Brigham Young: A Historical Figure with Memorable Quotes
Brigham Young, one of the most intriguing characters in US history, profoundly impacted the settlement and development of the Intermountain West, stretching from Canada to Mexico. His leadership and dynamic personality, characterized by both harshness and humor, toughness and tenderness, wisdom and irritability, as well as progressiveness and conservatism, have left an indelible mark on the region and its people. Through his speeches, sermons, and writings, Young's wisdom and wit shine through in numerous memorable quotes that continue to inspire and provoke thought.
Flair for Symmetrical Poetic Language
Brigham Young's use of symmetrical poetic language exemplifies his profound and often enigmatic wisdom. Here are some of his most celebrated quotes that encapsulate his unique style and the profound morals and values he sought to impart:
“If you don’t feel like praying, pray until you do!” “It’s better to die doing good than to live doing evil.” “Sin keeps a man from prayer and prayer keeps a man from sin.” “There is no music in hell for all good music belongs to heaven.” “Pray as if all depended on God and work as if all depended upon you.”Humor and Relativism
Young's sense of humor was as diverse as his personality, allowing him to lighten the mood and humanize his message. His humor often served to disarm and put people at ease. Here are some anecdotes that showcase his use of humor:
“We went west willingly--because we had to.” “One thing is certain wherever we go there is proof that the people are keeping the commandments of the Lord, especially the first one -- to multiply and replenish the earth.”These humorous statements are interwoven with his serious message of faith, work, and morality.
Educational Empowerment and Gender Roles
Young's commitment to education, especially for women, reflects a forward-thinking approach that was not common at the time. He believed in the unique and crucial role women could play in educating future generations:
“You educate a man you educate a man. You educate a woman you educate a generation.”
Furthermore, he would often prioritize educating daughters over sons due to the constraints of opportunity:
“If I had a choice of educating my daughters or my sons because of opportunity constraints I would choose to educate my daughters.”
Challenging Authority and Concluding Thoughts
Brigham Young was not afraid to challenge and criticize various norms and practices, including polygamy. His initial resistance to and eventual acceptance of polygamy showcase his complex and evolving stance on social and religious issues:
“The introduction of the doctrine of polygamy was the first time in my life that I desired the grave and I could hardly get over it for a long time. And when I saw a funeral I felt to envy the corpse its situation.”
He was equally passionate about his views as reflected in the following quote:
“Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives and continue to do so I promise that you will be damned and I will go still further and say that this revelation or any other revelation that the Lord had given and deny it in your feelings and I promise that you will be damned.”
Young's reverence for Joseph Smith and intolerance towards any critique of him highlight his unwavering loyalty and faith:
“Why was Joseph Smith persecuted? Why was he hunted from neighborhood to neighborhood from city to city and from State to State and at last suffered death? Because he received revelations from the Father from the Son and was ministered to by holy angels and published to the world the direct will of the Lord concerning his children on the earth.”
He believed that acknowledging Jesus is essential, and any who deny it are not of God:
“He that confesseth not that Jesus has come in the flesh and sent Joseph Smith with the fullness of the Gospel to this generation is not of God but is anti-christ”
Young's complex stance on race also highlights the contradictions in his views, although his evolving views on the Priesthood and Black peoples' rights demonstrate a gradual realization of their importance:
“For their abuse of [the Black African] race the whites will be cursed unless they repent.”
“No person having the least particle of Negro blood can hold the Priesthood.”
Young inspired both criticism and admiration with his call for industriousness, sharp thinking, and practicality:
“Mend it fix it make do or do without.”
“Education is the power to think clearly the power to act well in the worlds work and the power to appreciate life.”
Through his life and legacy, Brigham Young remains a fascinating figure in American history, his memorable quotes continuing to resonate with those who value the power of words to inspire and challenge.