Thomas S. Monson and the Philosophy of Attitude
Understanding the Sailing Metaphor’s Origins
Thomas Spencer Monson (1927–2018) was an American religious leader. He served as the sixteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly called the LDS or Mormon Church. This quote about adjusting one’s sails likely came not from his position as supreme leader, but from his earlier work. He served as a counselor and teacher within the church hierarchy. Monson was known for his accessible, homespun wisdom. He drew from everyday observations rather than abstract theological concepts.
This quote perfectly captures his teaching style. It takes a simple metaphor anyone can understand. It translates that metaphor into practical advice about emotional resilience and personal agency. The quote likely appeared in various forms throughout his lengthy career. It possibly first appeared in a general conference address to the LDS Church. It may have also appeared in one of his published collections of talks and writings that spanned several decades.
Understanding this quote requires knowing something about Monson’s personality and era. Born in Salt Lake City in 1927, Monson came of age during the Great Depression. He witnessed World War II. These two experiences profoundly shaped his understanding of human suffering and resilience. Unlike many prominent religious figures, Monson didn’t spend his entire life in cloistered academic or ecclesiastical settings. He had a secular career as a businessman and newspaper executive. At age fifty, he took a full-time appointment to LDS Church leadership. His work in the media industry exposed him to all manner of human experience. It taught him the value of clear, compelling communication. This background kept him connected to the real struggles of ordinary people. This theme would color all his later teachings. He refined his philosophy through decades of interacting with people facing genuine hardship. He didn’t form it in isolation.
We can’t direct the wind but adjust sails
One interesting and lesser-known aspect of Monson’s life is how extensively he traveled and served others. He often served in practical, humble ways. Throughout his tenure in church leadership, he became famous for missionary work. He also became known for his attention to the marginalized. He would visit nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons. He often personally tended to the needs of the sick and forgotten. Early in his leadership career, he spent time in East Germany during the Cold War. He ministered to church members cut off from the rest of the world. He made multiple trips to Russia and Eastern Europe to support the LDS community there.
These experiences fundamentally shaped his belief. Circumstances are often beyond our control. 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. He appreciated beauty and creativity. 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 Monson’s broader philosophy. He was not a proponent of magical thinking. He rejected the simplistic notion that positive thoughts alone solve problems. Rather, he recognized a fundamental truth. This truth resonates across ancient Stoic philosophy, modern psychology, and practical wisdom traditions. We cannot control external circumstances. However, we possess remarkable power over our internal responses. The sailboat metaphor acknowledges that winds will come regardless of our wishes. Winds represent life’s unexpected challenges, tragedies, and difficulties. Some people are born into poverty. Others face illness or loss.
Still others encounter betrayal or failure. These are the winds that blow. But we can control the position of our sails. The sails represent the intentional choices we make. We choose how to interpret circumstances. We choose how to respond to them. We choose how to move through them. This remains within our domain. This distinction between what we can and cannot control became increasingly influential in popular psychology and self-help literature. Monson’s version predated much of the modern popularity of this concept by several decades.
How positive attitude creates lasting happiness and peace
This quote and similar teachings from Monson have had substantial cultural impact. They have influenced the LDS community extensively. Increasingly, they influence secular contexts as well. His emphasis on positive attitude and personal choice has been quoted extensively in motivational contexts. The quote appears on social media, in corporate training programs, and in self-help literature. During his lifetime and especially after his death in 2018, people remembered Monson differently. He was not an austere authority figure. He was an embodiment of the kindness and hope he preached.
His funeral drew international attention. People from many faith traditions and no faith at all testified to his profound personal impact. The quote itself has been used in grief counseling, addiction recovery programs, and management training. This demonstrates its broad applicability beyond its original religious context. However, the exact origin and original wording of the quote is somewhat difficult to verify with precision. Monson taught extensively over many decades. 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, political climates, health challenges, and global circumstances all affect us. We navigate these forces but don’t command them. We inhabit them but cannot unilaterally change them. Constant exposure to uncontrollable factors often produces helplessness and despair. Monson’s quote offers an antidote. It doesn’t deny these realities. Instead, it redirects attention to the domain where power actually exists. That domain is the individual’s capacity to choose their attitude and response. In an era marked by victim mentality on one hand and toxic positivity on the other, this message offers a balanced path forward.