Go Forward With Faith — Book Review & Quotes
Review
Gordon B. Hinckley was the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from the time I was a small baby up until the time when I was 16; basically my entire growing up years. When I have thought of President Hinckley, the characteristic that has always struck me the most is summed up in this quote from Elder Robert D. Hales: ‘I have never met an individual who can become so well informed through reading and through contact with people. When he spends an evening at dinner with someone, he leaves knowing something about that individual’s expertise.’”
Over the course of basically his entire career, he helped to grow a church from thousands to millions, and with it saw a broad swath of the knowledge the world over. Just the breadth of knowledge that President Hinckley was able to amass and retain is astounding and awe-inspiring to me.
“‘What makes President Hinckley unique,’ Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained, ‘is that he remembers what he has read and distills that which he wishes to retain. His is an integrated intellect. He can draw upon what he knows to make prudent decisions.’”
“After attending seven regional conferences in seven states with President Hinckley, Elder Nelson learned what others who traveled with him also observed. Regardless of the destination, he knew something about the history of the area and its people. In the pear-growing area of Medford, Oregon, for example, President Hinckley started a priesthood leadership meeting with a dissertation of fruit trees and how important it was to prune trees in February so that there would be fruit in September. ‘President Hinckley doesn’t expect to be bowed to and prefers to be treated as though he is an ordinary worker,’ said Elder Nelson. ‘But he isn’t ordinary in any respect. He is a multifaceted genius. He understands anatomy and physiology better than any non-physician I have worked with. He talks with builders about finials and mullions and speaks the language unique to their profession. When questions arise that have legal ramifications, he typically says, ‘I’m no lawyer, but it seems to me that…’ and them renders an opinion that my lawyer colleagues insist would be a credit to any lawyer. Whether it is medicine or law, education or plumbing, it doesn’t seem to matter. He grasps things quickly, has an amazing breadth of knowledge, and can apply what he knows.’”
“A man with an insatiable appetite for learning, President Hinckley not only read widely but found other ways to increase his knowledge and understanding of specialized areas of expertise. After observing him at another regional conference, Elder Nelson reported: ‘One of the security officers assigned to us worked for the local police department. We had time between sessions, and President Hinckley grilled that officer for an hour about their procedures, techniques, and even the equipment they used. I marveled that he knew which questions to ask, each of which was law-enforcement specific.’”
Some Highlighted Quotes From The Book
“[Gordon B. Hinckley] has also kept a feverish pace, maintained his composure under fire, tackled head-on one intimidating assignment after another, and in general followed a simple maxim that he has preached all his life — that the only way to get anything done is to get on your knees and ask for the Lord’s help, and then get to your feet and go to work.”
“The greatest reward is not what we receive for our labor, but what we become by it.” (John Ruskin)
“I have been thinking about the road that led here. I know that I have not come that road alone, and I feel very grateful for the many men and women…who have helped me. It is the same with each of us in the Church. No man proceeds alone…All of us are largely the products of the lives which touch upon our lives, and today I feel profoundly grateful for all who have touched mine.”
“Books and education were important to Bryant as well, and he had converted one of the large rooms in their home to a library that could be closed off for studying. Its bookshelves were filled with more than a thousand volumes — a complete set of Shakespeare, numerous titles by or about Abraham Lincoln, the fifty-volume Harvard Classics (which contained everything from the writings of Aristotle to George Washington’s Farewell Address), and The World’s Best Histories. In the center of the room stood a large, solid oak table with comfortable chairs and a set of encyclopedias, atlases, dictionaries, and other reference works. Statuettes of Joseph Smith and Abraham Lincoln graced the room with a certain dignity. No one was forced to study or read, and the children didn’t spend hours poring over the pages of their parents’ books, but the library was inviting. Over time, Gordon developed a familiarity with good books and came to appreciate what his parents valued — literature and history, learning and education. Years later he concurred with Emerson, who, when asked which of all the books he had read had most affected his life, said that he could no more remember the books he had read than the meals he had eaten, but that they had made him. The children were all influenced to one degree or another by their parents’ love of literature and, indeed, most things artistic. Each learned to recite some of Bryant and Ada’s favorite poems and passages from the classics.”
“At home, Bryant and Ada found ways to keep gospel principles in front of their children. Before bedtime Ada often gathered her children around the stove and read to them about Nephi, Lehi, and other Book of Mormon heroes from Mther Stories from the Book of Mormon by William Albert Morton, first published about 1911. Though it wasn’t until later that Gordon began to read directly from the scriptures, his interest in scriptural characters and stories was first kindled during those sessions with his mother.”
“Though Bryant rarely lectured his children, he often repeated favorite sayings that communicated his expectations: ‘Try to live up tot he high-water mark of your possibilities.’ ‘Be somebody. Stand up for something.’ ‘So live that men by your good deeds may know your ancestors,’ he encouraged, explaining that a person best honored his parents by making honorable the name he bore.”
“Bryant and Ada’s inherently positive outlook permeated the family atmosphere. Ada believed, and often stated, that a happy attitude, and smiling countenance could boost one over almost any misfortune and that every individual was responsible for his own happiness. The children frequently heard their parents say, ‘Cynics do not contribute; skeptics do not create; doubters do not achieve.’”
“Bryant believed that one should expect the best in others, that there was decency and goodness in the common man and nobility in the working class. He explained to his posterity on one occasion: ‘There is no royalty like the royalty of high endeavor. We do not belong to a family of geniuses. We cannot depend upon our good looks or our native brilliance of mind to carry us forward. Each of us must pay the price of hard work if we achieve. We belong to the working class — a distinction. Only workers are found among the chosen people. Honesty, industry, and common sense make a good combination.”
“His intellect and mental acumen were keen, and, as he intended to prepare himself to earn a respectable living, education loomed large in his future. He expected to work, and work hard — but he wanted to labor at something he enjoyed and through which he could make a contribution.”
“‘[The Depression] was a time of terrible discouragement, and it was felt strongly on campus. I felt some of it myself. I began to question some things, including perhaps in a slight measure the faith of my parents. That is not unusual for university students, but the atmosphere was particularly acute at that time.’ Fortunately, he was able to discuss some of his concerns with his father, and together they explored the questions he raised: the fallibility of the Brethren, why difficult things happen to people who are living the gospel, why God allows some of His children to suffer, and so on. The environment of faith that permeated Gordon’s home was vital during this period of searching, as he later explained: ‘My father and mother were absolutely solid in their faith. They didn’t try to push the gospel down my throat or compel me to participate, but they didn’t back away from expressing their feelings either. My father was wise and judicious and was not dogmatic. He had taught university students and appreciated young people along with their points of view and difficulties. He had a tolerant, understanding attitude and was willing to talk about anything I had on my mind.’”
“Years later he counseled: ‘Whatever you choose to do, train for it. Qualify yourselves. Take advantage of the experience and learning of those who have gone before you in whatever field you choose. Education is a shortcut to proficiency. It makes it possible to leapfrog over the mistakes of the past.’”
“After he had taken as much as he felt he could, Elder Hinckley wrote his father that he wasn’t getting anywhere with missionary work, and that he couldn’t see the point in wasting his time and his father’s money. Responding as both father and stake president, Bryant Hinckley sent a reply that was brief and to the point. ‘Dear Gordon, I have your recent letter. I have only one suggestion: forget yourself and go to work.’”
“‘Mormonism’ is a religion of refinement. It reasons that every man has within him God-possibilities, that salvation is essentially development. It argues that every man is potentially a great man. And through an inspired system, it offers the most extensive facilities in all the world for every man to discover himself and his possibilities, to so live that he can stand on the summit of his life and look back upon a trail of accomplishment and not a slough of wasted energies.”
“Many Sunday afternoons the missionaries repeated the experience at Regents Park. The exercise probably did more for the missionaries than for the masses, for if a missionary was timid, as Elder Hinckley was at the outset, he got over his fear quickly. Street meetings taught the elders to speak with confidence amid confusion and to maintain presence even before a hostile audience. ‘We didn’t baptize many people in London in those days, but Elder Hinckley was a knockout in those street meetings on Hyde Park corner. We learned to speak quickly on our feet, and Elder Hinckley was the best of the bunch. He gained tremendous first hand experience defending the Church and speaking up courageously for its truths.’”
