What it will take for Americans to regain greater well-being and happiness is a subject on many minds today. But the most likely path to finding that is receiving remarkably little attention.
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In a video released in May, President D. Todd Christofferson and Elder Quentin L. Cook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints discussed the enduring importance of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
At one point, they noted that the meaning of “happiness” in the famous trio of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” has changed significantly since the declaration was written. Elder Cook said that the founders “understood the pursuit of happiness as being a quest for being good, not just feeling good. It meant the pursuit of lifelong virtue, not short-term pleasure.”
An ancient consensus calling us today
This is an important point often overlooked in modern culture. And yet, throughout history, thinkers as diverse as Plato, Aristotle, Maimonides, Averroes, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and many others agree that happiness cannot exist apart from virtue.
But what is virtue? In the broadest sense, a virtue is an excellence of character, such as honesty, courage, love or wisdom. Virtues help us actualize our highest potential. As we choose to embody virtue, we live in harmony with the goodness and value that exists in the world.
In our live-and-let-live culture, some readers might be concerned that a focus on virtue will lead some people to feel superior to others. Of course, if people did this, they would be guilty of the vice of pride rather than embodying the virtues of humility and kindness.
The science of flourishing
Virtue isn’t a matter of living “my” way or “your” way, but rather living up to our highest potential as human beings, made in the image and likeness of God.
Both individuals and societies as a whole flourish in the presence of virtues. In surveys, those people who say they have virtues like gratitude, compassion, humility, forgiveness and generosity have better mental health, lower stress, a better-functioning body, and both happiness and meaning in life.
In , a Harvard researcher and colleagues gave participants an envelope with money and instructed them to spend it in different ways before 5 p.m. that day. Those who were asked to spend money on others were happier than those who spent the same amount of money on themselves. This outward-focused nature of virtues paradoxically ends up benefiting those who are virtuous more than those who act out of self-interest.
Perhaps this outward focus of virtues is partly why they’re so beneficial for communities. Forgiveness heals resentment. Humility allows recognition that we can learn from the people around us. Compassion encourages care for those struggling. Justice and fairness help us to stand up when people are mistreated.
Altogether, virtues stabilize trust, repair ruptures and build the kind of shared moral foundation that allows communities to become safer, stronger and more united.
“What can we do in 2026 to develop civic virtues in ourselves and those we love?” Robert Burton writes. pic.twitter.com/yvjUyI9kvQ
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A growing chorus for character
Thankfully, several recent voices have emphasized the need for virtue. In his 2026 State of the State address, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox highlighted the importance of virtue for Utah’s success. Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Church of Jesus Christ, prior to his call as an apostle, published a lengthy article in the Chronicle of Higher Education about the efforts of faith-based colleges and universities (FBCUs) and other universities to instill virtue.
While many universities are in decline, FBCUs have been growing. Elder Gilbert wrote, “Part of the reason FBCUs are flourishing is that they promote discussion of purpose and meaning in a season of growing social uncertainty.”
In his final church-wide address, Latter-day Saint President Russell M. Nelson said, “Virtue makes everything better and happier! … Our thoughts, words, and actions need to be unfailingly virtuous and filled with the pure love of Jesus Christ toward all men.”
Likewise, in his first public address as prophet, President Dallin H. Oaks highlighted virtues that can help us come closer to Christ: “Like faith in God, humility is a master virtue, given to help us learn other virtues necessary for us to become what our Heavenly Father and His Only Begotten Son created us to become.”
Home and church as schools of virtue
Developing virtues starts at home. Lecturing children to “be more virtuous” (or “kinder” or “more patient” or “more respectful”) is an OK start, but won’t do the trick by itself.
Virtue is more likely to be learned by inspiring and modeling. One of us has a father who loved to play sports and consistently told the truth in contested plays (e.g., touching the ball last before it went out of bounds). Often this meant a disadvantage for his team, but honesty was more important to him. This son noticed.
Religion is another source for virtue development. Across denominations, formal faith tends to promote gratitude, humility, reverence and forgiveness, among many other virtues.
Leonhardt recently watched an older woman at church sit beside his infant daughter, smile at her, and spend several minutes talking and playing with her. It was a tiny act of kindness that required almost no effort, yet it reflected a community where people instinctively look after one another. His daughter won’t remember that interaction, but if she grows up surrounded by thousands of moments like it, she’ll learn something important about what it means to love her neighbor.
Religious community also provides structure to virtuous language about “repenting,” “forgiving” and “serving.” Narratives from biblical stories can inspire changes in young and old alike as they witness the courage of David to take on Goliath, Joseph forgiving the brothers who sold him into slavery, Ruth’s loyalty to her aging mother-in-law, the good Samaritan’s compassion toward a bleeding stranger from a culture that looked down on him and the humility of Jesus to wash the feet of a disciple who would betray him.
The prophet Alma had it right: “Wickedness never was happiness.” Following our commemoration of the Declaration of Independence this month, we should remember that the “pursuit of happiness” is as much about being good as feeling good.
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