John Taylor


John Taylor, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1880-1887

On The Incompetency Of The Means Made Use Of By Man To Regenerate The World

“There is also another political party, who desire, through the influence of legislation and coercion, to level the world. To say the least, it is a species of robbery… Let this principle exist, and all energy and enterprise would be crushed. Men would be afraid of again accumulating, lest they should again be robbed. Industry and talent would have no stimulant, and confusion and ruin would inevitably follow.”


President John Taylor

The Purposes of God—Duties and Responsibilities of the Saints

“…the world have generally made great mistakes upon these points. They have started various projects to try to unite and cement the people together without God; but they could not do it. Fourierism, Communism—another branch of the same thing—and many other principles of the same kind …but all these things have failed, and they will fail, because, however philanthropic, humanitarian, benevolent, or cosmopolitan our ideas, it is impossible to produce a true and correct union without the Spirit of the living God…”


John Taylor, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1880-1887

“God will have a free people”

God will have a free people, and while we have a duty to perform to preach the Gospel, we have another to perform, that is, to stand up in the defense of human rights—in the defense of our own rights, the rights of our children, and in defense of the rights of this nation and of all men, no matter who they may be…