Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 2008 at age 97. Considered a prophet, seer, and revelator by church members, Hinckley was the oldest person to preside over the church in its history until Russell M. Nelson surpassed his age in 2022. During his presidency of the LDS Church, Gordon B. Hinckley oversaw a significant expansion of temples, including rebuilding the Nauvoo temple and constructing the Conference Center. He also played a key role in issuing “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” and establishing the Perpetual Education Fund. Notably, one-third of the church’s membership joined during his leadership. Recognized for his contributions, Hinckley received numerous awards and died in 2008, succeeded by Thomas S. Monson as anticipated.
Gordon B. Hinckley Quotes
1. “You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
2. “Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
3. “You can’t build a great building on a weak foundation. You must have a solid foundation if you’re going to have a strong superstructure.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
4. “Forget yourself and go to work.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
5. “If Life Gets Too Hard To Stand, Kneel.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
6. “God will always make a way where there is no way.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
7. “Limitless is your potential. Magnificent is your future.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
8. “Try a little harder to be a little better.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
9. “Being humble means recognizing that we are not on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
10. “Get on your knees and pray, then get on your feet and work.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
11. “There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
12. “You have not failed until you quit trying.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
13. “You can’t build a great building on a weak foundation.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
14. “In all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
15. “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… By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
16. “Whatever you do, do well. Be good at it. Stand a little taller. Be a little stronger. Be a little better.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
17. “The cause of most of man’s unhappiness is sacrificing what he wants most for what he wants now.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
18. “Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great purpose in heart.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
19. “Be believing, be happy, don’t get discouraged. Things will work out.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
20. “Love is the very essence of life.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
21. “There is no obstacle too great, no challenge too difficult if we have faith.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
22. “Every good citizen adds to the strength of a nation.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
23. “Believe in the power of prayer – it is real, it is wonderful, it is tremendous.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
24. “The happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
25. “Life is to be enjoyed, not endured.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
26. “The best thing you can do is just keep busy, keep working hard, so you’re not dwelling on it all the time. Work is the best antidote for sorrow.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
27. “Work without vision is drudgery. Vision without work is dreaming. Work plus vision is destiny.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
28. “Missionary work has never been easy, and yet the joyful rewards cannot be equaled by any other experience.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
29. “Let us all try to stand a little taller, rise a little higher, be a little better. Make the extra effort. You will be happier.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
30. “It isn’t as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don’t worry. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
31. “Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
32. “Please don’t nag yourself with thoughts of failure. Do not set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. Simply do what you can do, in the best way you know, and the Lord will accept of your effort.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
33. “You never know how much good you do.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
34. “Be grateful, be smart, be clean, be true, be humble, be prayerful.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
35. “Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
36. “Those who move forward “with a” happy spirit will find that things alwas work out.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
37. “Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
38. “The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired. One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
39. “It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
40. “The course of our lives is not determined by great, awesome decisions. Our direction is set by the little day-to-day choices which chart the track on which we run.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
41. “You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
42. “The major work of the world is not done by geniuses. It is done by ordinary people, with balance in their lives, who have learned to work in an extraordinary manner.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
43. “A tattoo is graffiti on the temple of the body.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
44. “Carry on. 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 a while.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
45. “Gratitude is the beginning of wisdom. Stated differently, true wisdom cannot be obtained unless it is built on a foundation of true humility and gratitude.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
46. “God has not given us the spirit of fear. That comes from the adversary.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
47. “Let us never forget to pray. God lives. He is near. He is real. He is not only aware of us but cares for us. He is our Father. He is accessible to all who will seek Him.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
48. “We’re all sons and daughters of God, and therefore in a very literal sense, brothers and sisters. And we ought to treat each other that way.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
49. “Happy is the man who can brush aside the offending remarks of another and go on his way.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
50. “Death is not the end, but a more glorified existence.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
51. “Marriage in its truest sense, is a partnership of equals, with neither exercising dominion over the other, but, rather, with each encouraging and assisting the other in whatever responsibilities and aspirations he or she might have.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
52. “God is the designer of the family.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
53. “Work is the miracle by which talent is brought to the surface and dreams become reality.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
54. “Listen to the whisperings of the Spirit, the gift of revelation to which you are entitled.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
55. “Be strong-be strong in the discipline of self. How many otherwise good men squander their strength and dissipate their will and literally destroy their lives because they have not the power of self-discipline.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
56. “Walk by faith. God will open the way. When there is no way, He will open the way.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
57. “Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
58. “Education will equip you to do something worthwhile in the great world of opportunity that lies ahead.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
59. “True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well-being of one’s companion.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
60. “Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to spend a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
61. “You can’t plow a field simply by turning it over in your mind.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
62. “I am the last leaf on the tree, and the wind is blowing.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
63. “Do your best, and be a little better than you are.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
64. “Let us never forget to pray. God lives. He is near. He is real.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
65. “As you walk the road of life, be careful of your friends. They can make you or break you.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
66. “Somehow forgiveness, with love and tolerance, accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
67. “We all know that education unlocks the door of opportunity for the young.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
68. “When I say do your best, I mean your very best. You are capable of so much more.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
69. “Women who make a house a home make a far greater contribution to society than those who command large armies or stand at the head of impressive corporations.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
70. “That which comes easily departs easily. That which comes of struggle remains.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
71. “Respect for self is the beginning of cultivating virtue in men and women.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
72. “Believe in yourselves. Believe in your capacity to do some good in this world. God sent us here for a purpose, and that was to improve the world in which we live. The wonderful thing is that we can do it.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
73. “Never assume that you can make it alone. You need the help of the Lord. Never hesitate to get on your knees in some private place and speak with Him.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
74. “Church – Come here to learn, go forth to serve.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
75. “Tremendous happiness and peace of mind are the results of loving service to others. Nobody can live fully and happily who lives only unto himself or herself.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
76. “Knowledge, learning, is an eternal thing.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
77. “Look for the Sunlight through the Clouds.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
78. “Do not let fear overcome your efforts.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
79. “There is room for improvement in every life. Regardless of our occupations, regardless of our circumstances, we can improve ourselves and while so doing have an effect on the lives of those about us.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
80. “I hope you will simply do what you can do in the best way you know. If you do so, you will witness miracles come to pass.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
81. “Love is meant to be an adventure!!”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
82. “Christmas means ‘giving,’ and the gift without the giver is bare. Give of yourselves; give of your substance; give of your heart and mind.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
83. “Love is the only force that can erase the differences between people or bridge the chasms of bitterness.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
84. “Let our voices be heard. I hope they will not be shrill voices, but, I hope we shall speak with such conviction that those to whom we speak shall know of the strength of our feeling and the sincerity of our efforts.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
85. “The best medicine for despair is service.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
86. “In missionary work, as in all else, preparation precedes power. Encouragement to prepare while still very young can make a tremendous difference.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
87. “When temptation comes your way, name that boastful, deceitful giant “Goliath!” and do with it as David did to the Philistine of Gath.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
88. “At this time of Christmas, this season when gifts are given, let us not forget that God gave His Son, and His Son gave His life, that each of us might have the gift of eternal life.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
89. “I don’t know how to get anything done except getting on my knees and pleading for help and then getting on my feet and going to work.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
90. “God bless you, my beloved sisters, who stand as the queens in your home, that you may be happy with that happiness which comes of the knowledge that you are loved and honored and treasured.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
91. “Our Eternal Father lives. He stands as the great God of the universe, ruling in majesty and power. And yet He is my Father, to whom I may go in prayer with the assurance that He will hear, listen, and answer.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
92. “Be true to who you are and the family name you bear.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
93. “God is weaving His tapestry according to his own grand design. All flesh is in His hands. We have no need to fear. We have no need to worry. Our imperative need is to be found doing our duty.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
94. “If you will make your first concern the comfort, the well-being, and the happiness of your companion, sublimating any personal concern to that loftier goal, you will be happy, and your marriage will go on through eternity.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
95. “Love is like the North Star. In a changing world, it’s always constant.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
96. “We are creatures of our thinking. We can talk ourselves into defeat or we can talk ourselves into victory.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
97. “Do the best you can. But I want to emphasize that it be the very best. We are too prone to be satisfied with mediocre performance. We are capable of doing so much better.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
98. “Work will cure your grief. Serve others.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
99. “I know your lives are busy. I know that you have much to do. But I make you a promise that if you will go to the house of the Lord, you will be blessed; life will be better for you.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
100. “The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
101. “Study a foreign language if you have the opportunity to do so. You may never be called to a land where that language is spoken, but the study will have given you a better understanding of your own tongue or of another tongue you may be asked to acquire.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
102. “Teach children tolerance. No one need surrender his or her own beliefs while extending tolerance to those with other beliefs.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
103. “Christmas means giving. The Father gave his Son, and the Son gave his life. Without giving there is no true Christmas, and without sacrifice, there is no true worship.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
104. “Do not despair. Do not give up. Look for the sunlight through the clouds.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
105. “In all this world there is no substitute for personal integrity. It includes honor. It includes performance. It includes keeping one’s word. It includes doing what is right regardless of the circumstances.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
106. “Christmas is more than trees and twinkling lights, more than toys and gifts and baubles of a hundred varieties. It is love. It is the love of the Son of God for all mankind. It is magnificent and beautiful.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
107. “This will be the most important decision of your life, the individual whom you marry…”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
