BYU Speeches
Alphabetical by Speaker

“The Church may face different challenges now than it did at the time of Peter and Paul, but it still has to deal with converts from different countries with different languages and cultures, all struggling to get closer to their Heavenly Father.”

All these actions will allow you the opportunity to more fully understand, envision, and internalize the lessons being taught by the Savior. You will indeed be “watching it rain.”

This is a very strong statement: if we refuse to forgive, there remaineth in us the greater sin. How can this be? As I hope to explain, our salvation is conditioned on forgiving others because when we refuse to forgive, what we are really saying is that we reject, or don’t quite trust, the Atonement. And it is our acceptance of the Atonement that ultimately saves us.

Inspiring learning is our entire university project. It is a shorthand description of the mission and aims. It is about educating our students by study, by faith, and by experience.

Karl G. Maeser urged that “the spirit of the Latter-day Work” should infuse not only “teaching the alphabet or the multiplication tables” but also “unfolding the advanced truths of science and art.”

How are you exercising your agency to further the work of the Lord?

Study the scriptures to know the word of God, be prayerful, be found standing in holy places—the temple in particular—and “be strong and of good courage” even when the waves come and the dam breaks.

Integrity in business and in spiritual and family matters all draw from the same well of strength—our love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Direction came to Joseph Smith from the Lord, who instructed Joseph to build the first temple in this dispensation in Kirtland. This temple was built out of the poverty of the Saints, and shortly after its dedication the Lord came and accepted it. At that glorious time other heavenly manifestations also took place, including the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Malachi.

Our laws and legislation play an important teaching role in shaping our social and moral culture. We need every individual in society to take an active role in engaging in civic dialogue that helps frame laws and legislation that are fair for everyone.

“Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.” I reaffirm this promise given by the Lord in the early days of the Restoration of this Church. I pray that each of us will have the privilege of enjoying righteous friendships and mentoring relationships as we grow together in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

What do we see Christ do with the marginalized? As previously mentioned, He ate with them, He walked with them, He cried with them, He healed them, He validated them, and He listened to them.

I have spoken of rules or laws as essential elements in our decision to choose life. But they themselves are not the end we seek. They are the means for helping us to achieve it. The end is eternal life.

Most of our plans have bumps along the way. Your plan may include an education program that because of limited resources cannot admit all applicants. Your bump may be that you are not able to get into your program or that you have to apply to it more than once. Maybe you will find some of your courses especially challenging. This is when persistence and patience are particularly helpful.

“I presume if there were no repentance there would be no revelation received.”

I know that as we embrace and apply gospel methodology, concepts, and insights in our individual and collective work, we will be entitled to heaven’s help.

If we are consumed with conviction for making our campus a place of belonging, we will take steps in the long journey to root out racism from BYU.

It is a transformative idea that the motivation for our scholarship is to assist in the refinement of our students through learning and development.

I pray that we will all be a little more fair in our measurements of ourselves and a little more patient in our measurements of others. As we hone our measurement skills, we will be more like our Savior, and we will be more effective instruments in His hands.

I invite you to take opportunities in department and college councils to counsel together about ways in which you might help all members of the BYU campus community feel a greater sense of belonging.

I cannot fully take advantage of the Atonement of Jesus Christ when I fear or when I am unwilling, because then I am doubting our Savior and the power of His Atonement.

So, too, obedience to God’s laws preserves our freedom, flexibility, and ability to achieve our potential. The commandments are not intended to restrict us. Rather, obedience leads to increased spiritual stability and long-term happiness.

Addressing our dysfunctional receptors for God’s love restores power, stability, and direction in our lives.

Enduring to the end is not a separate step in the doctrine of Christ—as though we complete the first four steps and then hunker down, grit our teeth, and wait to die. No, enduring to the end is actively and intentionally repeating the steps in the doctrine of Christ.

Perhaps we should reflect on what can and should happen to us as we link ourselves with the name of our Savior. As we do, we too can change.

Joseph Smith was a choice seer of the Lord, and his prophetic calling is evidenced by the indisputable value of the works which he produced.

The promises of the Book of Mormon found in Alma and 2 Nephi are being fulfilled and the Lamanites are bearing witness of its truthfulness.

We are indebted to the Lord, and I trust that as we approach Thanksgiving Day, we will make it more than a day of recreation and pleasure by reflecting on what we owe the Lord for the blessings that are ours.

“As we develop our talents, we should develop the spirit of sharing or giving—not only with those who are closest to us, but also with all of God’s children.”

