Welcome to the Classic Speaches Podcast presented by BYU Speaches, bringing you treasured talks from 70 years of BYU Devotionals.

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My brothers and sisters, it is an honor and a great privilege to be on campus today and to speak

with you.

I am glad that Sister Newinschwander's parents are here.

I'm glad that my father and his brother, my uncle, are here. It is an honor and really

quite something to know someone who has been faithful to their commitments and covenants well

into their 80s and 90s. During my first year in graduate school, I had an evening class

on Slavic culture. On one occasion after a

day of intense study, I was rushing to class to take an exam. Information and dates and events

were swimming around in my head. The closer I got to the exam, the more confused I became.

On the way, I happened to see one of my professors and asked him to clarify something that

must have been for him a terribly obscure matter. He looked at me and asked in a tone I still

remember. Is it important? Over the years I have

pondered this question. It has helped me to distinguish the important from the trivial,

to remember the important things and to forget the things that have little consequence

or that would by forgetting them bring a blessing.

Remembering important things is fundamental to both our temporal and spiritual well-being.

Confusing what we should remember with what we can or ought to forget creates difficulties for us.

Much trouble in our lives come from forgetting what we should

remember and remembering what we should forget. One of Nephi's experiences with

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