108. “I too believe that God will always make a way where there is no way. I believe that if we will walk in obedience to the commandments of God, if we will follow the counsel of the priesthood, he will open a way even where there appears to be no way.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
109. “We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
110. “The temple is concerned with things of immortality. It is a bridge between this life and the next. All of the ordinances that take place in the house of the Lord are expressions of our belief in the immortality of the human soul.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
111. “A truly educated man never ceases to learn.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
112. “Are these perilous times? They are. But we can have peace in our hearts and in our homes.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
113. “You must ask for God’s help. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
114. “All of us have to deal with death at one time or another, but to have in one’s heart a solid conviction concerning the reality of eternal life is to bring a sense of peace in an hour of tragedy that can come from no other source under the heavens.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
115. “There are few things more pathetic than those who have lost their curiosity and sense of adventure, and who no longer care to learn.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
116. “There is no substitute under the heavens for productive labor. It is the process by which dreams become realities. It is the process by which idle visions become dynamic achievements.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
117. “The time has come for us to stand a little taller, to lift our eyes and stretch our minds to a greater comprehension and understanding of the grand millennial mission of this, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
118. “Do you feel gloomy? Lift your eyes. Stand on your feet. Say a few words of appreciation and love to the Lord. Be positive.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
119. “It’s true, isn’t it? Then what else really matters?”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
120. “Cultivate within yourselves the mighty power of self-discipline.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
121. “If you do not choose the kingdom of God, it does not matter what you choose instead.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
122. “The singing of hymns and the rendition of selections from the great sacred oratorios by ward choirs all enhance the spirit of worship.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
123. “We recognize the universal power of music to touch the hearts of men and women everywhere and in all generations-to inspire and encourage, to sustain and lift, to comfort and bring peace.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
124. “The greatness of the world in which we live is the accumulated goodness of many small and seemingly inconsequential acts.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
125. “I believe in the principle that I can make a difference in this world. It may be ever so small, but it will count for the greater good.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
126. “Let us take a little time to meditate, to think of what we can do to improve our lives and to become better examples of what a Latter-day Saint should be.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
127. “No matter how old we become, we can acquire knowledge and use it. We can gather wisdom and profit from it. We can grow and progress and improve and, in the process, strengthen the lives of those within our circle of influence.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
128. “I almost stand in awe when I think of Joseph Smith. The angel appeared to him in 1823 – he said to this simple little boy, ‘Your name should be known for good and evil throughout the entire world.’”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
129. “There is no more compelling motivation to worthwhile endeavor than the knowledge that we are children of God, that God expects us to do something with our lives, and that He will give us help when help is sought.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
130. “If we could follow the slogan that says,“Turn off the TV and open a good book” we would do something of substance for a future generation.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
131. “Our lives are the only meaningful expression of what we believe and in Whom we believe. And the only real wealth, for any of us, lies in our faith.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
132. “There is something almost sacred about a great library because it represents the preservation of the wisdom, the learning, and the pondering of men and women of all the ages, accumulated under one roof.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
133. “The true gospel of Jesus Christ never led to bigotry. It never led to self-righteousness. It never led to arrogance. The true gospel of Jesus Christ leads to brotherhood, to friendship, to appreciation of others, to respect and kindness and love.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
134. “There cannot be peace where there is not trust; there cannot be freedom where there is not loyalty.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
135. “It should be recognized that this Church is not a social club. This is the kingdom of God on the earth. It is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Its purpose is to bring salvation and exaltation to both the living and the dead.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
136. “Father forgive us, for we do not what we know.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
137. “The truest mark of your success in life will be the quality of your marriage.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
138. “Our kindness may be the most persuasive argument for that which we believe.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
139. “Don’t worry. I say that to myself every morning. It all works out in the end.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
140. “Quiet talk is the language of love. It is the language of peace. It is the language of God.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
141. “A nation will rise no higher than the strength of its homes. If you want to reform a nation you begin with families.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
142. “Gratitude is the beginning of civility, of decency and goodness, of a recognition that we cannot afford to be arrogant. We should walk with the knowledge that we will need help every step of the way.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
143. “The greatest job that any mother will ever do will be in nurturing, teaching, lifting, encouraging and rearing her children in righteousness and truth. None other can adequately take her place.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
144. “A testimony is a conviction, a quiet inward certainty of the reality of the living God, of the divinity of His Beloved Son, of the restoration of Their work in this time. It demands that we do what He has asked us to do.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
145. “We must work harder to build mutual respect, an attitude of tolerance, with forbearance one for another.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
146. “How thankful I am, how thankful we all must be, for the women in our lives. God bless them. May His great love distill upon them and crown them with luster and beauty, grace and faith.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
147. “Simple honesty is so remarkable a quality. It is of the very essence of Integrity.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
148. “To save a girl is to save generations!”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
149. “Bind to you friends of your own kind, friends who will encourage you, stand with you, live as you desire to live, who will enjoy the same kind of entertainment, and who will resist the evil that you determine to resist.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
150. “I hope you are reading to your children, out loud. That’s much better than watching television, much better. They won’t get very much out of television except some bad thoughts.”
— Gordon B. Hinckley
