Gordon B. Hinckley Quotes

Do your best, and be a little better than you are.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

I cannot say enough of appreciation for your determination to live by the standards of the Church, to walk with the strength of virtue, to keep your minds above the slough of filth which seems to be moving like a flood across the world. Thank you for knowing there is a better way. Thank you for the will to say no. Thank you for the strength to deny temptation and look beyond and above to the shining light of your eternal potential.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Believe in the sacred word of God, the Holy Bible, with its treasury of inspiration and sacred truth; in the Book of Mormon as a testimony of the living Christ. Believe in the Church as the organization which the God of Heaven established for the blessing of His sons and daughters of all generations of time.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

No matter the circumstances, I encourage you to go forward with faith and prayer, calling on the Lord. You may not receive any direct revelation. But you will discover, as the years pass, that there has been a subtle guiding of your footsteps in paths of progress and great purpose.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

The willingness to forgive is a sign of spiritual and emotional maturity. It is one of the great virtues to which we all should aspire. Imagine a world filled with individuals willing both to apologize and to accept an apology. Is there any problem that could not be solved among people who possessed the humility and largeness of spirit and soul to do either -- or both -- when needed?

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

A truly educated man never ceases to learn. He never ceases to grow. I hope you women, as you take upon yourselves the burden of rearing families, will never set aside the desire to acquire knowledge.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Nevertheless, I sought counsel from my leaders and obeyed, even when I knew their advice would make my life more complicated. I decided it was not for me to question and that if some advice caused temporary pain for me, it must be something I should experience.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And the good that is in you must be spread to others… In this world so filled with problems, so constantly threatened by dark and evil challenges, you can and must rise above mediocrity, above indifference. You can become involved and speak with a strong voice for that which is right.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Those who move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

In my ninety-plus years, I have learned a secret. I have learned that when good men and good women face challenges with optimism, things will always work out! Truly, things always work out! Despite how difficult circumstances may look at the moment, those who have faith and move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Don’t be gloomy. Do not dwell on unkind things. Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. Even if you are not happy, put a smile on your face. ‘Accentuate the positive.’ Look a little deeper for the good. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, with great and strong purpose in your heart. Love life.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

The more surely you rear your children in the ways of the gospel of Jesus Christ, with love and high expectation, the more likely that there will be peace in their lives. Set an example for them. That will mean more than all the teaching you can give them. Do not overindulge them. Let them grow up with respect for and understanding of the meaning of labor, of working and contributing to the home and its surroundings, with some way of earning some of their own expense money. Let your sons save for missions, and encourage them to prepare themselves, not only financially, but spiritually and in an attitude to go out to serve the Lord without selfishness of any kind.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired. One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

We cannot expect to lift others unless we stand on higher ground ourselves.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

It is not enough just to be good. We must be good for something. We must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for our presence. And the good that is in us must be spread to others. This is the measure of our civility.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

A proverb in the Old Testament states: 'He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city'.It is when we become angry that we get into trouble. The road rage that affects our highways is a hateful expression of anger. I dare say that most of the inmates of our prisons are there because they did something when they were angry. In their wrath they swore, they lost control of themselves, and terrible things followed, even murder. There were moments of offense followed by years of regret. . . .So many of us make a great fuss of matters of small consequence. We are so easily offended. Happy is the man who can brush aside the offending remarks of another and go on his way.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Truly, my dear young friends, you are a chosen generation. I hope you will never forget it. I hope you will never take it for granted. I hope there will grow in your hearts an overpowering sense of gratitude to God, who has made it possible for you to come upon the earth in this marvelous season of the world's history.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

You are people with a present and with a future. Don't muff the ball. Be excellent.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

If we are to build that Zion of which the prophets have spoken and of which the Lord has given mighty promise, we must set aside our consuming selfishness. We must rise above our love for comfort and ease, and in the very process of effort and struggle, even in our extremity, we shall become better acquainted with our God. — Gordon B. Hinckley

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

We pray that as you walk the paths of life you will walk in ways that are straight with the strength to conform even though those paths be narrow.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Each of you is a daughter of God. Reflect on all the wondrous meaning of that one paramount fact.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Meekness implies a spirit of gratitude as opposed to an attitude of self-sufficiency, an acknowledgement of a greater power beyond oneself, a recognition of God, and an acceptance of his commandments.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

I feel to invite women everywhere to rise to the great potential within you. I do not ask that you reach beyond your capacity. I hope you will not nag yourselves with thoughts of failure. I hope you will not try to set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. I hope you will simply do what you can do in the best way you know.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Where ever the spirit of Christ is known, there is much of good will, of mutual respect, of love and appreciation and kindness.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

There is no substitute under the heavens for productive labor. It is the process by which dreams become realities. It is the process by which idle visions become dynamic achievements.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

As we give presents at Christmas, we need to recognize that sharing our time and ourselves is such an important part of giving.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Every good citizen adds to the strength of a nation.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

A nation will rise no higher than the strength of its homes.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

At the end of our lives, we step across the threshold or death and enter into a new and better world. I believe that. It's just that simple.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

My wife once said that one of her great ambitions was to walk down the streets of Hong Kong with her children. So we all went to Asia on one occasion. Then she said she'd like to walk down the streets of Jerusalem with her children. So we arranged our family finances and all went to Jerusalem.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Sister Hinckley and I are learning that the so-called golden years are laced with lead.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Knowledge, learning, is an eternal thing.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

How grateful I am for the law of tithing. It is the Lord's law of finance.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

You can't build a great building on a weak foundation. You must have a solid foundation if you're going to have a strong superstructure.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

I am suggesting that as we go through life, we 'accentuate the positive.' I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment and endorse virtue and effort.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Do you feel gloomy? Lift your eyes. Stand on your feet. Say a few words of appreciation and love to the Lord. Be positive.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

I am satisfied that every man or woman who goes to the temple in a spirit of sincerity and faith leaves the house of the Lord a better man or woman.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Unfortunately, some women want to remake their husbands after their own design.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley