Thomas S. Monson and the Philosophy of Attitude
Thomas Spencer Monson (1927–2018) was an American religious leader best known as the sixteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly called the LDS or Mormon Church. However, this quote about adjusting one’s sails and choosing a positive attitude likely emerged not from a position of supreme leadership, but rather from his earlier work as a counselor and teacher within the church hierarchy. Monson was known for his accessible, homespun wisdom—drawing from everyday observations rather than abstract theological concepts. This particular quote encapsulates his teaching style perfectly: it takes a simple metaphor anyone can understand and translates it into practical advice about emotional resilience and personal agency. The quote likely appeared in various forms throughout his lengthy career, possibly first in a general conference address to the LDS Church or in one of his published collections of talks and writings that spanned several decades.
The context for understanding this quote requires knowing something about Monson’s personality and the era in which he developed his philosophy. Born in Salt Lake City in 1927, Monson came of age during the Great Depression and witnessed World War II, two experiences that profoundly shaped his understanding of human suffering and resilience. Unlike many prominent religious figures who spent their entire lives in cloistered academic or ecclesiastical settings, Monson had a secular career as a businessman and newspaper executive before his full-time appointment to the LDS Church leadership at age fifty. His work in the media industry exposed him to all manner of human experience and taught him the value of clear, compelling communication. This background meant he never became disconnected from the real struggles of ordinary people—a theme that would color all his later teachings. His philosophy wasn’t formed in isolation but refined through decades of interacting with people facing genuine hardship.
One of the most interesting and lesser-known aspects of Monson’s life is how extensively he traveled and served others in practical, sometimes humble ways. Throughout his tenure in church leadership, he became famous for his missionary work and his attention to the marginalized. He would visit nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons, often personally tending to the needs of the sick and forgotten. Early in his leadership career, he spent time in East Germany during the Cold War, ministering to church members cut off from the rest of the world, and he made multiple trips to Russia and Eastern Europe to support the LDS community there. These experiences fundamentally shaped his belief that circumstances are often beyond our control, but our response to those circumstances is entirely within our power. He wasn’t preaching positive thinking from an ivory tower; he was speaking from direct experience with people enduring genuine tragedy and hardship. Additionally, Monson was an accomplished calligrapher and artist who appreciated beauty and creativity, and he had a well-documented sense of humor that made him beloved even by those outside his faith tradition.
The metaphor of adjusting sails rather than directing wind is particularly apt for understanding Monson’s broader philosophy. He was not a proponent of magical thinking or of the simplistic notion that positive thoughts alone solve problems. Rather, he recognized a fundamental truth that resonates across ancient Stoic philosophy, modern psychology, and practical wisdom traditions: while we cannot control external circumstances, we possess remarkable power over our internal responses. The sailboat metaphor acknowledges that winds—life’s unexpected challenges, tragedies, and difficulties—will come regardless of our wishes. Some people are born into poverty, others face illness or loss, still others encounter betrayal or failure. These are the winds that blow. But the position of one’s sails—the intentional choices we make about how to interpret, respond to, and move through these circumstances—that remains within our domain. This distinction between what we can and cannot control became increasingly influential in popular psychology and self-help literature, though Monson’s version predated much of the modern popularity of this concept by several decades.
The cultural impact of this quote and similar teachings from Monson has been substantial, particularly within the LDS community but increasingly in secular contexts as well. His emphasis on positive attitude and personal choice has been quoted extensively in motivational contexts, appearing on social media, in corporate training programs, and in self-help literature. During his lifetime and especially after his death, Monson was remembered not as an austere authority figure but as an embodiment of the kindness and hope he preached. His funeral in 2018 drew international attention, with people from many faith traditions and no faith at all testifying to his profound personal impact. The quote itself has been used in grief counseling, addiction recovery programs, and in management training, demonstrating its broad applicability beyond its original religious context. However, it’s worth noting that the exact origin and original wording of the quote is somewhat difficult to verify with precision, as Monson taught extensively over many decades and variations of this metaphor appear throughout his corpus of work.
Understanding why this quote resonates requires examining what it offers in an age of anxiety and uncertainty. Modern life presents us with an unprecedented array of things we cannot control: economic systems we navigate but don’t command, political climates we inhabit but cannot unilaterally change, health challenges that strike regardless of our prevention efforts, and global circumstances that affect us all. The psychological effect of constant exposure to uncontrollable factors is often helplessness and despair. Monson’s quote offers an antidote not by denying these realities but by redirecting attention to the domain where power actually exists—the individual’s capacity to choose their attitude and response. In an era of victim mentality on one hand and toxic positivity