Staying loyal to core values: Mitt Romney delivers optimistic, faith-driven message at BYU

Early in his business career, former Utah Sen. Mitt Romney was told by his boss that the two most critical decisions a person makes in life are deciding who to marry and how to earn a living.

“But actually,” said Romney on Wednesday, echoing the words of President Russell M. Nelson, “that most important decision you will ever make in your life is what your purpose in life will be.”

The retired politician, businessman, and leader of the 2002 Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Winter Games was at Brigham Young University on Wednesday to deliver the 2025 Romney Institute George W. Romney Lecture on Public Service.

Romney said he made the decision early in life to devote himself to building up The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and supporting his family, friends and fellow Americans.

“But for me, the critical decision we all must ask ourselves, at some time in life is: What is my life about? What’s my purpose? When it’s all over, what will I have done it all for?”

Romney recalled working once in a business environment divided by contention. A pair of psychologists were called in to try to bring some harmony to the workplace.

The psychologists shared something that still remains with Romney: “If you live in accordance with your core values, you’ll be happy in life.

“But if you live in conflict with your core values, you’re going to feel stress. And interestingly, you’ll probably die younger and be unhealthy, because living in conflict is not healthy.”

Romney remembers scribbling down the names of the people he admires most: Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, Abraham Lincoln, his father, George W. Romney, and his wife, Ann Romney.

From that list he identified three consistent qualities that became his own core values: Service, love and integrity.

Conflict, he discovered, came from living in a way not in harmony with those core values.

Profiles in ‘value-driven’ living

Now 78, Romney said that one of the positives “about living a life as long as mine” is working with people from a variety of backgrounds who possess qualities he hopes to emulate.

Qualities that help him remain loyal to his core values.

Besides the five value-driven individuals that he admires most from his list, Romney on Wednesday spoke of several others who have influenced his life.

The Father of the Nation — George Washington — inspired confidence in others through his capacity and devotion, said Romney.

Meanwhile, the Apostle Paul from the New Testament is an example of sacrifice and devotion to one’s faith in Christ.

Romney added there have been diverse people in his own life who have also been examples that helped him remain loyal to his core values.

His friend, Jim Liautaud, “is the most positive and enthusiastic business leader I’ve ever met.”

Liautaud struggled in school, but drew upon his positivity to develop and grow a profitable chain of sandwich restaurants that everyone knows — Jimmy John’s.

“I wish I had that kind of positive nature,” said Romney. “Have you noticed that it’s fun to be around positive people, and it’s not fun to be around negative people? It’s always fun to be around Jimmy.”

Another friend from the finance community, Alan Goldberg, was hard working and ambitious. But Goldberg was an orthodox Jew, so he stepped away from his professional duties each Friday before sundown in observance of his faith’s Sabbath.

Goldberg did not allow his career ambitions to distract him from his religious devotion.

“I aspire to have the kind of commitment to the things I believe that I saw in Alan Goldberg,” said Romney.

And during the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Romney observed the loyalty of American bobsledder Vonetta Flowers, who opted to remain with her friend and bobsled partner, Jill Bakken, even when a more promising partnership was offered.

In the end, Flowers and Bakken won the gold medal in the two-woman bobsled competition.

“It was a show of loyalty to her friend that I found inspiring,” said Romney.

Finally, Romney spoke of the prominent Latter-day Saint hotelier Bill Marriott — who taught young Mitt Romney lessons in showing genuine concern for people while exercising frugality.

Such examples of core values, he added, can inspire others to help heal the nation.

“We face right now some real challenges, and are highly divided,” said Romney.

“If we share those values and live by those values, then we can bring ourselves back together.”

Romney concluded his lecture by speaking of his love for the gospel of Christ and its guiding messages that are being shared around the world.

“May we … live in a way that’s in harmony with our core values — and by the values that we see in others who we admire.”

Optimism at a moment of global uncertainty and disruption

Following his lecture, Romney spent a few minutes answering a few questions.

When asked by one student about how to be politically involved without getting “sucked into the hatred and contention”, the lifelong Republican assured his audience Wednesday that one can still live by one’s values in the political arena.

“I never felt a conflict between my values as a member of the church and my political responsibilities.”

While acknowledging the future challenges facing America — including disruptions that will likely be caused by AI and a volatile, dangerous world — Romney said he remains an optimist.

“Tough challenges cause people to dig deep and achieve greatness,” he said. “The ‘Greatest Generation’, my parents’ generation, was great in part because they faced a conflict of global dimension and overcame it.”

And, he added, “the gospel of Jesus Christ will not fail us. Charity never faileth. Love and charity are the answers.”