--- title: "4 Hospitality Quotes By Henri Nouwen" description: "4 Hospitality quotes by Henri Nouwen. Plus more from Henri Nouwen and more Hospitality sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/henri-nouwen-600_change_hospitality-is-not-to-change-people-but_625075.png" --- > [Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/hospitality-is-not-to-change-people-but-to-offer-them-space-where/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/henri-nouwen-600_change_hospitality-is-not-to-change-people-but_625075.png) > [“But still – that is our vocation: to convert the hostis into a hospes, the enemy into a guest and to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/but-still-that-is-our-vocation-to-convert-the-hostis-into-a-hospes/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/henri-nouwen-600_brotherhood_but-still-that-is-our-vocation-to-conver_1611516.jpg) > [Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/listening-is-a-form-of-spiritual-hospitality-by-which-you-invite/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/henri-nouwen-600_communication_listening-is-a-form-of-spiritual-hospita_1629400.png) > [True Hospitality is welcoming the stranger on her own terms. This kind of hospitality can only be offered by those who've found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/true-hospitality-is-welcoming-the-stranger-on-her-own-terms-this-kind/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/883/henri-nouwen-600_found_true-hospitality-is-welcoming-the-strang_2512288.jpg) ## Other authors on Hospitality - [Ralph Waldo Emerson 8 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospitality/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## 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/hospitality/henri-nouwen/#itemlist", "name": "4 Hospitality Quotes By Henri Nouwen", "numberOfItems": 4, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henri Nouwen" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/hospitality-is-not-to-change-people-but-to-offer-them-space-where/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/henri-nouwen-600_change_hospitality-is-not-to-change-people-but_625075.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/henri-nouwen-600_change_hospitality-is-not-to-change-people-but_625075.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/henri-nouwen-600_change_hospitality-is-not-to-change-people-but_625075.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.” — Henri Nouwen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But still – that is our vocation: to convert the hostis into a hospes, the enemy into a guest and to create the free and fearless space where brotherhood and sisterhood can be formed and fully experienced.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henri Nouwen" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/but-still-that-is-our-vocation-to-convert-the-hostis-into-a-hospes/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/henri-nouwen-600_brotherhood_but-still-that-is-our-vocation-to-conver_1611516.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/henri-nouwen-600_brotherhood_but-still-that-is-our-vocation-to-conver_1611516.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/henri-nouwen-600_brotherhood_but-still-that-is-our-vocation-to-conver_1611516.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But still – that is our vocation: to convert the hostis into a hospes, the enemy into a guest and to create…” — Henri Nouwen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henri Nouwen" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/listening-is-a-form-of-spiritual-hospitality-by-which-you-invite/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/henri-nouwen-600_communication_listening-is-a-form-of-spiritual-hospita_1629400.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/henri-nouwen-600_communication_listening-is-a-form-of-spiritual-hospita_1629400.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/henri-nouwen-600_communication_listening-is-a-form-of-spiritual-hospita_1629400.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know…” — Henri Nouwen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "True Hospitality is welcoming the stranger on her own terms. This kind of hospitality can only be offered by those who've found the center of their lives in their own hearts.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henri Nouwen" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/true-hospitality-is-welcoming-the-stranger-on-her-own-terms-this-kind/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/883/henri-nouwen-600_found_true-hospitality-is-welcoming-the-strang_2512288.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/883/henri-nouwen-600_found_true-hospitality-is-welcoming-the-strang_2512288.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/883/henri-nouwen-600_found_true-hospitality-is-welcoming-the-strang_2512288.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“True Hospitality is welcoming the stranger on her own terms. This kind of hospitality can only be offered by…” — Henri Nouwen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospitality/henri-nouwen/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospitality/henri-nouwen/", "name": "Hospitality Quotes by Henri Nouwen", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospitality/henri-nouwen/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/henri-nouwen-600_change_hospitality-is-not-to-change-people-but_625075.png" }, "description": "4 Hospitality quotes by Henri Nouwen. Plus more from Henri Nouwen and more Hospitality sayings from other authors.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospitality/henri-nouwen/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospitality/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": "Hospitality", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospitality/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "name": "Henri Nouwen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospitality/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 } } ] } ```