BYU Speeches
Alphabetical by Speaker

Sometimes leaders need to foster close relationships of relative equality. Occasionally, strong displays of power and difference may be necessary. Usually leaders must achieve an appropriate balance according to the contingencies of their situation. That’s the hard part.

There will be times when you may become discouraged while striving to obtain your education. When those times come, please remember that what you are doing is praiseworthy. You are seeking to improve yourselves as well as the kingdom of God.

Personal growth comes from being stretched, and you will likely find yourselves challenged in ways you have never previously experienced or expected.

First, we need to always remember to turn to Heavenly Father and be willing to submit to Him. He loves us.

Also pivotal to God’s plan is the family. In fact, a purpose of the plan is to exalt the family.

To ignore or violate the principle of faith will hamper our own progression and diminish our spiritual influence on others. The mastering of faith gives us joy as we become more effective instruments in doing the Lord’s work.

Just as both wings are necessary and must be in working order for the dove or the eagle to fly, so too both faith and reason are necessary for the intellectual and spiritual quest and for the intellectual and spiritual life.

If learning scientific theories puts your faith in jeopardy, choose your faith! Choose your faith until you can better understand the science—or until science can provide better explanations. I firmly believe that both truths—religious and scientific—exist in harmony.

In American history this sublime and ­serious combination of religion and democracy has overall been a force for great good. Some of the most important movements of conscience in our history emerged from the convictions of religious people and used the language and liturgy of faith to build popular support.

Act upon what you know to be true and your righteous works will perfect your faith. Your lives will be full and wonderful.

In order for us to have faith in the Lord, we have to get to know Him. One of the beautiful things I have found while learning about the Lord is that the more I learn about Him, the more I also learn about myself and who I am to Him.

My dear friends, examples of faith are not confined solely to the scriptures. Great faith was also demonstrated by Saints early in this dispensation. And it is clearly evident in our fellow Saints with whom we live day to day.

“We can trust him. He earned our trust in the Garden and on the cross.”

Do you have faith that your Heavenly Father knows you so well that He knows under what circumstances you will emerge as a stronger, albeit wounded, healer so that you will become a valuable instrument in His hands, able to do His work and comfort His children?

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.

We have been given much; therefore we must give of ourselves and incorporate and strengthen faith, family, and friendships. Doing so can ensure happiness and peace in this life and help us begin to understand, in part, what life will be like in our heavenly home.

Hope is a most powerful influence in our lives. Yes indeed, we do live in a troubled and challenging world. But we live in one of the greatest periods of time in all the history of the entire world.

Let us then be clear in our vision as we pursue and proclaim truth.

It is easy in life to become busy with all kinds of things, even things that are important, but we have to be careful not to neglect those things that are essential; otherwise, none of the other things will really matter.

The family is the tilt point for a vast number of souls who can go either way—to alienation and anger or to sweetness and service.

We are each of royal birth—princesses and princes in our own right. We have the potential to have greater power and reach than the most powerful superhero portrayed in the media today.

BYU’s unique, spiritually infused education gave my father (and all of us) the chance, the space, and the fuel to grow as disciples of Christ and children of God serving in this world.

Take your fears to the Lord. Talk to him and listen to him. Then, if you feel a spiritual motion as tiny as the touch that a butterfly’s wing might make, acknowledge it, heed it, and let his influence work upon you. The Lord wants you to succeed even more than you want to yourself.

The Lord’s message to you today is the same message He sent through His angels so long ago: “Fear not.” He can say that because He knows more than we do. He sees what we cannot see. He knows what is coming, and, in the eternal scheme of things, it is not as bad as we may think.

Whatever the circumstances you find yourself in, know with assurance that you can succeed. You are more capable, more talented, and more faith-filled than you realize. More important, you are more loved by God than you realize.

My message to you today is to “fear not, little flock.” It is to encourage you to rejoice in the great blessings of life. It is to invite you to feel the great thrill of gospel living and our Father in Heaven’s love.