“Gordon’s personal literary efforts may have increased his appreciation for the exposure he received in England to some of the world’s finest literature. He had a profound respect for those who thought deeply and expressed themselves eloquently, and England was home to some of the most enduring essayists, poets, and novelists of all time. Consequently he spent what little free time he had feasting on English literature and culture. He and Elder Ashton often spent their preparation days visiting historic sites and attending cultural events. In an article for the Millennial Star, Gordon elaborated on his feelings about good books: ‘It is both relaxing and invigorating to occasionally set aside the worries of life, seek the company of a friendly book and mingle with the great of the earth, counsel with the wise of all time, look into the unlived days with prophets. Youth will delight in the heroic figures of Homer; or more modern, will thrill to the silent courage of Florence Nightingale on the battlefield…The power of Cicero’s oratory may awaken new ambitions in middle age, or the absurdity of Don Quixote riding mightily against a windmill may make your own pretentiousness seem ridiculous; if you think the world is against you, get the satisfaction of walking the streets of Athens with Diogenes, lantern in hand in broad daylight in search of an honest man…From the reading of ‘good books’ there comes richness of life that can be obtained in no other way. It is not enough to read newspapers…But to become acquainted with real nobility as it walks the pages of history and science and literature is to strengthen character and develop life in its finer meanings.’”
“A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.” (Robert Browning)
“At times, particularly when things seemed unusually gloomy, Elder Hinckley felt the comforting and encouraging influence of his mother. On those occasions he felt that she was nearby, doing her part to comfort and sustain him. ‘I tried then, as I have tried since, to so conduct my life and perform my duty as to bring honor to her name,’ he said. ‘The thought of living beneath my mother’s expectations has been painful, and has afforded a discipline that otherwise might have been lacking.’ Even in death, Ada’s influence on her son was profound.”
“Elder Hinckley’s pattern was to expect the best and then work to make it happen. He focused on what could be done, rather than what couldn’t, looked for solutions to problems rather than resigned himself to them, and learned to be happy even when things weren’t going well. His was an attitude of abundance rather than scarcity, and he often reflected on the spirit of gladness his mother had cultivated in their home.”
“‘Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others,’ he said on many occasions. ‘There is nothing that dulls a personality so much as a negative outlook.’”
“The harvest of baptisms had been sparse for him as well as his associates, but he was unconcerned about his tally of converts, for he was a different person than he had been just twenty-four months before when he had written his father that he might as well come home. ‘What a blessing it became,’ he later said, ‘to set aside my own selfish interests to the greater interests of the work of the Lord.’”
“That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed, but that our power to do has increased.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
“‘I know of but one way to rid the earth of strife and contention. That is to change men’s lives, to lift them to a higher plane of thought and endeavor…Mormonism is a world religion with a world vision.’”
“Despite the pressure of more to be done than time in which to do it, Gordon had a temperament that was in some respects well suited to the challenge. After a meeting with one of the ‘Fulness of Times’ producers, he fired off a letter that revealed something about his personal style and how he managed his workload: ‘I too enjoyed the brief visit with you the other day. If I seemed unduly restrained I am sorry. I am one of these fellows who is by nature slow to warm up, even in the presence of old friends. Then too, I knew you were busy and since I had no particular news I did not feel justified in just talking and taking up your time. I sometimes get a little out of patience with people who come in, sit down, and while away your the time when there is a stack of work staring me in the face. This has made me a bit sensitive about occupying other people’s time when I know they are busy. Please do not think my attitude was a conscious coldness.’”
“Gordon’s numerous and varied writing and producing assignments formed the foundation of an extraordinary education — self-directed though it was — in Church history. His father was well versed in history and had demonstrated respect for leaders present and past, and now Gordon’s own testimony of and reverence for the past began to mature. He repeatedly found himself reconstructing in his mind scenes that had played out in earlier generations: long trains of wagons crossing inhospitable prairies; men, women, and children suffering with fever, black canker, and the plague; a grave-marked trail leading up the Platte and Sweetwater Rivers and over South Pass; weary immigrants pushing handcarts through snowstorms and riverbeds; and broken wagon wheels and handcart remains dotting the western landscape. The more he studied and wrote, the more real these images became to him. His earnest interest in the history of the Church evolved into a profound and penetrating respect, as he realized how connected he was to those who had grubbed sagebrush and buried loved ones in shallow graves as they nurtured the gospel kingdom.”
“‘It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who labored so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans, so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries.’”
“From her vantage point, Marjorie, with whom Gordon now spent as much time as possible and in whom he confided many of his experiences, could see that Elder Richards and her beau were soul mates: ‘They were both quick. Elder Richards was smart, Gordon was smart. And they worked well together because of their intellect. Gordon learned a lot from him, particularly about how to deal with people. He learned that you don’t quarrel with people, you compose your differences.’”
“Through the years Marjorie would often say that the only way to get through life was to laugh your way through it, and even as a young woman she had a buoyant, cheerful disposition that was like an elixir to Gordon. It resonated with his native tendency to see the positive and to believe there was a solution to anything. She had a light heart without being light-minded. In turn, Gordon’s dry wit delighted Marjorie, who loved the fact that although her beau was practical, self-disciplined, and serious about the things that mattered to him, he didn’t take himself very seriously and was often the first to poke fun at his own quirks. They enjoyed bantering back and forth. Marjorie had no difficulty holding her own with him, but she always made him feel that he was equal to any challenge. Throughout their lives, in diverse settings and circumstances, she would tell others, ‘Gordon is amazing. There isn’t anything he can’t do. Not anything!’”
“On Sunday morning, October 5, 1856, the prophet delivered the opening address of general conference in the Bowery on Temple Square: ‘Many of our brethren and sisters are on the plains in hand-carts…and they must be brought here…I will tell you all that your faith, religion, and profession of religion, will never save one soul of you in the celestial kingdom of our God, unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the Plains.’”
“Marjorie saw the proverbial writing on the wall: ‘As we got closer to marriage, I felt completely confident that Gordon loved me. But I also knew somehow that I would never come first with him. I knew I was going to be second in his life and that the Lord was going to be first. And that was okay.’”
“Finally the day of their wedding approached. But Gordon in particular was anxious about the economic realities of marriage. He had totaled up his assets, and they were less than $150. More alarming, he earned only $185 a month. Marjorie, whose basic philosophy was that things always worked out somehow, was not concerned. A hundred and fifty dollars sounded like a fortune to her, and she replied with characteristic optimism that she had hoped for a husband and now she found she was getting $150 too. ‘This will work out wonderfully,’ she told him. ‘If you’ve got $150, we’re set.’”
“Shortly after they had announced their engagement, Emma Marr Petersen, Mark E. Petersen’s wife, had warned Marjorie that the first ten years of marriage would be the hardest. Her comment both puzzled and shocked Marjorie, who later admitted: ‘I was just sure the first ten years would be bliss. But during our first year together I discovered she was dead right! There were a lot of adjustments. Of course, they weren’t the kinds of things you ran home to mother about. But I cried into my pillow now and again. The problems were almost always related to learning to live on someone else’s schedule and to do things someone else’s way. We loved each other, there was no doubt about that. But we also had to get used to each other. I think every couple has to get used to each other.’”
“There would be many times throughout his life when Gordon would feel exhausted, but whenever he would begin to complain about how weary he felt, he would catch himself and proclaim to his wife, ‘But I’m not as tired as I was the day I moved you into our new house.’”
“One day he handed written instructions to a switchman who, upon reading the directions, flew into a tantrum. The scene that followed disgusted Gordon: ‘He was a fifty-year old man but he acted like a spoiled child. He threw his cap on the ground and jumped on it and let forth such a string of expletives as to seem to cause the air to turn blue around him. Every third or fourth word was the name of Deity spoken in vain. I thought, how childish can a grown man be? The very idea of a man acting and speaking like that was totally repugnant. I could never again give him my full respect.’”