I suspect that even in Christ’s learning years He developed through a multitude of small choices rather than just through a few monumental decisions.

God’s beauties of the earth are all around us and He wants us to find them and feel gratitude for them. All we have to do is open our eyes to see them or our ears to hear them.

We are in the world—and we have come to this university—so that we ourselves might become microcosms of the Divine, that we might have “the image of God engraven” not only upon our countenances but also upon our very existences (Alma 5:19). Of all the microcosms in the world, surely the greatest is the man or woman who strives to become a reflection of the Savior.

I testify that if you seek help and invite others into your life, then your life will be fuller, your success will be more meaningful, and you will find peace.

“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” We can find sanctuary in good times and bad in the open, loving arms of a Father in Heaven and a Savior who love us both for who we are and who we may become.

Our Heavenly Father has provided us with great and marvelous gifts for our journey here in mortality—and for the greatest quest of all: to come unto our Savior and gain eternal life.

“We should learn to tolerate those we disagree with, and to honor them, as God demonstrated in his councils. We must learn not to honor sin, but to honor people attempting to understand and apply truth.”

My goal this morning is to help us better appreciate the blessings of this greater light and knowledge in our lives and to better understand the methods by which it has been, and continues to be, obtained.

When we are faced with temptation, it would be wise to follow the Savior’s example by dismissing Satan without any further argument or discussion—immediately and swiftly.

Agency and responsibility are inseparably connected. You cannot avoid responsibility without also diminishing agency. Mercy and justice are also inseparable. You cannot deny the Lord’s justice without also impeding His mercy.

El albedrío y la responsabilidad están inseparablemente conectados. No pueden evitar la responsabilidad sin disminuir el albedrío. La misericordia y la justicia también son inseparables. No pueden negar la justicia del Señor sin obstruir Su misericordia.

Christ was the perfect example of someone who understood His purpose…He continued till the end because He knew His purpose and He knew His why.

Marcus Roberts and The Modern Jazz Generation pair up with BYU professor Gregory Clark to perform music and discuss democracy through the lens of jazz.

Music is a language that speaks to everyone. Its healing power is expressed by people in every country in the world. Whether we listen to music in church, at home, or in the concert hall, we do it to feel better about our circumstances.

The Lord’s covenantal fetters paradoxically give us ultimate freedom, if we will wholeheartedly commit ourselves to them.

“The older I get the more I am convinced that all sin—all of it—has its roots in the dirty soil of self-gratification and self-absorption.”

Many of us are trying to save ourselves, holding the Atonement of Jesus Christ at arm’s distance and saying, “When I’ve done it, when I’ve perfected myself, when I’ve made myself worthy, then I’ll be worthy of the Atonement.

Are you lighting the way for others? Are you an example of the Savior in your words, thoughts, and actions?

As you leave the campus and pursue the chance of your lifetime, I am confident that you will reflect often on the educational and spiritual roots provided by your BYU experience.

One of the significant joys of alumni giving is to know that our contributions have, in some small way, made it possible for us to share in your experience of walking across that stage and receiving that diploma.

In God’s economy, America is now and has always been a choice and favored land. God has decreed for her a final, great, and glorious destiny.

Discusses the establishment of Zion on the American Continent. The descendants of Joseph, through the lineage of Lehi, will be the builders of Zion with the assistance of the Gentiles. Several Book of Mormon scriptures show the role of the Lamanites in building Zion.

I can assure you that finding someone who cares enough about you to tell you the truth and then is willing to take time to give you their counsel and their coaching is invaluable. Look for it.

“I am amazed that even though Christ understands perfectly my imperfections, he also loves me perfectly. Divine charity is the most fundamental intimate restoration.”

We can decide to always be perfectly honest, to contribute our skills and talents to our communities, and to build and serve everywhere we go. We can decide to live up to the expectations and to guard the trust of those who have sacrificed for us.

Almost every principle and every doctrine of the Church can be made simple if we make the effort. It is absolutely possible to live righteously and properly in a simple way.

When I return from my journey in the wilderness each year, the first thing I do, even before I get cleaned up, is call my husband on the telephone. I tell him: “I am back. I am safe. I love you.” I can only imagine that it must be like that when we return to our Heavenly Father.

I would tell you that this world, if you don’t stand up, will fail as it has failed always. It is you—our hope. It is you—tomorrow’s leaders. You are the future of this world, and my message today is to you young people. Stand up and shape the world.