A Well-Loved Quote about Women, and the Woman Who Said It

Contributed By Morgan Jones, Church News contributor

  • 7 June 2018

Margaret D. Nadauld speaks during a session of general conference in 2000.  Photo by Gary McKellar, Deseret News.

Many people have heard one specific quote that Sister Margaret D. Nadauld delivered from the pulpit in 2000 while serving as Young Women General President.

“Women of God can never be like women of the world,” she said in her talk “The Joy of Womanhood.” “The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”

Margaret D. Nadauld is photographed with her counselors, Carol B. Thomas and Sharon G. Larsen. Photo by Scott Winterton.

But Sister Nadauld said many important things throughout the talk. She spoke of women being sent to earth “with some qualities in extra capacity.” She called bodies “the wellspring of life” and said grateful daughters of God “reverence life.”

She spoke of those who were unable to have children and said “their righteous influence can be a blessing in the lives of children they love. Their exemplary teachings can echo the voice of a faithful home and resonate truth in the hearts of children who need another witness.”

Speaking of mothers, she said, “When you observe kind and gentle mothers in action, you see women of great strength. Their families can feel a spirit of love and respect and safety when they are near her as she seeks the companionship of the Holy Ghost and the guidance of his Spirit. They are blessed by her wisdom and good judgment. The husbands and children, whose lives they bless, will contribute to the stability of societies all over this world.”

Sister Margaret D. Nadauld with her husband, Stephen D. Nadauld. Photo from Deseret News archive.

Sister Margaret D. Nadauld was called to serve as the 11th Young Women General President in 1997 by President Gordon B. Hinckley. Her husband, Elder Stephen D. Nadauld, had previously served as a General Authority Seventy. Following her release as Young Women General President, Sister Nadauld served with her husband as he presided over the Switzerland Geneva Mission.

Former Young Women General Presidents gather for a portrait in the Relief Society Building on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. Front row left to right: Janette H. Beckham, Ardeth G. Kapp, Ruth H. Funk, and Florence Smith Jacobsen. Back row left to right—Margaret D. Nadauld, Susan W. Tanner, Elaine S. Dalton. Photo by Mike Terry, Deseret News.

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