Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf was born on Nov. 6, 1940, in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, and was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in October 2004. He has served as a general authority since April 1994.
His family became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Germany in 1947. He joined the German Air Force in 1959, earning his wings in both the German and U.S. air forces in Texas and Arizona and serving six years as a fighter pilot.
He married Harriet Reich in 1962, and they have two children. After leaving the military, Elder Uchtdorf became a commercial pilot for Lufthansa German Airlines in 1965, rising to top levels of management before retiring in 1995.
In honor of his 85th birthday, here are nine quotes from Elder Uchtdorf in the past year.
1. ‘You are anything but ordinary’
“You are a blessed being of light; the spirit child of an infinite God! And you bear within you a potential beyond your capacity to imagine. Your origin story is divine, and so is your destiny. You left heaven to come here, but heaven has never left you. You are anything but ordinary. You are gifted.”
— "Do Your Part With All Your Heart," October 2025 general conference
2. The Savior’s power in the home
“Perhaps some may feel that their relationship with their child is less than ideal. That’s where the Savior’s power comes in. You and I can trust Him and rely on Him as a Healer in every regard possible. He heals the sick, and He heals relationships. He multiplies bread and fish, and He can multiply the love and the joy in our homes.”
— Facebook post, Aug. 24, 2025
3. Be joyful, be grateful
“So never be weary of well-doing. Instead, be joyful, be grateful, rejoice in the freedom to choose this wonderful work. You will give thanks that the Savior, Jesus Christ, called you and you were able to leave your nets and follow Him.”
— 2025 Seminar for New Mission Leaders, June 21, 2025
4. Invitations to ponder at Easter
“Will I show Jesus Christ that I want Him to be my King? Will I invite Jesus Christ to have His triumphal entry into my life? Will I allow Jesus Christ to change my heart, to lift my vision and to teach me His higher and holier ways?”
— BYU devotional, April 15, 2025
5. Unity
“We are one, not because of where we’ve been but where we are striving to go, not because of who we are but who we seek to become.”
— "By This All Will Know That You Are My Disciples," April 2025 general conference
6. Connecting the dots
“You may not see it until much later, but you will look back and know that the Lord never abandoned you, even when He let you make a lot of decisions for yourself. Following in His path, following in His way, you will see that the dots do connect.”
— Worldwide devotional for young adults, Feb. 2, 2025
7. Needing His Spirit
“Our Heavenly Father promises us that His Spirit will always be with us. Don’t we need His Spirit every day? Don’t we need His Spirit to make the right decisions? Don’t we need His Spirit to feel that we are His children?”
— Ministry in Costa Rica and Colombia, January 2025
8. ‘Look unto Christ’
“I’m sure that Joseph, at age 14, knew very little about what the future holds — the glorious things or the difficult ones — but he knew enough to look unto Christ, have faith and take the next step, then the next, and then the next. That is one reason why I love this year’s youth theme, ‘Look unto Christ.’ It helps you understand that if you want to find faith, it is extremely important to look in the right direction."
— Worldwide youth broadcast, Jan. 5, 2025
9. Gift of the gospel message
“Embracing the gift of living the gospel message in our daily lives can satisfy a universal desire to give and to receive gifts. The gift of the gospel message can easily be received and shared by all human beings regardless of nation, language, religious or political orientation, or social and economic circumstances. Rich or poor, young or old, healthy or sick, all love to give and to receive.”
— Facebook post, Dec. 29, 2024