“As soon as Elder Richards learned that he was free to come home, he offered him his old job back. But the Denver and Rio Grande liked what they saw in the manager from Utah, and they countered by offering a promotion with a salary greater than he could ever expect to make working for the Church. The offer was tempting. His young family was growing, and no one knew quite what to expect of the postwar economy. With Marjorie already back in Utah, Gordon wrote her about the duel between his current and former employers. She responded by mail: ‘I will be glad when we are together, as this setup just does not suit me at all. Grumble, grumble…I miss you and long for you.’ From that point, however, her reply was practical, accommodating, and to the point: ‘As for the job you had just better make up your mind to do the one which you enjoy the most, as you will spend quite a bit of your life working at it. As for me, I can make myself reasonably happy wherever you are, and as for the children, it is a question either way and is something we can not possibly foretell, no matter how we speculate and wonder and worry.’ She concluded with her only stipulation: ‘Let’s hurry and take up life together again. I like it better that way.’”
“Resuming his duties with the Radio, Publicity, and Mission Literature Committee, Gordon again began writing and producing scripts, filmstrips, and other missionary and public relations materials. As before, his writing style was clear, to the point, and unencumbered by literary excess: every word meant something, one concept built upon another, and the writing never drew attention to itself but simply advanced the message.”
“Gordon’s activities formed an interesting juxtaposition: By day he devised ways to introduce the gospel to nonmembers, and in the evenings he sought solutions for integrating a large concentration of Saints into the programs of the Church. At the same time, he and Marjorie were attempting to rear little Saints of their own.”
“Despite everything at stake, and though the heavy workload and complex nature of the problem were overwhelming, it was not Gordon’s nature to dwell on the dark side of things. He at times was worried and perplexed, but he was rarely gloomy.”
“Each day he moved quickly through the mound of details that fell to him. He had the capacity to absorb large amounts of information and make decisions without belaboring the point of second-guessing himself afterward.”
“As the boys got a little older, they were expected to work alongside their father, and if they weren’t up by seven or eight o’clock, Gordon would come looking for them: ‘What are you doing still in bed? The day is half gone.’ Nonetheless, Dick relished Saturdays with his father, and together they repaired, remodeled, planted, and planned. Gordon got everything done he could that day, knowing he would be able to sneak in only a few hours here and there during the week. Even still, hiring a repairman or builder was not an option. He knew how he wanted things done, and though he was frugal and resourceful, the more compelling issue was one of competence. One simple did not hire done what one could do as well — or better — oneself.”
“At times the boys wished their dad had more leisure time to spend with them. ‘We had our time together, it just wasn’t hunting or boating,’ said Dick. ‘It was pounding nails and sawing. Once in a while I felt a little sorry for myself. As I got older I realized we really had spent a lot of time together.’”
“In the natural course of daily life there were other occasions when the family had uninterrupted time together. Dinner each evening was sacrosanct; everyone was expected to be home. The conversation around the table typically revolved around practical matters: ‘Who needs the car tomorrow?’ ‘How did you do on your test?’ ‘The water comes at 4:00 in the morning, so we had better get to bed early.’”
“‘Dad has always been able to squeeze more into twenty-four hours than anyone I have ever known,’ Kathy said. ‘He has never had patience with a lack of discipline, and has even less patience with those who waste time, particularly his.’ From Gordon’s point of view, there was a good reason for such a preoccupation with time. In his experience, those who were disciplined, had a vision of what they wanted to accomplish, and worked hard usually succeeded. ‘There is nothing you can’t do if you want to do it and are willing to work hard enough,’ he repeatedly told his children. ‘You are as bright and capable as anybody, and if you want to do something, then do it.’ Though he didn’t necessarily see his sons and daughters as unusually gifted or talented, he wanted them to catch the vision of their own potential.”
“Together they created an atmosphere of stability and love in their family, as much by how they interacted with each other as by what they expressed verbally. Because Gordon and Marjorie were content with their lives, the children had a sense that everything else was fine as well.”
“Throughout his life Gordon would claim, ‘If you go to bed at 10:00 and get up by 6:00 AM, things will work out for you.’ And there were other formulas that he not only preached but practiced. ‘Get on your knees and ask for help, and then get up and go to work, and you’ll be able to find your way through almost any situation’ was just one rule of thumb that he repeatedly emphasized with his children.”
“He believed vacations were wonderful educational opportunities, so he stopped at nearly every roadside historical marker and rehearsed the history memorialized by the monument. He seemed to know the dates and details about every place of historical interest. When possible, Gordon stopped at Cove Fort or Fillmore, where he repeated the stories about Ira Hinckley and other forebears.”
“Neither Gordon nor Marjorie was inclined to impose on the children a lengthy list of rigid rules and regulations. He insisted that he did enough preaching elsewhere — he had no desire to come home and do more. Discipline was handled much the same way. They both believed that harsh corrective measures only created resentment. ‘Mother and Dad taught us that there was a difference between principles and rules,’ Ginny explained. ‘There are never enough rules to tell you what to do in every situation. But they did put a few principles in place. We felt free to make decisions because we knew the fundamental principles against which everything could be measured.’”
“[Kathy] attended a conference where her father was speaking, and at the conclusion of his talk he bore his testimony. ‘I think for the first time in my life I really heard him and realized he had a testimony that was profound and solid and secure,’ she said. ‘I had always known it without realizing it. It wasn’t that Dad was running around the house bearing his testimony. But we knew it was there. We knew it because of his commitment and dedication to the Church and because of the way he prioritized his life. The gospel was his number-one priority. By his actions he essentially told us over and over, ‘If you center your life on the gospel you’ll be okay.’’ Many times in later years Gordon would tell parents, ‘Your example will do more than anything else in impressing upon [your children’s’ minds a pattern of life.”
“With a code of conduct in place, Gordon and Marjorie didn’t have to constantly look over their children’s shoulders. They wanted their sons and daughters to establish the strength within themselves to make their own decisions and go forward.”
“One phrase he used frequently may not have had its full effect while the children were young, but it stayed with them as adults: ‘We pray that we may live without regret.’”
“‘Our parents had a way of making us feel that we were the best kids in town,’ Clark said. ‘They never led us to believe we were better than anyone else. But we thought they thought we were probably a little smarter, a little harder working than other kids.’ Gordon often told his children that he wasn’t interested in having any geniuses in the family, that the penitentiary was full of geniuses who were too smart for their own good. ‘But Mother and Dad gave us the feeling that even if we weren’t the most gifted children in town, we were immensely satisfying to them,’ Ginny added.”
“For Marjorie, there were certain kinds of things that didn’t merit intervention, anxiety or, worse, punishment; most definitely they weren’t worth creating conflict between parent and child. ‘I learned that I needed to trust my children,’ she said later, ‘so I tried to never say no if I could possibly say yes. When we were raising a family, it was a matter of getting through every day and having a little fun along the way. As I could see that I wasn’t going to be able to make all of my children’s decisions anyway, I tried not to worry about every little thing. I think that came from my parents, because they had absolute confidence in me and my siblings. As hard as it has been at times, Gordon and I tried to have the same confidence in our children.’”
“Though a ‘world-class worrier,’ as described by her children, [Marjorie] tried to laugh even when she wanted to cry. One day she took what she thought to be a delectable casserole out of the oven, only to have Dick ask innocently, ‘Mom, how come you baked the garbage?’”
“[Gordon’s] counsel always revolved around the basics, as in one address in which he identified four simple principles parents might consider in rearing their children: to love them, to teach them, and to respect them, and to pray with and for them.”
“Their parents’ first trip abroad together had a lasting effect on them, however, as Dick explained: ‘If Mother had written home that it was raining all day and that travel was hard, we may have had an entirely different reaction to their experience. But she made everything seem so adventurous that we never saw the world quite the same again.’ As a group the children later reflected on this turning point: ‘We had always been a family to dream the impossible dream,’ but now we knew that impossible dreams come true. Geography became a desirable subject…Our opportunities were limitless if we just dreamed big and worked hard.’”
“‘As I stood there that December morning, I could not help marveling at the miraculous contrast — the devilish oppressive power of those who were snuffing out the sparks of freedom on the streets of Budapest, in contrast with the spirit of the Christian people in Switzerland who bowed their heads in reverence and then rolled up their sleeves to provide succor and refuge.’”
“Elder Lee counseled him to ‘listen to the whisperings of the Spirit, even in the nighttime, and neglect not the impressions which come to you.’”
