Howard W. Hunter — Book Review & Quotes
Review
I’m not old enough to remember Howard W. Hunter, either as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, or the brief time he was President of the Church. But as I set out to read more biographies of past Presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I realized that there is a wealth of character insights from these men who have served as modern day Moses’.
Howard W. Hunter came from an unusual background and had a variety of experiences that I haven’t heard of other prophets having; touring China on a cruise ship as a saxophone player, bumming it down to California without much of a plan; a millennial before their time.
But his life also reinforced for me an understanding of why lawyers (not the sleazy kind) often make the very best human-centric administrators. The way lawyers are trained to think critically, explore all relevant information, make character judgements, and organize efforts realistically and effectively, all go a long way in developing a deep understanding of a situation and, if they have true empathy, a lovingly deep understanding of the people involved.
More than just his effective leadership, he really emphasized the importance of action in living the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
“Real Christians must understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not just a gospel of belief; it is a plan of action. His gospel is a gospel of imperatives, and the very nature of its substance is a call to action. He did not say ‘observe’ my gospel; he said ‘live’ it! He did not say, ‘Note its beautiful structure and imagery’; he said, ‘Go, do, see, feel, give, believe!’”
And all righteous action ought to lead us to living lives that are better and continuously improving than we would otherwise.
“We must know Christ better than we know him; we must remember him more often than we remember him; we must serve him more valiantly than we serve him. Then we will drink water springing up unto eternal life and will eat the bread of life. What manner of men and women ought we to be? Even as he is.”
Some Highlighted Quotes From The Book
“Though Will didn’t have much formal education, he was well read and had a keen curiosity about the world, which he passed on to his children. Their set of the Wonder World Encyclopedia was well used. In the evening, while Howard lay on his stomach in the living room floor at his father’s feet, Will would ask, “Where shall we travel today?” Then, armed with an atlas and the encyclopedias, they would “explore” exotic places of the world. At a very early age Howard knew the capitals of the United States and many other countries.”
“Another day he explained his secret for keeping up this hectic schedule: ‘I have to sleep fast to keep going.’”
“One day he worked with Bill at the Sunkist packing house in Upland, unloading and stacking bundles of wood used to make crates. ‘By the time the day was over I could hardly stand up,’ he commented. ‘There must be a better way to make a living.’ He didn’t return the next day.”
“Howard was popular with his California friends. He liked being with people, but he never monopolized the time or the occasion. He was a good listener, thoughtful, and considerate of others. An avid reader, he was well-versed in many subjects. Even while on the road in Idaho and Oregon, he had sought out the local library to read and study. During his first few weeks in California, while Bill was working, he again found the nearest library. In one journal entry he recorded that he had ‘spent the evening at home reading Shakespeare and some old French classics — [and] finally the Examiner funny papers.’ Another evening he read about the lives of the world’s most noted philosophers.”
“A former member of the ward, Charles C. Pulsipher, shared some of his memories in a Church News article in 1981: ‘As a bishop, he brought our small membership together in a united effort and taught us to accomplish goals that seemed beyond our reach. We worked together as a ward, we prayed together, played together, and worshipped together….Elder Hunter had us all plant family gardens. We also planted a ward garden of beans. People in the neighborhood were amazed at the harvest we gathered. We also had many building fund projects. No great amount of money was realized, but the working together was far more beneficial than any monetary gains.’”
“‘Out of this experience I learned a great lesson not to rely on an oral agreement or to trust a fellow man,’ he said. But, he was quick to add, ‘Regardless of this lesson, I have chosen not to follow it.’”
“Later, as a General Authority, he sometimes quoted a statement of Napoleon Hill that summarized his own philosophy on the things that are truly important in life: ‘Riches cannot always be measured in money. To some, riches can be evaluated only in terms of lasting friendships, happy family relationships, understanding between business associates, or peace of mind measurable only in spiritual values.’”
“In April 1962 he wrote: ‘I have never been on a gloomy welfare project. I have climbed trees and picked lemons, peeled fruit, tended boiler, carried boxes, unloaded trucks, cleaned the cannery, and a thousand and one other things, but the things I remember most are the laughing and the singing and the good fellowship of people engaged in the service of the Lord. It is like the little boy who was carrying another little boy on his back. ‘Isn’t he heavy?’ someone asked. The little fellow answered, ‘No, he’s my brother.’”
“President Clark insisted that they come to dinner and stay overnight at his home. They spent the evening in around all four sides and bookshelves lining the walls on each level from floor to ceiling. He showed them his extensive collection of books; a leather-bound portfolio of papers addressed to him and signed by seven presidents of the United States during his public career as an international lawyer, diplomat, and ambassador to Mexico; and other documents and photographs relating to his professional and church activities.”
“Howard practiced in his stake leadership the same kinds of people skills that made him a successful attorney and businessman, resulting in intense loyalty among his associates. ‘You felt appreciated and wanted and needed,’ observes Alicebeth Ashby, who served as president of the Pasadena Stake YWMIA. ‘He made people responsible when they received a calling, but if they needed his opinion or counsel, he was always there. We knew that we had his complete support and interest.’”
