---
title: "2 Fresh water Quotes By Henri Nouwen"
description: "2 Fresh water quotes by Henri Nouwen. Plus more from Henri Nouwen and more Fresh water sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/henri-nouwen-600_desert_learn-the-discipline-of-being-surprised_1515138.jpg"
---

> [“Learn the discipline of being surprised not by suffering but by joy. As we grow old, there is suffering ahead of us, immense suffering, a suffering that will continue to tempt us to think that we have chosen the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/learn-the-discipline-of-being-surprised-not-by-suffering-but-by-joy/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/henri-nouwen-600_desert_learn-the-discipline-of-being-surprised_1515138.jpg)

> [Be surprised by joy, be surprised by the little flower that shows its beauty in the midst of a barren desert, and be surprised by the immense healing power that keeps bursting forth like springs of fresh water from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/be-surprised-by-joy-be-surprised-by-the-little-flower-that-shows-its/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fe/henri-nouwen-600_barren_be-surprised-by-joy-be-surprised-by-the_2091681.jpg)

## Other authors on Fresh water

- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174.jpg) Antoine de Saint-Exupery 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-water/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

## More by Henri Nouwen

> [We are not the healers, we are not the reconcilers, we are not the givers of life. We are sinful, broken, vulnerable people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/we-are-not-the-healers-we-are-not-the-reconcilers-we-are-not-the/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [The more we touch the intimate love of God which creates, sustains, and guides us, the more we recognize the multitude of fruits that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-more-we-touch-the-intimate-love-of-god-which-creates-sustains-and/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [Feelings of guilt dominate our work as peacemakers we cannot last long. But when we have opened each other's eyes to the great human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/feelings-of-guilt-dominate-our-work-as-peacemakers-we-cannot-last/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [...we all want to hear stories, from the moment we are born to the moment we die. Stories connect our little lives with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/we-all-want-to-hear-stories-from-the-moment-we-are-born-to-the-moment/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [I have found it very important...to let go of my wishes and start hoping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-have-found-it-very-important-to-let-go-of-my-wishes-and-start-hoping/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [Simply being with someone is difficult because it asks of us that we share in the other's vulnerability, enter with him or her into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/simply-being-with-someone-is-difficult-because-it-asks-of-us-that-we/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [Somewhere we know that without silence, words lose their meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/somewhere-we-know-that-without-silence-words-lose-their-meaning/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [Jesus says, "Keep your heart on the kingdom first. Keep your heart on God's love. Keep focused on the fact that you are God's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/jesus-says-keep-your-heart-on-the-kingdom-first-keep-your-heart-on/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [This sounds very simple and maybe even trite, but very few people know that they are loved without condition or limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/this-sounds-very-simple-and-maybe-even-trite-but-very-few-people-know/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [“The more preoccupied we are with security the more visible the force of death becomes, whether in the form of a pistol beside our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-more-preoccupied-we-are-with-security-the-more-visible-the-force/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [If you feel a great loneliness and a deep longing for human contact, you have to be extremely discerning...and ask yourself whether this situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/if-you-feel-a-great-loneliness-and-a-deep-longing-for-human-contact/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [I choose L'Arche; L'Arche chooses me. I would be dead if I weren't here. I need people to love me and care for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-choose-l-arche-l-arche-chooses-me-i-would-be-dead-if-i-weren-t-here/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-truth-even-though-i-cannot-feel-it-right-now-is-that-i-am-the/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [In a world so torn apart by rivalry, anger, and hatred, we have the privileged vocation to be living signs of a love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/in-a-world-so-torn-apart-by-rivalry-anger-and-hatred-we-have-the/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [Where true inner freedom is, there is God. And where God is, there we want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/where-true-inner-freedom-is-there-is-god-and-where-god-is-there-we/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-water/henri-nouwen/#itemlist",
            "name": "2 Fresh water Quotes By Henri Nouwen",
            "numberOfItems": 2,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“Learn the discipline of being surprised not by suffering but by joy. As we grow old, there is suffering ahead of us, immense suffering, a suffering that will continue to tempt us to think that we have chosen the wrong road. But don't be surprised by pain. Be surprised by joy, be surprised by the little flower that shows its beauty in the midst of a barren desert, and be surprised by the immense healing power that keeps bursting forth like springs of fresh water from the depth of our pain.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Henri Nouwen"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/learn-the-discipline-of-being-surprised-not-by-suffering-but-by-joy/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/henri-nouwen-600_desert_learn-the-discipline-of-being-surprised_1515138.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/henri-nouwen-600_desert_learn-the-discipline-of-being-surprised_1515138.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/henri-nouwen-600_desert_learn-the-discipline-of-being-surprised_1515138.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Learn the discipline of being surprised not by suffering but by joy. As we grow old, there is suffering…” — Henri Nouwen",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Be surprised by joy, be surprised by the little flower that shows its beauty in the midst of a barren desert, and be surprised by the immense healing power that keeps bursting forth like springs of fresh water from the depth of our pain.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Henri Nouwen"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/be-surprised-by-joy-be-surprised-by-the-little-flower-that-shows-its/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fe/henri-nouwen-600_barren_be-surprised-by-joy-be-surprised-by-the_2091681.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fe/henri-nouwen-600_barren_be-surprised-by-joy-be-surprised-by-the_2091681.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fe/henri-nouwen-600_barren_be-surprised-by-joy-be-surprised-by-the_2091681.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Be surprised by joy, be surprised by the little flower that shows its beauty in the midst of a barren…” — Henri Nouwen",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-water/henri-nouwen/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-water/henri-nouwen/",
            "name": "Fresh water Quotes by Henri Nouwen",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-water/henri-nouwen/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/henri-nouwen-600_desert_learn-the-discipline-of-being-surprised_1515138.jpg"
            },
            "description": "2 Fresh water quotes by Henri Nouwen. Plus more from Henri Nouwen and more Fresh water sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-water/henri-nouwen/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-water/henri-nouwen/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Fresh Water",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-water/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Henri Nouwen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-water/henri-nouwen/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```