“Such contributions were a pittance when measured against the demand, however, and the financial pressures weighed heavily upon President Hinckley. But true to Elder Lee’s promise, one night he had a sudden and clear impression: ‘It occurred to me that this wasn’t my problem alone,’ he explained. ‘This was the Lord’s church, and it was the Lord’s problem. I knew at that moment that He would help me determine how we should proceed.’ After consulting with his counselors, Gordon called a stake priesthood meeting and there outlined the financial challenges ahead of them, introducing the subject for discussion by stating: ‘Brethren, this is not my stake. This is the Lord’s stake, and it is your stake. All of you are stockholders in this organization, and tonight we wish to talk about our needs and how we can best meet them together.’ He then invited comments from anyone who desired to express himself.”
“Some committed specific sums of money; others made suggestions about how funds could be raised. Many simply promised to do whatever was necessary to help meet the stake’s obligations. It was a profoundly moving experience for Gordon, who learned a lesson that would guide him for the rest of his life: ‘This isn’t your problem, it’s the Lord’s problem. And if you will listen to the whisperings of the Spirit, pay attention, and counsel with your brethren, He will tell you what to do and open the way.’”
“Home was a refuge where Gordon was rejuvenated to handle the increasingly heavy load he carried, though his children weren’t always aware of the obligations he was balancing. Said Clark: ‘Even when Dad was stake president and working in the Missionary Department and helping with the opening of new temples, I never got the sense that there was a great deal of pressure on him. He had a good sense of humor, and he would come home from the office and repeat jokes he had heard that made him laugh so hard he couldn’t catch his breath.’ Marjorie agreed, adding, ‘Gordon’s sense of humor got us through all the crises in our lives.’”
“Gordon held no more meetings than were absolutely essential. He became known for his efficiency, his capacity for work, his compassion, and his sense of humor.”
“President Hinckley’s meetings began and ended on time. He expected stake leaders to be well prepared and to speak their mind. When sensitive issues arose, he seemed able to grasp the essence of the matter quickly. From there, it was a matter of combining earnest prayer with hard work. In fact, he often reacted to challenges with the statement, ‘I don’t know how to get anything done except by working, so let’s get going.’ Once a decision was made, he didn’t look back. And when things were most discouraging he typically told his counselors, ‘Things will work out.’”
“In a spirit of reflection, he then acknowledged those whose influenced he had felt most deeply throughout his life: ‘I have been thinking about the road that led here. I know that I have not come that road alone… We grow according to the help given us by those who teach us and lead us.’”
“‘The nation is no stronger than the homes of the people, and the Church is no stronger in its practical aspects and in the faith and devotion of its members than the homes of the people,’ he began. After a practical message on this most fundamental of topics, he concluded — again, almost certainly with his own daughters in mind: ‘In the philosophy of the Gospel, the girl you take to the temple is not a doll or a toy, she is not a chattel or a slave. She is a daughter of our Father in Heaven, and she is a companion and an equal, and without her you cannot achieve the highest degree of exaltation in our Father’s kingdom…The children who come to your home are likewise the children of our Father in Heaven, and he will hold you responsible for them. I believe that children should respect parents, but I believe also that parents should respect children.’”
“Clark reflected, ‘I did not grow up expecting him to be home a lot, so in that respect things didn’t change much. And we each had opportunities to spend time with him in unusual settings — the kind of thing that our friends didn’t get to do with their fathers. There were trade-offs, but we all felt lucky to be Hinckleys.’”
“President Richard’s death left a void in Gordon’s life. Next to his father, this man had had greater influence on him than any other. And with his father’s ability to communicate limited by poor health, he felt a surge of loneliness.” — Counsel with those you revere while they are still here with you.
“During that meeting he told us, ‘Those who gather together here today are holding the most important power, a far greater power than the Prime Minister of Japan, for the Japanese people.’ He inspired us, he motivated us to aim high with strong and clear goals. He had a core of energy that was radiating and full of love.’”
“From city to city he sounded what became a familiar theme: ‘You are just as capable as anybody in this world. You can carry the work of the Church forward as well as people can carry it anywhere.’ Elder Hinckley found the Koreans to be bright and able people who did not yet understand their potential. ‘From 1909 until the end of World War II we had been governed by someone else,’ Brother Han explained. ‘And then came the Korean War. We were confused about our own identity. But Elder Hinckley told us we were important and that we could be leaders. No one had ever said that to us before.’”
“Years later Elder Hinckley reflected, ‘One reason I loved those people so much was that they lived under such adverse conditions. I couldn’t help but reach out to them in a spirit of love. And they reciprocated. If you love people, they’ll love you also.’”
“He wrote: ‘This has been a fast and busy month. I hope that it has been profitable for all whose lives I may have touched. It has been a humbling and encouraging experience to go about with our devoted mission presidents, to meet our wonderful missionaries, and to feel of the spirit of the faithful Saints. But we may have many who have come into the Church and then left it. Far too many. Something must be done to increase the activity of the membership in the branches so that their faith and testimonies will grow.’”
“Over the years Elder Hinckley had gradually refined the way he taught and represented the gospel, and he was comfortable telling almost anyone about the Church. He was articulate without being pompous or preachy, and fearless when it came to bearing his testimony of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon.”
“He concluded with his testimony f the divinity of the work in which he would be engaged for the rest of his life: ‘I would like to say that this cause is either true or false. Either this is the kingdom of God, or it is a sham and a delusion. Either Joseph talked with the Father and the Son, or he did not. If he did not, we are engaged in a blasphemy. If he did, we have a duty from which none of us can shrink — to declare to the world the living reality of the God of the universe, the Father of us all; and his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ….I give you my testimony that this is true.’”
“He concluded a stirring address to the BYU student body with a challenge: ‘What a tremendous thing it is to be a part of a Church that has a great heritage…that speaks of faith and courage and sacrifice and giving. If we ever lose it, we had better close up shop. Without sacrifice there is no true worship…As you go forward with your ambitious programs, forget yourselves now and again. Lay aside your selfishness; lose yourself in the service of others and in some great cause.’”
“Elder Hinckley was anxious to use technology more creatively in spreading the gospel. If anything, he believed, the Church needed to expand its use of media. His experience in Asia alone suggested that the time and number of missionaries required to make personal contact with every soul rendered such an approach impractical.”
“Though Elder Hinckley was frequently inundated with the administrative aspects of his calling, his responsibility to bear testimony of the divinity of the Savior’s life and mission weighed foremost on his mind. The more he traveled the world and saw the diversity of its ills, the greater was his testimony that only in the Savior lay the power and strength to overcome the pitfalls and heartaches of mortality.”
“One aspect of his call to the Twelve that bothered him at times was the attention paid him at every turn. It was embarrassing and sometimes distracting, not to mention dangerous. ‘Adulation is poison,’ he often said, and he meant it. He had been known to tell individuals assigned to introduce him, ‘I’d appreciate it if you’d just delete all the fancy talk and let us get on with the battle.’”
“Kensei Negamine, who later became the first stake president in Okinawa, remembered that meeting: ‘When Elder Hinckley dedicated our chapel he wept as he said, ‘I love the people of Okinawa and the American people who are living in Okinawa.’ As I was looking at Elder Hinckley and his weeping countenance, in him I saw the Savior represented and heard the Savior saying to me, ‘Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you.’ This was seen not only by me, but also by many other people. We shall never forget the messages of the Savior’s love that he expressed to us who are here, scattered on these isles of the sea.’”
“Through word and deed Elder Hinckley communicated his optimism for what was happening in Asia. After monsoon rains sent a wall of water cascading down a canyon near the mission home in Seoul, destroying both property and spirit, President Spencer J. Palmer’s report to Elder Hinckley had the ring of disheartened attitude. By return mail Elder Hinckley responded: “We have your letter of July 22, 1966, with reference to the flood, which engulfed the mission home property. Needless to say this was a frightening experience and doubtless a costly one. You may be interested to know that the night before the London Temple was dedicated we had a flood of serious proportions there. I stood in water to my waist with others bailing it out. This went on for hours. I only want to suggest that your experience is not peculiar to Korea. Noah had a worse time. Sincerely, your brother.’”
“‘He expected us to take challenges on the chin,’ President Palmer explained. ‘He would bounce off the airplane ready to go to work, and his practical and sometimes humorous disposition in the face of difficulty was like a balm of Gilead. It was an ointment for all of us who sometimes felt that the challenges were just too great.’”