“Elder Hunter continued to work on his own genealogy during the time he served as president of the society. At a seminar for regional representatives, he described a visit of his home teachers to talk about the importance of preparing family group sheets and pedigree charts. ‘We wanted to show you our family group sheets that we have prepared,’ the home teachers explained, adding, ‘We don’t have time to see yours tonight, but next time we come we’d like to take a look at them.’ ‘Now this was quite interesting to me,’ he told the regional representatives. ‘I worked a month getting prepared for the next home teachers’ visit. When we get people doing these things, it is a great motivation.’”
“‘A cabinet minister of Egypt once told me that if a bridge is ever built between Christianity and Islam, it must be built by the Mormon Church,’ Elder Hunter told an audience at BYU in 1979. ‘In making inquiry as to the reason for his statement, I was impressed by his recitations of the similarities and the common bonds of brotherhood. Both the Jews and the Arabs are children of promise, and as a church we do not take sides. We have love for an an interest in each. The purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to bring about love, unity, and brotherhood of the highest order….To our friends of Judah, we say: We are your brethren of the house of Joseph — we feel a close relationship to you. We are messengers of the true covenant and bear a message that God has spoken in this day and time. To our kinsmen of Abraham, we say: We are your brethren — we look upon no nation or nationality as second-class citizens. We invite all men to investigate our message and to receive our fellowship.’”
“The Twelve and those who work with them have learned that Elder Hunter weighs matters carefully before jumping in with opinions, conclusions, or solutions, undoubtedly a result of his legal training. He listens carefully as others express their opinions and feelings.”
“Just before Christmas in 1987, Howard recorded in his journal, ‘Richard had asked that I have a talk with each of his eight children, so after dinner I had the pleasure of a little private chat with them individually. We talked about their progress in school, their feelings about the Church, and other testimony, their family relationships, and many other things. I am so pleased with their successes, maturity, and ambitions.’”
“The love his grandchildren have for him is expressed in a 1979 Father’s Day message signed by Richard, Nan, and their eight children: ‘We will honor you this day by striving our hardest to keep the commandments, loving each other and all others, working hard at our assignments, studying the scriptures, praying together and individually, planting a garden, serving others and keeping the Sabbath day holy plus more! We thank you for your part in our family, for all your love and care for us, and we appreciate and love you for it.’”
“I desire no future that will break the ties of the past.” (George Eliot)
“At no time in his life has President Hunter aspired to the honors of men; such honors have come because his eye has been single to the glory of God and he has practiced the teachings of the Lord in his dealings with his fellowmen. He has proclaimed the gospel in most nations of the world, but perhaps even more important, he has quietly but unequivocally lived the gospel and set an example for the Saints.”
Selections from Talks by President Hunter
“The world needs men who are willing to step forward and declare themselves. The world needs men who will lift the load of responsibility to their shoulders and carry it high under the banner of Jesus Christ — men who are willing to defend the right openly….How can men of conscience ignore the teachings of the Master in their daily affairs, in business, or in government? We stand by and wink at many things because we fear to do anything about them. We may be against crime or communism, but what do we do about it? We may be against corruption in government or against juvenile delinquency, but what do we do about it? We may have a belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ, but what are we doing about it? We need to push fear into the background and come forward with a definite, positive declaration, and assume responsibility. Now is the time for those who have been noncommital or who have had halfhearted interested to come out boldly and declare belief in Christ and be willing to demonstrate faith by works.”
“Religion can be part of our daily work, our business, our buying and selling, building, transportation, manufacturing, our trade or profession, or of anything we do. We can serve God by honesty and fair dealing in our business transactions in the same way we do in Sunday worship. The true principles of Christianity cannot be separate and apart from business and our everyday affairs.”
“We need more understanding in our relationships with one another, in business and in industry, between management and labor, between government and the governed. We need understanding in that most important of all social units, the family: understanding between children and parents and between husband and wife. Marriage would bring happiness, and divorce would be unknown if there were understanding hearts. Hatred tears down, but understanding builds up. Our prayer could well be as was Solomon’s, ‘Lord, give me an understanding heart.’”
“The best goals, the best friends, and the best of opportunities are all meaningless unless they are translated into reality through our daily actions. Belief must be realized in personal achievement. Real Christians must understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not just a gospel of belief; it is a plan of action. His gospel is a gospel of imperatives, and the very nature of its substance is a call to action. He did not say ‘observe’ my gospel; he said ‘live’ it! He did not say, ‘Note its beautiful structure and imagery’; he said, ‘Go, do, see, feel, give, believe!’ The gospel of Jesus Christ is full of imperatives, words that call for personal commitment and action — obligatory, binding, compulsory….Merely saying, accepting, believing are not enough. They are incomplete until that which they imply is translated into the dynamic action of daily living.”
“True greatness is never a result of a chance occurrence or a one-time effort or achievement. Greatness requires the development of character. It requires a multitude of correct decisions in the everyday choices between good and evil.”
“Not in this dispensation, surely not in any dispensation, have the scriptures — the enduring, enlightening word of God — been so readily available and so helpfully structured for the use of every man, woman, and child who will search them. The written word of God is in the most readable and accessible form ever provided to lay members in the history of the world. Surely we will be held accountable if we do not read them.”
“We must know Christ better than we know him; we must remember him more often than we remember him; we must serve him more valiantly than we serve him. Then we will drink water springing up unto eternal life and will eat the bread of life. What manner of men and women ought we to be? Even as he is.”
