Chief Corner Stone." pg 133
"We sometimes look for light, you know, brethren. ...You will tell me you go to the east for light? So we commence by laying the stone on the south-east corner, because there is the most light." pg 133
"-Does a man's being a Prophet in this Church prove that he shall be the President of it? I answer no! A man may be a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and it may have nothing to do with his being the President of the Church." pg 133
"The Keys of the Priesthood were committed to Joseph, to build up the Kingdom of God on the earth, and were not to be taken from him in time or in eternity..." pg 133
-visions and angel visits etc. don't make a person a President, Elder, or Priest
"If you ask me what will prove a man or woman to be a Saint, I will answer you the question. "If you love me," says Jesus, "You will keep my sayings." Could he [Joseph] have built up the Kingdom of God, without first being an Apostle? No, he never could. The keys of the eternal Priesthood, which is after the order of the Son of God, are comprehended by being an Apostle." pg 134
"All the Priesthood, all the keys, all the gifts, all the endowments, and everything preparatory to entering into the presence of the Father and of the Son, are in, composed of, ... the circumference of, the Apostleship." pg 134-135
-there's a lot of symbolism involved in the temple

I've decided to try my hand at reading the Journal of Discourses, at least in part. It was suggested to me by one of my teachers that a good way to learn more about the church as an institution and as my religion would be to read through the Journal of Discourses one president of the church at a time. The starting place for this is Brigham Young, the journal didn't start until after the saints moved to Utah and by that time Joseph Smith was dead. I started this task earlier in the summer, but got put off it for a while and so before I'd gotten very far the idea came to me that I should be taking notes as I did this so that I could go back and have something to refrence afterwards.
I decided to post my notes from my first attempt, I found I got a lot more out of it than I had the last time I read this particular discourse. I found some really cool stuff and I wanted to share it.

Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, Brigham Young
Salvation pg 1-6 delivered in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, January 16, 1853
-just about everyone in their own way is seeking what they believe to be salvation
"The object of a true salvation correctly and minutely understood, changes the course of mankind." pg 2
"How difficult it is to teach the natural man, who comprehends nothing more than that which he sees with the natural eye! How hard it is for him to believe!" pg 2
"If the Lord does not speak from heaven, and touch the eyes of their understanding by His Spirit, who can instruct or guide them to good? who can give them the words of eternal life? It is not in the power of man to do it; but when the Lord gives us His Spirit to a person... they can hear, believe, and be instructed." pg 2-3
Whenever we are disposed to give ourselves perfectly to righteousness, to yield all the powers and faculties of the soul (which is the spirit and the body, and it is there where righteousness dwells); when we are swallowed up in the will of Him who has called us; when we enjoy the peace and the smiles of our Father in Heaven, the things of His Spirit, and all the blessings we are capacitated to receive and improve upon, then are we in Zion, that is Zion." pg 3
"We are the temples of God," pg 3
-we have the opportunity to be Zion, to be temples of the Lord if we could truly love and follow what is set before us, what's holding us back We should be jumping at the opportunity.
"If Elders [or sisters] of Israel use language which is not proper for the lips of a Saint, such Elders [or sisters] are under condemnation, and the wrath of God abides upon them," pg 4
"...but if every heart were set upon doing right, we should have Zion here." pg 4
"...it proves that we can add to our knowledge, wisdom, and strength, and that we can add power to every attribute that God has given us." pg 5
"Let us fill up our days with usefulness, do good to each other and cease from all evil." pg 5
"I wish to impress upon your minds the reality that when the body which is organized for intelligence to dwell in, dies, and returns to it's mother earth, all the feelings, sensibilities, faculties, and powers of the spirit are still alive, they never die, but in the absence of the body are more acute. They are organized for an eternal existence." pg 5
"...we acknowldege the hand of God in all things, all is right, Zion is here, in our own possession." pg 5
-remember to have compassion on others
"I find that I have enough to do to watch myself. It is as much as I can do to get right, deal right and act right." pg 6
"Light cleaves to light, and truth to truth." pg 6
I hope if you enjoy this that you'll try it for yourself, these are the things that really seemed important to me, if you were to read it I'm sure that there would be other things that would jump out at you.