“Adney Y. Komatsu had similar experiences: ‘One of the things I appreciated about Elder Hinckley was that never once in my three years [as mission president] did he criticize me, despite all my weaknesses…And that spurred me on. Every time he came…I thought, ‘I’m going to get it right between the eyes this time. I didn’t turn in this report properly or I didn’t follow this program right.’ But every time he came off the plane he would grab my hand like he was pumping water out of a well with great enthusiasm. ‘Well, President Komatsu, how are you getting along?…You’re doing great work.’ He encouraged me like that…and when he left I felt I should give 105 percent, not just 100 percent…He didn’t come into my area and tell me all about the weaknesses that I already knew about.’”
“Being a General Authority was synonymous with fatigue, and jet lag was something Elder Hinckley learned to live with. Whether returning from an extended journey or a weekend trip to preside at a stake conference, he was tired. The pressure of being spiritually in tune so that inspiration could flow through him to a congregation was invigorating while it was happening — but he paid the price afterward. And he usually returned to a desk piled with work.”
“President Scott relished his time with Elder Hinckley. ‘As we drove from city to city, he used the time to teach me,’ he related. ‘I learned about doctrine, about how to interview missionaries when they had specific problems, about Church government and what counsel to give in various situations. He built me and made me feel that I had the capacity to do what was required of me.’”
“The longer Elder Hinckley functioned as a member of the quorum, the better he understood Elder Widstoe’s response to someone who had asked, ‘How long has it been since we last had revelation?’ ‘Oh, about last Thursday,’ he replied. Elder Hinckley had often seen earnest prayer and sincere discussion of weighty matters open the way for the Lord to direct His church.”
“This theme was frequently on his mind, enough so that he directed one general conference address to the topic, admonishing members to awaken to the powers of God available to them. ‘The forces against which we labor are tremendous,’ he taught. ‘We need more than our own strength to cope with them. To all who hold positions of leadership, to the vast corps of teachers and missionaries, to heads of families, I should like to make a plea: In all you do, feed the spirit — nourish the soul…I am satisfied that the world is starved for spiritual food.’ On another occasion he challenged BYU’s faculty and staff to ‘try a little harder to breathe a little more of the spirit of testimony into all that you teach. Teach faith in God, the Father of us all, the Creator of the universe, a living, personal Being to whom we may go in prayer with full expectation that our prayers will be heard and answered according to His will and wisdom.’”
“At Church headquarters, Elder Hinckley’s assignments included the “Heartbreak Committee” (which considered the cases of those who had been excommunicated). The latter assignment weighed on him heavily, as he indicated after one meeting: ‘More heartaches and more heartbreaks occur over sin than one can imagine. Oh, if only our people could see the tragedy of infidelity before it happens, they would discipline themselves more so that it would not happen.’”
“He also taught priesthood leaders that the full-time elders and sisters were missionaries to the non-members, that home teachers were missionaries to the members, and that the Church could not succeed unless both functioned effectively.”
“‘I am so heavily loaded that I don’t know how I can carry it,’ he admitted in his journal. Ironically, although the pressure and load weighed on him at times, he conceded, ‘I feel better when I am working according to the usual pattern. A number of meetings and much to do.’”
“Among other concerns, he was preoccupied with a worry that had dogged him for years — that thousands of members lived beyond reasonable distance from a temple. Too many times he had organized stakes in various areas of the world in which few of the brethren interviewed for leadership positions had been to the temple. He found himself wondering if there weren’t a way to build smaller, less expensive temples and to build more of them throughout the world. He even discussed his concerns and ideas with President Lee. ‘Are not the saints in South America…as worthy of the blessings of the temple as the people in Washington?’ Elder Hinckley mused in one journal entry. He later noted: ‘The Church could build [many smaller]temples for the cost of the Washington Temple [then under construction.] It would take the temples to the people instead of having the people travel great distances to get to them.” — This idea was revelation developed over many years and a variety of experiences; it didn’t require a visitation from God or angels.
“Elder Hinckley reminisced about his unique association with President Lee and spoke of the departed leader as a humble, benevolent, and loyal servant of God: ‘Reporters and others have spoken of his passing as ‘untimely.’ I believe and know that the death of no man of God is ever untimely. Our Father sets the time…We sorrow properly, for our loss is great. We weep, for we loved him, but…I am as certain that his passing was as much the will of the Lord as was his preservation and preparation through the years for the high and holy calling which he filled so nobly.’”
“The next morning Elder Hinckley offered the invocation in the House of Representatives. Prior to entering the House chamber, he was instructed carefully in protocol. There were, as usual, few congressmen present when the prayer was offered, but Elder Hinckley was unperturbed about the sparse attendance and quoted President Kimball, who had offered the prayer in the Senate the day before: ‘That’s all right. I was not going to pray to them anyway.”
“Marjorie had learned to be ready at a moment’s notice to speak, for her husband rarely gave her advance warning. But she handled even those circumstances with her characteristic light tough. ‘What would you do if you were married to a man like this?’ she would ask an audience after he had given her only seconds to collect her thoughts. “It is clear to me that he hasn’t figured out what he wants to talk about yet. That is why he has called on me,’ she would continue, prompting a ripple of laughter through the audience. For his part, Elder Hinckley seemed to expect the good-natured ribbing, and congregations enjoyed the banter that revealed their warmth and approachability. He also appreciated how effective she was in front of an audience, and he often noted when her remarks had made a noticeable difference. ‘Marge spoke well,’ was a common journal entry. ‘She speaks and bears testimony as a mother and grandmother, and the people love her.’”
“She kept track of everyone’s comings and goings — what each grandchild was doing in school, whom they were dating and whether or not she should be worried, who had what ailment or Church calling, who was traveling where, which grandchildren were due for a sleepover, and who was in need of some extra attention. Family and friends alike gravitated to her, as she had a way of helping people feel good about themselves. She was a ‘world-class’ worrier, though, and her children teased her about who was ‘at the top of mother’s worry list.’”
“He admired those who did what they said they would do, and he adopted that standard personally. He also tried to operate according other basic principles: that you do the best you can regardless of circumstances, that you can get a lot done if you don’t care who gets the credit, and that it is more important to focus on responsibilities than on privileges. ‘There is nothing in all the world so satisfying as a task well done,’ he said on occasion. ‘There is no reward so pleasing as that which comes with the mastery of a difficult problem.’ Of tasks to do and problems to master, he had plenty.”
“There was momentum elsewhere as well. Changes were being implemented Churchwide to accommodate a rapidly growing membership. The year before, President Kimball had delivered a stirring address on missionary work to a gathering of Regional Representatives — “the greatest talk ever given in these seminars….None of us can ever be quite the same after that,’ Elder Hinckley said afterward. President Kimball asked the assembled leaders to lengthen their stride, and he led out by doing so himself.”
“President Kimball asked Elder Hinckley to respond to the clergyman’s questions, and one query in particular from a Protestant minister gave him opportunity to emphasize the foundation upon which the Church was built: ‘I have been all through this building, but nowhere have I seen any representation of the cross, the symbol of Christianity. Why is this when you say you believe in Jesus Christ?’ Elder Hinckley paused, phrasing his reply carefully: ‘I do not wish to give offense to any of my Christian brethren who use the cross on the steeples of their cathedrals and at the altars of their chapels, or who wear it on their vestments. But for us, the cross is the symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the living Christ.’ The minister followed with a second question: ‘If you do not use the cross, what is the symbol of your religion?’ Again Elder Hinckley’s answer was direct: ‘The lives of our people are the only meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, the symbol of our worship.’”
“Nonetheless, in his October general conference address he continued his censure of declining morals by praising spouses who were faithful to each other and denouncing an inordinate emphasis on sex as the ‘weakening rot seeping into the very fiber of society.’ He asserted, however: ‘I am satisfied that there are millions upon millions of good people in this and in other lands….I am one who believes that the situation is far from hopeless….This tide, high and menacing as it is, can be turned back.’”
“That evening he reflected on the good fortune of having both sons serve missions and all five children marry in the temple. ‘This remarkable achievement stands as a great tribute to their good mother,’ he said simply. Marjorie expressed it differently in a letter to Kathy: ‘I am reminded of what Mother said — that she didn’t mind getting old herself, but she couldn’t stand to see her children get old.’”
“For her part, Marjorie was philosophical about their advancing age. After trying to console a younger friend who was traumatized over turning fifty, she remarked: ‘Fifty was my favorite age. It takes about that long to learn to quit competing and settle down to living. It is the age I would like to be through all eternity.’”
