Favorite Reads of Your Favorite General Authorities

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Jasmine Turner

Joined: Sep 2017

We know they scour the scriptures, ponder the biographies of past prophets, and read volumes about church history, but what non-LDS writings inspire the General Authorities? After all, we know that truth can be found anywhere, and many great thinkers throughout time have laid out eternal principles in works of fiction or philosophy and everything in between.

As Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf stated at aย 2013 CES Devotional:

“We seek for truth wherever we may find it. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that โ€œMormonism is truth. โ€ฆ The first and fundamental principle of our holy religion is, that we believe that we have a right to embrace all, and every item of truth, without limitation or โ€ฆ being โ€ฆ prohibited by the creeds or superstitious notions of men.โ€

Yes, we do have the fulness of the everlasting gospel, but that does not mean that we know everything. In fact, one principle of the restored gospel is our belief that God โ€œwill yet reveal many great and important things.โ€

… So we continually seek truth from all good books and other wholesome sources.

Here’s a compilation of good reads referenced in conference by some of your favorite General Authorities over the last few years:

Elder Dale G. Renlundโ€”The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Dale Renlund

Great Divorce
via amazon.com
Les Miserables
via amazon.com

Elder Jeffrey R. Hollandโ€”The Conduct of Life byย Ralph W. Emerson,ย Leo Tolstoy: Spiritual Writings by Charles Moore andย King Learย by William Shakespeare

Elder holland

Ralph Waldo Emerson
via amazon.com
Leo Tolstoy
via amazon.com
King Lear
via amazon.com

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorfโ€”Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim andย The Little Princeย by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

President Dieter F Uchtdorf
via amazon.com
via amazon.com
via amazon.com

Elder Neil L. Andersenโ€”Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Current photo of Neil L. Andersen

mere christianity
via amazon.com

ย Elder Gary B. Sabinโ€”Poems of the English Race selectedย by Raymond MacDonald Alden

Gary Sabin

poems of the english race
via amazon.com

Elder D. Todd Christoffersonโ€”Absolute Relativism by Chris Stefanick

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

via amazon.com

Elder Quentin L. Cookโ€”Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell andย The Life and Work of St. Paul by Frederic W. Farrar

Current photo of Quentin L. Cook

via amazon.com
via amazon.com
via amazon.com

There you have itโ€”an incredible reading list that’s sure to keep your nose in a book for the next few months!

Do you remember any other inspirational books referenced by a General Authority? Share in the comments below and we’ll add it to our list!