Boyd K. Packer, 1971 - "The gospel might be likened to the keyboard of a piano"

"The gospel might be likened to the keyboard of a piano - a full keyboard with a selection of keys on which one who is trained can play a variety without limits; a ballad to express love, a march to rally, a melody to soothe, and a hymn to inspire; an endless variety to suit every mood and satisfy every need.

"How shortsighted it is, then, to choose a single key and endlessly tap out the monotony of a single note, or even two or three notes, when the full keyboard of limitless harmony can be played.

"How disappointing when the fullness of the gospel, the whole keyboard, is here upon the earth, that many churches tap on a single key. The note they stress may be essential to a complete harmony of religious experience, but it is, nonetheless, not all there is. It isn't the fullness.

"For instance, one taps on the key of faith healing, to the neglect of many principles that would bring greater strength than faith healing itself. Another taps on an obscure key relating to the observance of the Sabbath - a key that would sound different indeed, played in harmony with the essential notes on the keyboard. A key used like that can get completely out of tune. Another repeats endlessly the key that relates to the mode of baptism and taps one or two other keys as though there were not a full keyboard. And again, the very key he uses, essential as it is, just doesn't sound complete when played alone to the neglect of the others."

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1971/12/the-only-true-and-living-church?lang=eng 

Richard Bushman, 2007 Pew Forum - "But every effort to do doctrine systematically is resisted."

"How can an institution be so self-contradictory? There is a clue given in a statement recently posted on the church's newsroom Web page defining the bounds of church doctrine. It says, 'Individual members are encouraged to independently strive to receive their own spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of church doctrine.' The fact is that in Mormondom, the revelation doesn't come solely to the president of the church, but rather infuses the whole church. Everyone is to receive revelation for their own positions, whether as a father or a bishop or a Sunday school teacher, or whatever it is. And that extends from church doctrine to political statements. 

"So, Mormons believe that all of those strong injunctions to follow the prophet are one end of a paradox. The other end, they say, is that they have to decide for themselves whether they believe what the prophet says. So there is legitimacy within the church for taking an independent position, contrary to what the president of the church may say. ...

"Well, when you get those switches back and forth, you know that there is a contradiction or a polarity inside the culture. Someone has said that Mormon doctrine should best be described as a set of dilemmas - as contradictory goods posed against one another. ...

"Yeah, it's one of the mysteries of how it works in that Mormons, both individually and as an official church, have always rebuffed attempts to systematize ideas. There is no creed. If a book is published called Mormon Doctrine that tries to outline Mormon doctrine, it's repudiated by the president of the church. Over and over again, people go back and say, look, follow the Scriptures, read the Scriptures - which in a way begs the question of how you interpret the Scriptures. But every effort to do doctrine systematically is resisted. In that way, it's kind of an anti-intellectual thing against systematic theology. 

"When it comes to things like contraception, that comes out of the united feelings of the general authorities of the church, which consists of the president of the church and the Twelve Apostles and other general authorities, who probably are what you're looking for if you're asking about the teaching authority of the church. ...

"The leaders are followed; they are honored. People wouldn't try to contradict them, but 'binding' isn't a word Mormons use. We talk about the 'counsel' of the brethren. This is what we advise you to do, and this has great weight, but it isn't like it straps down your conscience." ...

"I think the missionary system of the church is not deceptive in the sense that it does present basically what Mormons work with, live by day by day, which is belief in revelation, belief in these new Scriptures, belief that you shouldn't smoke, drink, and so forth, should pay tithing - all of those basic things are made clear. But once you get into the church, there is a vast amount of lore about how the priesthood works, how the ecclesiastics work, things about baptism for the dead and genealogical work that don't go into the fundamental teachings. Not that the missionaries would conceal them consciously, but they just don't figure in the everyday conversation of Mormons or the life of a Mormon. You can be a perfectly good Mormon without knowing every last detail.

"However, when it comes to the doctrines that you describe, which are extreme departures from standard Christianity, I think they mean quite a bit to Mormons - not to all Mormons, but to many, including myself - as an elaboration ofo these stories of eternity, as I call them. So you get a larger and larger picture. The trouble with them is that when you begin to explore them in detail, there are all sorts of mysteries and perplexities, things you can't understand because you're out at the edge, and how does this work, how does that work - I don't know how it works. But the overall picture is that humans are being taught by a father to become like him. That is a fundamental Mormon belief.

http://www.pewforum.org/2007/05/14/mormonism-and-politics-are-they-compatible/ 

"Orson Pratt then arose and said that what had been said was good and that there was a world of knowledge for us to obtain and it was better to employ our leisure moments in acquiring it,"

"Saturday the 29th ... the Prest then sed that his text was that he Should revolt at the idea of going eney further with this Company while they ware in possession of the Spirit which they then possessed[.] from this said he[,] I shall make my discourse[,] he spoke about one hour the import of which was that the excess of dancing & frollocking[,] playing cards[,] dice[,] domonoes[,] chequers[,] dice &c some of which have been cairied on excessively for the last few days was leading to worse evils to a neglect of duties to carlessness[,] recklessness[,] to quarrells[,] divisions[,] discontions[,] to sin & death, he allso added that civel recreation was no harm i not caried to excess when they had danced anough they would quit & would go into their waggons & not forgit to thank the Lord that they had the privelage of so doing & to pour out his spirit uppon them & the camp &c, but this had not been done, he spoke many other things thar ware to the same import...

"Br [Wilford] Woodruff then made a few remarks 1st Stating that he owned the hand & kissed the rod & that he ment to reform[.] he then advised that those that had cards[,] to burn them[,] dice & chequers like wise[.] Colonel Markam then arose & confessed that he had done wrong that he had indulged in all kinds of amusements & that his mind had been darkened by so doing[.]

"Orson Pratt then arose & said that what had been said was good & that thare was a world of knowledge for us to obtain & it was better to imploy our leasure moments in ecquiring it, for said he[,] thare is a great meney books in the camp full of knowledge, & he reckamendded that we Should Spend our leasure moments in the perusal of them in stead of other amusement such as had been previously practised in the camp &c[.] ...

https://history.lds.org/overlandtravel/sources/15304170227183021957-eng/harmon-appleton-milo-diary-1847-april-july?firstName=Luke&surname=Johnson