“Her general outlook, however, was more practical than self-critical. ‘I have a new project,’ she wrote to Kathy, ‘one chapter a day from each of the standard works. I have been on it for four days and am only 3 days behind. Better to have tried and failed than never to have tried.’ Apparently the tendency to shoehorn too much into any twenty-four-hour period was a Hinckley family trait.”
“During one of the Hinckleys’ visits to the Philippines, President Goodson’s wife, Deborah, was confined to bed with a difficult pregnancy. In her condition, she worried about having such prestigious guests. ‘The Hinckleys made themselves at home, and each day found a few minutes to come to my room and visit,’ she remembered. ‘One day Elder Hinckley brought an armful of books he thought I might enjoy. It was a little thing, but I knew what kind of schedule he kept and that this was his way of showing his concern.’”
“From Elder Hinckley’s perspective, the future looked bright. Yes, the challenges were great. But, as he often said to colleagues and friends, the only way he knew to get anything done was to get on his knees and plead with the Lord, and then get on his feet and go to work.”
“He wasn’t likely to change his pattern, however. In the same message he encouraged his audience to keep growing, regardless of age. ‘Your industry in so doing will cause the years to pass faster than you might wish, but they will be filled with a sweet and wonderful zest that will add flavor to your life,’ he said.”
“Augusto A. Lim, who presided over the first take in Manila, learned that Elder Hinckley expected a visit from him when he came to Salt Lake City for general conference: ‘He wanted to be kept abreast of what was happening in the Philippines — not so much with the statistics…but more particularly about people. He was concerned with what was happening to his friends in their personal lives.’” — never allow this to become more of a program than a ministry
“‘I think of my elaborate home in America and I wonder what the Lord thinks of our living in such opulence. On the other hand, the Lord has provided the good things of the earth for the benefit of his people — if only the good things could be more evenly distributed.’”
“‘We could write quite a volume on the past forty years,’ he reflected. ‘Our hair is grey and our figures have slipped. We have had our struggles and our problems. But by and large, life has been good. We have been marvelously blessed. At this age, one begins to sense the meaning of eternity and the value of eternal companionship. Had we been at home tonight, we likely would have had some kind of a family dinner. As it is, we are far from home in the service of the Lord, and it is a sweet experience.’”
“Central to Elder Hinckley’s testimony was a fierce loyalty to the Presidents of the Church. In both prepared addresses and private interchange he represented and defended their divine callings. When an influential man asked him to deliver to President Kimball a packet of materials encouraging the Church to change its policy on a certain issue, Elder Hinckley was not subtle in his response: ‘I told him there was no future for him in this kind of campaign, that anything he said or did would not affect a decision on this matter, that it has never been the policy of the Church to take a stand simply on the basis of popularity….I gave him my testimony that no one was more anxious to do the will of the Lord than President Spencer W. Kimball, and that he and his counselors and the members of the Council of the Twelve prayed often for the direction of the Lord in all of their undertakings. I told him that we either have a prophet, or we don’t have a prophet. If we have a prophet, we have everything. If we do not have a prophet, then we have nothing.’”
“‘I have a vision, I think, of the majesty and the strength of this work as it moves over the earth.’”
“In his keynote address at the twenty-fifth anniversary of BYU’s Media Production Studios on September 1, 1978, he sounded a familiar theme, expressing his fascination with technology as well as his horror that it was being used to advance that which was demeaning and degrading. ‘[We have the] challenge to use these marvelous techniques for that which teaches truth, which builds faith, which motivates improvement in behavior, and which stirs the soul to a sense of the eternal nature of man as a son of God,’ he said. The topic intrigued and worried Elder Hinckley, and when he came across an article warning that protracted television viewing could seriously damage a child’s ability to think, he sent copies to his own children with a scribbled note: ‘This is a most perceptive article on this subject — one of the best I’ve seen. It is worth reading and reflecting on — since you have both children and a television set. Love, Dad.’”
“As memorable events went, however, few if any rivaled the one that occurred later that same day. After the monthly temple meeting of the General Authorities, President Kimball excused all present except his counselors and the Twelve and then raised a subject that had been discussed repeatedly during preceding months — that of conferring the priesthood on worthy males of all races. After inviting a lengthy discussion of the issue, acknowledging how he had worried over this matter and how vigorously he had pleaded with the Lord for direction, President Kimball led out in prayer. Elder Hinckley recorded his impressions of the experience: ‘There was a hallowed and sanctified atmosphere in the room. For me, it felt as if a conduit opened between the heavenly throne and the kneeling, pleading prophet of God who was joined by his Brethren. The Spirit of God was there. And by the power of the Holy Ghost there came to that prophet an assurance that the thing for which he prayed was right, that the time had come, and that now the wondrous blessings of the priesthood should be extended to worthy men everywhere regardless of lineage. Every man in that circle, by the power of the Holy Ghost, knew the same thing….No voice audible to our physical ears was heard. But the voice of the Spirit whispered with certainty into our minds and our very souls….Not one of us who was present on that occasion was ever quite the same after that.’”
“At the October 1978 general conference in an address to Regional Representatives, President Kimball left no doubt about their charge to move the work forward: ‘We have an obligation, a duty, a divine commission to preach the gospel in every nation and to every creature….It seems as though the Lord is moving upon the affairs of men and nations to hasten their day of readiness when leaders will permit the elect among them to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ….Much of the technology for telling the truths of the gospel seems to be in place, but we seem tardy as a people in availing ourselves of it. Technology and developments in transportation have made the world smaller, but it is still a big world so far as numbers of people are concerned when we think of nations like China, the Soviet Union, India, the whole continent of Africa, and our Arab brothers and sisters — hundreds of millions of our Father’s children.’ Elder Hinckley had been an early convert to the potential of media to spread the gospel, and he constantly urged Bonneville executives to harness evolving technology for the Church’s good.”
“Before returning to his native land he was introduced to Elder Hinckley, who asked what would happen when he returned home. His face clouded as he replied: ‘My family will be disappointed. I suppose they will cast me out. they will regard me as dead. As for my future and my career, I assume that all opportunity will be foreclosed to me.’ ‘Are you willing to pay so great a price for the gospel?’ Elder Hinckley questioned. Tears rose to the young man’s eyes as he responded, ‘It’s true, isn’t it?’ When Elder Hinckley replied, ‘Yes, it’s true,’ the man concluded, ‘Then what else matters?’”
“‘All the work of the past is but prelude to the work of the future….There must be much more dedication, devotion, consecration. There must be a great expansion and a great acceleration….This is his work. He will overrule for its blessing in the future as he has in the past. His Spirit will brood over the nations according to his will and wisdom.’”
“After briefly outlining the Church’s beginnings and growth, co-host Tom Brokhaw asked Elder Hinckley to identify the key to the Church’s success. ‘It meets the spiritual and social needs of members and gives motivation to their lives. It is an anchor of sorts in an uncertain world.’”
“As commissioner of Church Education, Brother Holland had chaired the search committee for a new president [of BYU] — all of two days’ worth — and he was speechless when summoned to the First Presidency’s office and told of his new assignment. ‘President, you must be kidding,’ he exclaimed to President Kimball, who issued the call. President Kimball chuckled before replying, ‘Brother Holland, in this room we don’t kid a lot.’ President Holland had just returned to his office when the phone rang. It was Elder Hinckley, who asked just one question: ‘Have you been with the First Presidency this morning?’ ‘Yes sir, I have,’ President Holland responded. ‘Well, I guess that ends the search, doesn’t it? Good luck!’ Chuckling, he hung up the phone.”
“In striking contrast, he also referred to an increasingly vocal group with which he had become more familiar since his call to the Presidency: ‘There is rampant among us a spirit of criticism….None of us is perfect; all of us occasionally make mistakes….Men and women who carry heavy responsibility do not need criticism, they need encouragement. One can disagree with the policy without being disagreeable concerning the policymaker.’ He concluded with a plea: ‘Restrain your tongues in criticism of others. It is so easy to find fault. It is so much nobler to speak constructively.’”
“‘When I am not here, a heavy burden is placed upon them, and their health is such that they cannot carry it adequately. I really ought to stay home. But I need the stimulation that comes from getting out with the people. To stay here all the time, and to do little else than attend meetings and make decisions, leads to dullness and a lack of understanding of the problems of people across the world.’”