I also bear testimony of the blessings we can and will receive in our personal lives as we make efforts to be in the right places at the right times and to do the right things for the right reasons. By following the counsel of our Church leaders, we will be better able to feel and follow the Holy Spirit in our lives and realize great blessings.

If we are constantly seeking to know the breadth and depth of His atoning love and how very personal it really is, our seeking will not be in vain.

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.

The Lord’s hand is on BYU and that the work of BYU is a vital part of the Lord’s work. We are thus entitled to seek His blessings and are also entitled to be guided and protected.

This is your turn on earth. In eternal time, it is like a minute. There are only sixty seconds in it. We can’t refuse it. But it is up to us to use it.

When you were a student, we expected you to study, work hard, and develop into a person of faith, intellect, and good moral character. We invite you to continue to grow educationally and spiritually.

How does one fill the measure of his or her creation? We do so by thrusting in a sickle and reaping with all our strength—and by rejoicing in our uniqueness and our difference.

I love everything this university stands for and am truly honored to receive an honorary doctorate as a culminating event in my life.

Among the words of the English language the word farewell is the hardest to pronounce, and I, probably, will succeed very poorly at my present attempt.

I used to think that faith in God came in the form of feeling certain that life would be as I wanted it to be. I have grown to understand that to have ultimate faith in God is to know he is with us and will give us unfailing strength to help us through life’s challenges.

It is in the accepting of our lot and moving forward with what the Lord has asked of us that we discover that the Holy Ghost enjoys our company, angels feel constrained to join us, and the heavens open to our vision.

“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.

Accept Christ’s invitation to come to Him and begin your own journey and experience of seeing the Atonement’s influence on your weaknesses.

Whether it is a no-problem day or we are in the midst of an intensive period of testing and trial in our lives, we can find strength in the Lord Jesus Christ.

What I have been talking about today is something that seems apolitical—it is not about democracy; it is just simply about seeing each other.

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have unlimited access to wisdom, truth, and blessings from our scriptures, our ordinances, and our covenants. Perhaps we should add a daily dose of wonder to our spiritual practices.

“What Deb and I have found around the country is that the closer up you see the United States—the more you are at the neighborhood and community level—the more hopeful you feel.”

We may not know the whys of all of God’s creations, but each of God’s vast creations is a reminder that He is in charge, that there is a divine plan, and that we are here on this earth for a much greater purpose than what the world would espouse.

Believe that you have a divine purpose. Believe that you have unique talents that are unmatched in the world. Work hard and pray. The Lord will help. He will direct you to your best self.

We can safely travel life’s journey by relying on the maps of the scriptures, the words of the living prophets, and the compass of the Holy Ghost. God’s plan and desire is that all be successful in reaching their destination.

“I express gratitude and appreciation to each student, faculty, and staff member who is building on BYU’s firm foundation of bedrock virtues, values, and principles while learning appropriately when and how to adapt in changing and challenging times.”

“I know our Heavenly Father’s love for you is real and unending. It is most powerfully manifest through the grace of His Son, Jesus Christ. I bless you that the love of God will envelop you as you love and strive to serve Him.”

If you desire it with all your heart, God will guide you through this mortal life, and He will wait with open arms to embrace you in the Resurrection. No matter our shortcomings, no matter our flaws, God can heal, inspire, and cleanse us. For He is the God of new beginnings.

Ramona Hopkins, recipient of BYU’s prestigious Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Lecturer Award, discusses five things her research has taught her.

Regardless of the conditions, our task is to participate in the race, safely cross the finish line, and receive the grand prize. Our motivation is the priceless prize designated for finishers of the race—that of eternal life.

Life often presents itself as an incessant gray wall stretching off into nowhere, but here and there, if you watch for them, flickering assurances of God’s love for us will become evident.

The chain held by Satan is referred to in the scriptures as “the chains of hell” (Alma 12:11) … They start as flaxen threads and encumber a person habit by habit, sin by sin, and strand by strand.

Our homes are most vulnerable; therefore, the consummate power of the priesthood has been given to protect the home and its inhabitants. It is not an easy or small thing to be a presiding officer in the Church or in the home.

