President Gordon B. Hinckley on Education

This Church encourages education. We believe in education. There is incumbent upon every member of the Church, as a mandate from the Lord, to get all the education you can get. … There is incumbent upon the Latter-day Saints a dictum from the Lord Himself to educate our minds and our hands. ("Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley," 721-724)

"A man cannot be saved in ignorance." Education is not only a desirable thing, according to Mormon theology, but it is necessary to eternal progress. That which we learn here we shall retain, and we shall continue to learn in the world to come. Truth is the thing to be sought for-truth in all fields. ("What of the Mormons" p. 30)

This Church came about as a result of intellectual curiosity. We believe in education, and we spend a substantial part of our budget on the education of our young people. We expect them to think. We expect them to investigate. We expect them to use their minds and dig deeply for knowledge in all fields. If we have a motto, it is this, "The glory of God is intelligence." ("Teachings", p. 127)

Our doctrine suggests … that the more education you receive the greater will be your opportunity to serve, and you should never forget that the Lord has placed upon the people of this Church an injunction to learn by study and by faith. … That is why this Church encourages its young people to get the schooling that will qualify them to take their places in the society in which they will become a part. Make the right decisions. Take a long look. (Pocatello Id. Bi-regional Conference, June 4, 1995)
I believe in the pursuit of education. …Education is a great conversion process under which abstract knowledge becomes useful and productive. It is something that never need stop-no matter how old we grow we can acquire knowledge and use it. We can gather wisdom and profit from it. ("Articles of Belief," Bonneville International Corp. Management Seminar, Feb 10, 1991)

You young people, the little decisions that you make can so affect your lives. Shall I go to school or not; shall I continue on with my education? That is a big decision for some of you. Our doctrine suggests … that the more education you receive the greater will be your opportunity to serve, and you should never forget that the Lord has placed upon the people of this Church an injunction to learn by study and by faith. ... Make the right decisions. Take a long look. (Pocatello, Idaho Bi-regional Conference, June 4, 1995)

Get all the education that you can. The Lord has laid upon you a mandate that you should learn, that you should study, that you should acquire knowledge. ("What of the Mormons" p. 30)

There can be no doubt, none whatever, that education pays. Do not short-circuit your lives. If you do so, you will pay for it over and over and over again. (Ensign, Jan, 2001)

I repeat, get all the education you can. I do not care what you want to be as long as it is honorable. A car mechanic, a brick layer, a plumber, an electrician, a doctor, a lawyer, a merchant-but not a thief. But whatever you are, take the opportunity to train for it and make the best of that opportunity. ("Teachings," 167-173)

Do not sell yourselves short. Do not miss your great opportunity. Get at it, work at it, study hard. (Smithfield/Logan Utah Regional Conference, April 21, 1996)

Now is the great day of preparation for each of you. If it means sacrifice, then sacrifice. That sacrifice will become the best investment you have ever made, for you will reap returns from it all the days of your lives. … Do the very best you can. Maybe you are not an A student. Maybe you are not a B student. Maybe you are not a genius; most of us are not. In fact the vast majority of us are not. … I have concluded that the work of the world is done by ordinary people who learned to work in an extraordinary way. (Eugene Oregon Regional Conf, September 15, 1996)

I do not expect all of you to earn college degrees. But I do urge you with all the power that I have to take advantage of learning to equip yourselves to do worthwhile things in the world. The world will compensate you for your skills. If you are an honest and skilled workman, you will bring honor to yourself and to the Church. This is the great day of preparation for each of you. This is the season to train yourself for the highly competitive world that lies ahead. ("Fear Not; Only Believe," New Era, Jan 2000)

I must remind you that you must get all of the education that you possibly can. Life has become so complex and competitive. You cannot assume that you have entitlements due you. You will be expected to put forth great effort and to use your best talents to make your way to the most wonderful future of which you are capable. Occasionally, there will likely be serious disappointments. But there will be helping hands along the way, many such, to give you encouragement and strength to move forward. ("Stay on the High Road," Ensign (CR), May 2004, p.112)

Find purpose in your life. Choose the things you would like to do, and educate yourselves to be effective in their pursuit. For most it is very difficult to settle on a vocation. … Study your options. Pray to the Lord earnestly for direction. Then pursue your course with resolution. … The Lord did not send you here to fail. He did not give you life to waste it. He bestowed upon you the gift of mortality that you might gain experience-positive, wonderful, purposeful experience. ("How Can I Become the Woman of Whom I Dream?," Ensign (CR), May 2001, p.93, New Era, Nov. 2001)

We live in a highly competitive age, and it will only grow worse. Education is the key that will unlock the door of opportunity. (Young women conference, April 2007 reported in Liahona May 2007)

Relief Society stands for education. It is the obligation of every woman of this Church to get all the education she can. It will enlarge her life and increase her opportunities. It will provide her with marketable skills in case she needs them..("Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children," Liahona, Jan 2001, 61-62, 67-68)

Fathers, you and their mothers have a responsibility you cannot escape. You are the fathers of your children. Your genetic pattern is forever etched in their genetic code. … So lead your sons and daughters, so guide and direct them from the time they are very small, so teach them in the ways of the Lord, that peace will be their companion throughout life. … Teach them the importance of education. The Lord has enjoined upon this people the responsibility to train their minds that they may be equipped to serve in the society of which they will become a part. The Church will be blessed by reason of their excellence. Furthermore, they will be amply rewarded for the effort they make. (Liahona, Jan 2001)

Stir within your children the desire for education. This is the latchkey to success in life. ("To the Women of the Church," Ensign (CR), Nov 2003, p. 113)

This is a marvelous season in the history of the Lord's work. We are on stage, you and I, at this glorious season. We have so much to do, so very, very much to do to move forward the work of the Lord toward the marvelous destiny which he has outlined for it. … I urge you to get all the education you can. … I know of no other people or any other system of theology which includes a God-given mandate to acquire secular knowledge as well as spiritual knowledge. I urge you to be diligent in your studies. (Salt Lake Valley Institute of Religion Fireside, 21 June, 1996 Reported in Ensign, Jun 1996)

It is not enough just to live, just to survive. There is incumbent uponevery member of this Church the mandate of the Lord to equip ourselves to do something worthwhile in society. … I want to urge our young people to be hungry for education. You will be doing the will of the Lord as you educate your minds and your hands for future work to make a contribution to the world of which you will be a part. Sacrifice for it, work for it, save for it, plan for it, and do it. (Hailey 1st and 2nd Wards Sacrament Meeting, Sun Valley Idaho, June 30, 1996)