“‘It never occurs to him that something is too difficult to manage. Leisure for him is planting trees or pounding nails. He’s never as happy as when he’s working.’”
“One day, when faced with an unusually difficult situation for which there appeared no resolution, he dropped to his knees to petition the Lord’s help. He later related what took place: ‘There came into my mind the words, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ I knew again that this was His work, that He would not let it fail, that all I had to do was work at it and do my best, and that the work would move forward.’”
“A few months later, at the 1983 General Conference, he pursued the same theme: ‘We recognize that our forebears were human. They doubtless made mistakes….But the mistakes were minor, when compared to the marvelous work which they accomplished. To highlight the mistakes and gloss over the greater good is to draw a caricature. Caricatures are amusing, but they are often ugly and dishonest.’”
“In President Hinckley’s view, one needed only to look honestly at the Church to see that it was a dynamic entity moving ahead in a manner unparalleled by any other contemporary religious organization. He was confident that, despite its challenges, it would continue to move forward with never a backward step — and there were many indications that such was the case.”
“‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.’…I feel to say that [military preparedness] will not save us if we as a people and a nation lack the heart and the will to cultivate within ourselves moral strength and a recognition of God as our unfailing guide and helper.’”
“Kathy, the eldest, explained: ‘We have always seen what Dad was doing as part of his work ethic: you do the job you’re asked to do, and when that job is over, you do the next job. I can’t remember ever connecting what he was doing with power or position. Part of that has do with Mother. Her expectations for life were so simple that she never has seen herself as anyone special.’”
“‘People need a listening ear and they are not [always] getting it,’ he noted. ‘People are more important than programs and efficiency.’”
“‘When we become absorbed in big issues, it is wonderful to have someone speak in a summational way. Otherwise, we could burn up a lot of time getting to the heart of the matter.’”
“President Hinckley’s approach to management: ‘If a decision requires information from others not in a meeting, he calls those individuals on the phone, asks the questions, and makes decisions on the spot rather than delaying the decision by calling another meeting. When his colleagues want to revisit issues after decisions and commitments have been made, he typically responds, ‘We have already covered that ground and given our word to others, now let us move forward to other issues.’ And when we have been faced with particularly important decisions, he has often turned to the scriptures on the credenza behind his desk and located a passage that clarified the direction we should take.’”
“And he promised that those who lost themselves in the service of God would find that the process would save them: ‘This is one of the great miracles of our time — the transformation that comes into the lives of [those] who go out to teach the gospel….They subject themselves to the discipline of the mission field. That becomes a remarkable blessing. They establish habits of work. They discover the values in life that are most important. They develop in their hearts a fervent testimony….The future of the Church will be so much stronger by reason of missionary service.’”
“On the issue of illicit drugs, he said: ‘Some have even used as an alibi the fact that drugs are not mentioned in the Word of Wisdom. What a miserable excuse. There is likewise no mention of the hazards of diving into an empty swimming pool or of jumping from an overpass onto the freeway….To you who may be partaking, I repeat, stop immediately. To you who at any time in the future may be tempted, I urge you to stand your ground.’”
“‘When challenges arose that seemed to distract our focus,’ Elder James E. Faust explained, ‘President Hinckley often reminded us, ‘Brethren, things have never been better in the Church than they are now. The Lord is watching over the kingdom, and we will work through our challenges and our problems.’ Such an attitude goes back to the wellspring of his faith and the commitment to the Church that he has developed so richly during his life.’ Indeed, if President Hinckley had a personal motto it was, in his own words: ‘Things will work out. If you keep trying and praying and working, things will work out. They always do. If you want to die at an early age, dwell on the negative. Accentuate the positive, and you’ll be around for awhile.’”
“‘I do not fear truth. I welcome it!’ he said many times. ‘But I wish all of my facts in their proper context, with emphasis on those elements which explain the great growth and power of the organization.’”
“When Mother described the dedication of the temple in Seoul; she went into great detail about the Korean women in their beautiful dresses who lined the sidewalks as they came out of the dedication. She relived all of it — and helped us live it. Right in the middle of her description, which had us mesmerized, my father looked up and said, ‘Dresses? What dresses?’”
“‘The early issues are resolved before they ever get to the First Presidency,’ said Presiding Bishop Robert D. Hales, who worked closely with President Hinckley on many projects relative to the Church’s temporal affairs. ‘The ones that remain are Solomon-like. I met with President Hinckley on questions so difficult, and about which he had such concern, that he would suggest that we kneel together in prayer. He is a bright man with extraordinary judgment, but when he comes up against an insoluble problem, he goes to his knees. When he says, ‘We’ll take it under consideration,’ it means he’ll wait until he has the feeling that a certain course of action is right. He cannot be pushed or pressured into a decision. He measures before he cuts.’”
“Nothing dulled a personality quite like a negative outlook, President Hinckley often said, and he believed what he preached. A man of vision who could see beyond the here and now, he had a natural propensity for fixing his attention on where the Church was going rather than becoming bogged down by the disappointments that occurred in its everyday management.”
“He enjoyed quoting an article he had clipped years earlier: ‘Most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old-time rail journey — delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.’”
Diversity of knowledge — “After attending seven regional conferences in seven states with President Hinckley, Elder Nelson learned what others who traveled with him also observed. Regardless of the destination, he knew something about the history of the area and its people. In the pear-growing area of Medford, Oregon, for example, President Hinckley started a priesthood leadership meeting with a dissertation of fruit trees and how important it was to prune trees in February so that there would be fruit in September. ‘President Hinckley doesn’t expect to be bowed to and prefers to be treated as though he is an ordinary worker,’ said Elder Nelson. ‘But he isn’t ordinary in any respect. He is a multifaceted genius. He understands anatomy and physiology better than any non-physician I have worked with. He talks with builders about finials and mullions and speaks the language unique to their profession. When questions arise that have legal ramifications, he typically says, ‘I’m no lawyer, but it seems to me that…’ and them renders an opinion that my lawyer colleagues insist would be a credit to any lawyer. Whether it is medicine or law, education or plumbing, it doesn’t seem to matter. He grasps things quickly, has an amazing breadth of knowledge, and can apply what he knows.’ A man with an insatiable appetite for learning, President Hinckley not only read widely but found other ways to increase his knowledge and understanding of specialized areas of expertise. After observing him at another regional conference, Elder Nelson reported: ‘One of the security officers assigned to us worked for the local police department. We had time between sessions, and President Hinckley grilled that officer for an hour about their procedures, techniques, and even the equipment they used. I marveled that he knew which questions to ask, each of which was law-enforcement specific.’ Bishop Robert D. Hales added: ‘I have never met an individual who can become so well informed through reading and through contact with people. When he spends an evening at dinner with someone, he leaves knowing something about that individual’s expertise.’”
“‘What makes President Hinckley unique,’ Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained, ‘is that he remembers what he has read and distills that which he wishes to retain. His is an integrated intellect. He can draw upon what he knows to make prudent decisions.’”
“He was devoted to the learning process, as he explained to one group of religious educators: ‘None of us…knows enough. The learning process is an endless process. We must read, we must observe, we must assimilate, and we must ponder that to which we expose our minds. I believe…in the evolution of the mind, the heart, and the soul of man. I believe in improvement. I believe in growth.’ He often quoted German philosopher Georg Hegel, who stated that those who don’t read history will most likely repeat it. In a message to the BYU student body, he added: ‘I deplore the terrible waste of the intellectual resources of so many people…who devote countless hours watching mindless drivel…This old world needs straightening up. It needs leadership.’”
“Sister Hinckley acknowledged: ‘Grandpa wrestles with tremendous problems and decisions every day. I am not sure whether that is what keeps him young or whether it is what makes his hair whiter and whiter. But when he sees some of his peers he is grateful for the challenge. The worst possible situation is to have nothing to do.’ One of President Hinckley’s frequent journal entries after a heavy day was simply, ‘I retired weary, but happy.’”
“President Hinckley savored these experiences away from headquarters, out among the people. Such exposure was one of the best antidotes he knew for the insularity of the Church Administration Building, which could distort a General Authority’s judgment if he weren’t careful. For President Hinckley, his family provided another reality check; they weren’t at all in awe of their father and didn’t hesitate to speak their minds about almost any topic.”