You will receive promptings, and, from my point of view, there is no education more important than learning to know and respond to the promptings of the Spirit. Stay worthy of and live for the companionship of the Spirit.

Live the doctrine of Christ, the simple and basic principles of the gospel, each day—have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent, honor the covenant of baptism, live worthy of the Holy Ghost as your companion, and endure to the very end.

President Hinckley is encouraging us to be prepared, both spiritually and temporally, so that we might receive all the blessings Heavenly Father has in store for His children.

Heavenly Father believes in plans. He has a plan for the salvation of His children—a specific plan just for you. It is referred to as the plan of happiness because it is designed to bring us happiness in this life and a fulness of joy in the life to come.

May we take advantage of the many ­mentors who surround us this year, and may we be worthy mentors to those whom we serve. May we not just take direction but may we take direction well, without taking offense.

Our Father in Heaven’s work is individual salvation and individual happiness for eternity. We aren’t specks in the universal expanse of God’s creations but individuals loved and cherished by God.

As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ I invoke a blessing upon each one of you, conditioned on your obedience and faith, that the Lord will guide you through the Holy Ghost to make the correct choices in important decisions you now face and that you will feel that guidance in your life as you seek it.

Troubles we all have, but the “germ” of discouragement, to use Fitzgerald’s word, is not in the trouble, it is in us.

Jesus has paid the price to redeem every one of us, so that we will not be left behind in a lesser sphere. He has made it possible for us . . . to return to the safety and the glory of our heavenly home, carrying with us our heavenly credentials stamped with the experiences we gained in this world.

As you build upon these strengths, humbly recognize your personal limitations, remain faithful to your covenants, and put your confidence in the Lord, you will see your weaknesses transformed into strengths through the power and grace of His Atonement.

Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others.

John A. Widtsoe would no doubt be pleased with this remarkable new facility. But he would also remind us that, in the long run, what happens here and the attitude and spirit of those who study and labor here will be the most important factors in its future.

The four cornerstones upon which we must build greatness faith, education, industry, and cooperation. John A. Widtsoe explains that each of these cornerstones must be nourished and understood through a gospel lens.

Today I should like to distill and discuss the essence of these experiences and entitle that essence “Four Lessons from One Life”—the life I have lived thus far.

So the question isn’t, Are you going to crash and burn every once in a while? Of course you are—you are human! In Romans 3:23 we read, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” The question is, What are you going to do about it?

May God bless us to live our lives so as to avoid entangling ourselves in sin and compromising our precious and unique gift of free agency. May we accept responsibility for our thoughts and our actions. May we use our free agency to make righteous choices and to act upon them as we have the freedom to do so.

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

How could we become like the Savior if we did not have agency to make those choices? By using our agency to choose the right, we begin to put on the divine nature—to pattern our lives after His. We find peace, happiness, and freedom as we make right choices.

[God] wants us to have joy. We cannot do that unless we are free to choose. But neither can we have that joy unless we are willing to be spiritually submissive day in, day out, and unless we exercise that grand and glorious freedom to choose in which people truly matter more than stars.

“Indeed there is a connection between freedom of the press and freedom of religion. For the sake of everything we hold dear in this country, may we keep both of these institutions free.”

The Lord has promised to give us His power and protection as we live righteous lives. I pray that we can each take fresh courage and truly find the refuge that God has prepared for us in our personal lives, where we will be blessed with those who overcome the trials of this life, where we too can exclaim: “All is well! All is well!”

There is a big difference between liking to accomplish something and doing it—a big difference.

“I thought how important BYU is as a window on the Church. The glass is not dark but clear and allows viewers to see the values and truths of the restored gospel.”

Yours is a future without limit because you have decided to be unwavering in obedience to the Lord.

The concept of becoming a Zion people is embedded deep in our theology. In this dispensation, the Lord’s desire for His people to build a Zion society was made apparent even before the Church was organized.

“I say to you: Courage, young people! These are great times and there are great things to be accomplished.”