- “President Gordon B. Hinckley’s mother, Ada Bitner Hinckley, often said that a happy attitude and smiling countenance could boost one over almost any misfortune and that every individual was responsible for his own happiness. His father, Bryant S. Hinckley, also had an inherently positive outlook. President Hinckley recalled, When I was a young man and was prone to speak critically, my father would say: Cynics do not contribute, skeptics do not create, doubters do not achieve. Influenced by his parents’ counsel and example, young Gordon Hinckley learned to approach life with optimism and faith.” Manual, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, Chapter 3, Cultivating an Attitude of Happiness and a Spirit of Optimism