President Nelson, why are the scriptures so important?

Because it makes us happy. Without the scriptures, we wouldn't know what's right and what's wrong. As I said before, if we do what's right, we're happy. And if we do what's wrong, we're miserable, right? So the scriptures are like a cookbook. If you're making a cake, you follow the directions, don't you? And you'll get a good result every time, won't you? But if you don't have the cookbook, and you just start mixing flour, and water, and milk, and eggs, you may have a good cake, and you may not. So you just follow the recipes. God's given us a recipe for happiness. And it's called the commandments. The word commandment sounds like it's in order, like we're being told what to do. But it really is a shortcut to learning. Because if you've got a commandment from God, you know that that's what I'll follow. For example, he's commanded us not to drink alcohol, or to smoke tobacco and other harmful substances. Why? So that you'll live longer and be happier. Do you think I'd live to be 94 years old if I'd been smoking and drinking? No. No. And I'm happy. And I can ski with my grandchildren. And if I'm not mistaken, President Nelson, you have a birthday coming up pretty soon, too. I do. Every year.

Yeah, I'll be 95. And I feel wonderful. People say, "What do you eat? What's your secret?" I said, "The secret's called the scriptures. You might read them and try them." OK.