Thomas S. Monson

AUTHOR PROFILE

Thomas S. Monson

Thomas S. Monson served as the sixteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2008 to 2018. His counsel often moved from a broad principle to a particular person in need, reflecting decades of Church service that began while he was a young bishop. The quotes below are best read with their original talks and stories in view.

FEATURED QUOTE

“Your Heavenly Father loves you—each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there.”

— Thomas S. Monson

Biography at a glance

Born: August 21, 1927, in Salt Lake City, Utah
Died: January 2, 2018
Family: Married Frances Beverly Johnson in 1948
Church service: Apostle from 1963; counselor in the First Presidency from 1985; President of the Church from 2008
Recurring themes: Personal service, missionary work, and care for people who might otherwise be overlooked

Learning to serve one person at a time

Monson grew up in Salt Lake City, served in the United States Naval Reserve, and studied marketing. In his early twenties he was called as a bishop over a large ward that included many people living in difficult circumstances. His visits to widows became a lasting part of the way he understood ministry. The Church’s history overview follows those formative years and the later pattern of personal service in his leadership.

International ministry and Church leadership

Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at age 36, Monson traveled widely as the Church grew beyond its western United States roots. His assignments included work with Saints in the German Democratic Republic during the Cold War and a major effort to improve the Church’s editions of scripture. He later served as a counselor to three Church presidents before becoming president himself in February 2008.

Presidency and legacy

During Monson’s presidency, temple building and missionary work continued to expand. In 2012 he announced a lower minimum age for full-time missionary service, a change that reshaped many young members’ plans. LDS Flow’s look at missionary numbers places the resulting surge in a longer trend. Monson died in 2018, leaving a record of talks and stories that repeatedly ask readers to notice and help the person in front of them.

Explore related people and topics

Gordon B. Hinckley, under whom Monson served in the First Presidency
Quotes about service
Quotes about missionary work and preparation

Sources and further reading

Quotes by Thomas S. Monson

80 quotes

From [the] majestic world of spirits we enter the grand stage of life to prove ourselves obedient to all things commanded of God. During mortality we grow from helpless infancy to inquiring childhood and then to reflective maturity. We experience joy and sorrow, fulfillment and disappointment, success and failure. We taste the sweet, yet sample the bitter. This is mortality. Then to each life comes the experience known as death. None is exempt. All must pass its portals. To most, there is something sinister and mysterious about this unwelcome visitor called death. Perhaps it is a fear of the unknown which causes many to dread its coming . . . [The Savior’s] words to the grieving Martha and to His disciples today bring comfort to us:” ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”

“Mrs. Patton – the Story Continues,” Ensign, November 2007, pp. 22-23

— Thomas S. Monson

“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure.”

— Thomas S. Monson

“In these precious moments we realize what we feel and know in our heart—that Christmas is really about the Christ.”

"Of Curtains, Contentment and Christmas"

— Thomas S. Monson

“Happiness does not consist of a glut of luxury, the world’s idea of a “good time” Nor must we search for it in faraway places with strange sounding names. Happiness is found at home.”

Hallmarks of a Happy Home, Ensign October 2001

— Thomas S. Monson

“A home is much more than a house built of lumber, brick, or stone. A home is made of love, sacrifice, and respect. We are responsible for the homes we build. We must build wisely, for eternity is not a short voyage. There will be calm and wind, sunlight and shadows, joy and sorrow. But if we really try, our home can be a bit of heaven here on earth. The thoughts we think, the deeds we do, the lives we live not only influence the success of our earthly journey, they also mark the way to our eternal goals.”

"Heavenly Homes, Forever Families", World Wide Leadership Training February 2006

— Thomas S. Monson

“We need to bear in mind that people can change. They can put behind them bad habits. They can repent from transgressions. They can bear the priesthood worthily. And they can serve the Lord diligently… We can help them to overcome their shortcomings. We must develop the capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become when they receive testimonies of the gospel of Christ.’”

Seeing Others As They May Become, Conference October 2012

— Thomas S. Monson

One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one.

Behold Thy Mother 1973-O:29

— Thomas S. Monson