“‘I am more concerned about the moral deficit than I am about the budget deficit. The strength of a nation lies in the homes of its people.’ He then decried the ‘filth, the rot, the violence and profanity’ spewing into the home via television. ‘If we could follow a slogan that says, ‘Turn off the TV and open a good book,’ we would do something of substance in strengthening another generation,’ he insisted.”
“‘Ever child is the product of a home. We have a terrible youth problem, but I am convinced we have a greater parent problem….I submit that there is nothing any of us can do that will have a greater long-term benefit than to rekindle wherever possible the spirit of the homes in which we grew up.’”
“President Hinckley’s breadth of experience and understanding also made him comfortable hosting the world’s prominent. He often encouraged youth to develop a ‘social ease, the capacity to mix and mingle with people wherever you meet them,’ and he knew whereof he spoke. ‘President Hinckley can converse intelligently about anything with anyone,’ said President Thomas S. Monson. ‘He knows how to ask the right questions and how to make guests feel that he is sincerely interested in them. He is perfectly at home with high and low, and can converse with ease about everything from satellite technology to pruning trees.’”
“BYU President Rex Lee put President Hinckley’s strengths in context: ‘I’ve had direct contact with two U.S. Presidents, three attorneys general, and lots of Cabinet officers. But I have never known anyone who has a greater capacity to see the forest and the trees, the big picture and the very small details at the same time and [to] keep both in perspective like President Hinckley does.’”
“‘President Hinckley is a good student. There’s not a business theory or practice he hasn’t been exposed to, but he’s also very savvy. He understands the pressure points in business, and he has phenomenal recall.”
“He has the capacity for infinite detail but at the same time the breadth of vision to see how it all fits together.”
“There were those who described President Hinckley as a workaholic, though he didn’t see himself that way. He did, however, admire work ethic.”
“President Hinckley’s own zeal for the work was no respecter of clock or calendar. When Marjorie asked one day if he really needed to push himself so hard, he responded, ‘Dear, don’t you understand? I love what I do!’ Through more than five decades of service, he had acquired an expansive view of the Church and its future, and he had spent much of his life trying to lift others to see the same.”
“Naturally, President Hinckley knew he was next in seniority after President Hunter, but he tried desperately to avoid thinking about becoming President of the Church. Nothing good, he believed, would come of such an activity. ‘What I did say to myself,’ he later admitted, ‘was, ‘The Lord is at the head of this Church, and you don’t need to worry about it. Just do what you are supposed to do. You are an old man, and anything can happen. The Lord can move you out of the way in an instant.’ That is as far as my thinking went.’”
“He has a wonderful way of stepping aside and letting the Lord do His work. I don’t think I have ever walked away from an encounter with President Hinckley where I’ve not known that I was in the presence of a man whom God directed.”
“His approach with the missionaries was often disarming and a little unexpected. ‘You’re not much to look at, but you’re all the Lord has,’ he would tease. ‘You young women look beautiful, attractive, well dressed. And you elders — well, I can tell you how long you’ve been out by looking at your collars.’ He would then share some of his own experiences as a missionary, speak of those who had died while laying the foundation of the modern gospel kingdom, teach from the scriptures, and conclude with fervent testimony: ‘I love you. I know missionary work isn’t easy. I know something of your problems, your worries, your challenges, ad your hopes. Be the kind of missionary your mother thinks you are. When missionaries come into the field, they not only save others, but they save themselves and sometimes their families. Never forget that I told you that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. Don’t ever forget it.’”
“President Hinckley was not necessarily bound by convention. Just because something had always been done a certain way did not argue for its continuance. ‘President Hinckley has been working here at headquarters for over sixty years,’ President Packer explained, ‘and he has been tutored by some of the great men of this dispensation. It is what I call the ‘unwritten order of things’ that is conveyed from one generation of leaders to the next. From his experience here, he understands where the built-in liberties of the President of the Church are, and he also knows where the built-in limits are.’”
“He often tried to get both general and local leaders to see the Church’s burgeoning bureaucracy in perspective and to find ways to avoid relegating the Church’s spiritual growth to a position beneath its administrative function. Though he felt that some progress had been made in decentralizing Church government, there was much left to do. As he said on one occasion: ‘We must never become so engrossed with numbers and the masses that we lose sight of the fact that it is the individual who counts — his problems, his dreams, his aspirations, his desires, his heart.’”
“Indeed, President Hinckley tried never to let an opportunity pass to express gratitude for the service, faith, and faithfulness of members of the Church, whether individually or to a congregation at large. ‘Thank you, my brothers and sisters, for the goodness of your lives.,’ he said again and again. ‘Thank you for your efforts in trying to measure up to the very high standards of this the Lord’s Church. Thank you for your faith. Thank you for your sustaining hands and hearts. Thank you for your prayers.’”
“‘He makes you better,’ Elder Eyring explained. ‘When I’m with him, I’m wiser. It is because he brings down the power of heaven into my life. He never says, ‘Hal, I think you’ll be inspired,’ he just acts as though I will be. I have had several experiences with him when I have thought, ‘That’s an idea I’ve never had before Why did I have it while I was with him? Why was I able to express something to him that I had never understood before?’ One great gift of a prophet is that he brings revelation to other people. I have had the experience of walking away from a meeting with him, knowing that I was given more than I had when I walked in, because I was in his presence. It is a wonderful gift. He doesn’t just bring out the best in me, he helps heaven bring out the best in me. I don’t know how he does it, but he has that gift. And I believe it will be transferred across the Church, such that all those who really want to help this prophet will find themselves more able to help than they’ve ever been before.’”
“Indeed, through the years President Hinckley had learned to talk comfortably about the gospel with rich and poor, high and low, and he had a way of doing so without being patronizing or presumptuous.”
“‘I constantly ask myself what I can do to help the 50,000 missionaries who are laboring so diligently in the missions fields,’ he explained. ‘If we could find ways to cause people to bump into the gospel in the normal course of their lives, rather than waiting for missionaries to knock on their doors, it would be one of the greatest things we could do.’”
“Asked how he accounted for the rapid growth of a church that was so demanding of its people, President Hinckley responded in a tone typical of his answers throughout the grueling experience: ‘We have great expectations concerning our people. We have standards that we expect them to live by and to uphold. It is demanding. And that is one of the things that attracts people to the Church. It stands as an anchor in a world of shifting values. They feel they have something solid that they are standing on while the ground is moving beneath them. People are looking for something of substance of strength, based on the eternal truth and eternal values.’”
“President Hinckley respects the media, but he is not afraid of them,’ explained Elder Maxwell, who witnessed his performance in similar settings. ‘And he has such a solid grasp of both Church history and facts about the Church today that he is not likely to be thrown by a question that he hasn’t already thought about or processed in his own mind. He is able to give answers of sound-bite length that are important. He is quick mentally and equal to the engagements that come up. And he doesn’t feel compelled to gloss over any of our shortcomings as a people. He doesn’t put forward any gilding or veneer. As a result, reporters respond to his genuineness. He has the capacity to connect with people from all stations and in that respect is eminently prepared to tell our story to the world.’”
“‘I know about knocking on doors and fighting off dogs and having doors slammed in your face. I know it’s hard. But so what? What a power you are! What capacity you have to change lives! Perhaps not many. But one here and another there listens to you. And in time, an entire ward of people have accepted the gospel. You can never foretell the consequences of that which you do when you teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Church was small and weak when I served here. Now we have 160,000 members in these islands.’”
“His interest, as he explained, was never in the number of converts but in the power of the message to change people’s lives: ‘What a glorious work this is! How thankful I am, how grateful I am, for the gospel of Jesus Christ…. I have seen the miracles of the gospel in this land. I have seen men who were dissolute in their lives, but who were touched by the power of this gospel and became giants. I have seen women who were chore women who have become queens in this work. That’s the whole purpose of it…to lead the way, to lift us up, to point the path that we can walk to eternal glory.’”
“Since 1933, when he had accepted a call to serve in the European Mission, Gordon B. Hinckley had devoted essentially his entire life to the onward march of the gospel kingdom. All he had learned, everything he had witnessed had filled him with an impenetrable testimony of the work of God. Now, as President of the Church, he would continue to press forward, admonishing all within his reach and influence to follow what he had found to be the only straight and secure course, the scriptural words given to him by his father when he left for his mission: ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’”
