Classic President Holland Talks

Church Leadership and Policies, General Conference

Classic President Holland Talks

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January 2, 2026

There are a handful of general authorities whose way with words guaranteed them a certain this-world immortality that goes beyond Wikipedia lists or early childhood memories of General Conference. Elder Maxwell was one, and I think President Holland is another. I’ve been seeing various people post some of their favorite or most impactful President Holland talks, so I’ve collated them together to produce a listing of the classic Holland talks. Feel free to add any I may have missed in the comments.

Missionary Work and the Atonement

However Long and Hard the Road

The Bitter Cup and the Bloody Baptism

Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments

The First Great Commandment

Be Ye Therefore Perfect–Eventually

“Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence.”

The Grandeur of God

Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet

Prophets in the Land Again

“An High Priest of Good Things to Come”

An Inconvenient Messiah

Within the Clasp of Your Arms

Don’t You Dare Go Home: Not publicly available, but they showed clips of it in the MTC when I was there. If I recall correctly, he pivoted halfway in the talk and said he felt prompted that somebody needed to hear a different message, and then he gave a very tear-jerking talk about not going home.

Remember Lot’s Wife

Comments

One response to “Classic President Holland Talks”

RLD

January 2, 2026

Good list, and I completely agree with your comments (including those on Elder Maxwell).

I’d add Like A Broken Vessel (October 2013). To the best of my knowledge, that was the first time a general authority spoke in conference about their own experience of mental illness. To a family that was struggling with mental illness at the time (and continues to do so) it’s hard to describe how meaningful that was. It did so much to reduce the stigma involved.