Saturday School: Education Quotes

Why is education so important?  Does it really matter if we do a mediocre job or a great job?  Now, perhaps more than ever, YES!  Employment takes skills and knowledge, and someone who stands out in the use of them is the one who may get and keep the job.  Besides the benefits of employment, education also helps us individually become a better person.  Whether that education is formal (like university or trade-school) or not, it can help us be better.  We become better and more able servants, stewards and  in the home, at work, at school, in the community, at church, etc.  

In 2000, President Gordon B. Hinckley, then the prophet of the church, gave a talk to the youth and young adults.  His talk is available here, it is wonderful!  It is from this talk that we became familiar with his 6 be’s.  One of the six be’s is Be Smart.  Here are a few quotes from that talk:

“...be smart.

You are moving into the most competitive age the world has ever known. All around you is competition. You need all the education you can get. Sacrifice a car; sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to qualify yourselves to do the work of the world. That world will in large measure pay you what it thinks you are worth, and your worth will increase as you gain education and proficiency in your chosen field.

You belong to a church that teaches the importance of education. You have a mandate from the Lord to educate your minds and your hearts and your hands. The Lord has said, “Teach ye diligently … of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms—that ye may be prepared in all things” (D&C 88:78–80).

Mind you, these are not my words. These are the words of the Lord who loves you. He wants you to train your minds and hands to become an influence for good as you go forward with your lives. And as you do so and as you perform honorably and with excellence, you will bring honor to the Church, for you will be regarded as a man or woman of integrity and ability and conscientious workmanship. Be smart. Don’t be foolish. You cannot bluff or cheat others without bluffing or cheating yourselves.

Be smart. The Lord wants you to educate your minds and hands, whatever your chosen field. Whether it be repairing refrigerators, or the work of a skilled surgeon, you must train yourselves. Seek for the best schooling available. Become a workman of integrity in the world that lies ahead of you. I repeat, you will bring honor to the Church and you will be generously blessed because of that training.

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.

I could wish for you nothing better than that your lives be fruitful, that your service be dedicated and freely given, that you contribute to the knowledge and the well-being of the world in which you live, and that you do it humbly and faithfully before your God. He loves you. We love you. We want you to be happy and successful, to make significant contributions to the world in which you will live and to the on-rolling of this great and majestic work of the Lord.

Well, my brothers and sisters, those are my B’s—be grateful, be smart, be clean, be true, be humble, be prayerful.” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, "A Prophet's Counsel and Prayer for Youth," New Era, Jan. 2001, 8)

Education is important.  To live providently, we strive to be frugal, prudent and wise in making our decisions that affect not only the immediate needs we have but future ones as well, this includes seeking learning, by study and by faith.  See more about education and literacy on providentliving.org here.

This is the first of "Saturday School".  In the future, it may be like today--quotes and inspiration about education, or it may contain tutorials on food storage, preparedness, etc. but either way, hope you enjoy!