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Gordon B. Hinckley

Portrait of Gordon B. Hinckley
Portrait: Wikimedia Commons, public domain

AUTHOR PROFILE

Gordon B. Hinckley

Gordon B. Hinckley served as the fifteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1995 to 2008. His ministry stretched from the rise of worldwide television news to an era when more Saints than ever lived far from a temple. He is remembered for bringing temple worship closer to families, speaking openly about faith, and encouraging members to care for one another.

FEATURED QUOTE
“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

Biography at a glance

  • Born: June 23, 1910, in Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Church service: Apostle beginning in 1961; President of the Church from 1995 to 2008
  • Family: Married Marjorie Pay in the Salt Lake Temple in 1937
  • Major emphases: Temples, missionary work, education, and strengthening faith at home

From missionary service to Church leadership

After studying English and journalism at the University of Utah, Hinckley served a mission in Great Britain. He returned to Church employment in 1935, helping with its radio, publicity, and missionary literature work. Those early assignments put communication at the center of his service. He was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1961 and later served in the First Presidency before becoming Church president in March 1995. The Church’s timeline of his life traces these assignments and their dates.

Making temple blessings more accessible

Temple building became a defining part of President Hinckley’s administration. Smaller temples helped make ordinances available to members who had previously faced long and costly journeys. The Church’s history overview describes that effort and the wider growth of the Church during his presidency. He also directed the creation of the Perpetual Education Fund to support young adults seeking education in places where opportunity was limited.

Faith and family

President Hinckley often connected broad Church growth with everyday discipleship. His counsel addressed parents, young adults, converts, and neighbors of other faiths. In 1995 he presented The Family: A Proclamation to the World at a general Relief Society meeting. LDS Flow has a separate account of the proclamation and its place in his legacy.

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Quotes by Gordon B. Hinckley

144 quotes

“The remedy for most marital stress is not in divorce. It is in repentance and forgiveness, in sincere expressions of charity and service. It is not in separation. It is in simple integrity that leads a man and a woman to square up their shoulders and meet their obligations. It is found in the Golden Rule, a time-honored principle that should first and foremost find expression in marriage.”

Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes

— Gordon B. Hinckley

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). . . .We live in complex times. We deal with serious problems, all of us. There is not any question in my mind that in this congregation today there are those who are deeply concerned about various matters, wonder about them, what to do about them, and how can they handle this and handle that. . . . “Trust in the Lord.”

Ogden Regional Conference, Sept. 19, 2004; “Trust the Lord,” Church News, September 25, 2004

— Gordon B. Hinckley

“How profoundly grateful I am for the experience of that mission. I touched the lives of a few who have, over the years, expressed appreciation. That has been important. But I have never been greatly concerned over the number of baptisms that I had or that other missionaries had. My satisfaction has come from the assurance that I did what the Lord wanted me to do and that I was an instrument in His hands for the accomplishment of His purposes.”

The Question of a Mission

— Gordon B. Hinckley

“Now a word to the single parents. … [You] carry exhausting burdens in fighting the daily battles that go with rearing children and seeing that their needs are met. This is a lonely duty. But you need not be entirely alone. There are many, ever so many in this Church who would reach out to you with sensitivity and understanding. They do not wish to intrude where they are not wanted. But their interest is genuine and sincere, and they bless their own lives as they bless your lives and those of your children. Welcome their help. They need to give it for their own sakes as well as for your sake.”

Teachings of the the Presidents of the Church: Gordon B Hinckley

— Gordon B. Hinckley

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the greatest messages of all Christianity. It is a divine gift from a loving Father to all mankind. The Savior’s arms are stretched forth to us all, who, by accepting Him in His appointed way, may become not just believers but true disciples and with Paul hope to “obtain a better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35). Despite the sting of death and the loneliness of separation from loved ones who have gone to the grave, in our hour of deepest sorrow and trial we draw hope and peace and certitude from the words of the angel that first Easter morning, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said” (Matthew 28:6). “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). Jesus is our King, our Lord, our Master, the living and resurrected Christ, who stands on the right hand of His Father. He lives! He lives, resplendent and wonderful, the living Son of the living God. Of this we bear solemn, personal testimony at this season of rejoicing, this Easter season when we commemorate the miracle of the empty tomb.

First Presidency Easter Message [Gordon B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson, James E. Faust], 2003

— Gordon B. Hinckley

“I am so profoundly grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for a testimony of the Atonement of the Savior. I believe in it with all my heart, and I live for it, and I bear witness of it this day. Of all of the events of human history, none other approaches the Atonement of the Savior in its meaning and in its results. God be thanked for the gift of His precious Son, to whom we all owe thanks for His sacrifice in our behalf.”

Inspirational Thoughts, Liahona, Feb 2007, 2–6

— Gordon B. Hinckley

“I am grateful for emphasis on reading the scriptures. I hope that for you this will become something far more enjoyable than a duty; that, rather, it will become a love affair with the word of God. I promise you that as you read, your minds will be enlightened and your spirits will be lifted. At first it may seem tedious, but that will change into a wondrous experience with thoughts and words of things divine”

“The Light within You,” Ensign, May 1995, 99

— Gordon B. Hinckley

“I know of no single practice that will have a more salutary effect upon your lives than the practice of kneeling together as you begin and close each day. Somehow the little storms that seem to afflict every marriage are dissipated when, kneeling before the Lord, you thank him for one another, in the presence of one another, and then together invoke his blessings upon your lives, your home, your loved ones, and your dreams. God than will be your partner, and your daily conversation with him will bring peace into your hearts and a joy into your lives that can come from no other source. Your companionship will sweeten through the years; your love will strengthen. Your appreciation will grow.”

Ensign, June 1971, p. 72

— Gordon B. Hinckley

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