---
title: "3 Powerlessness Quotes By Henri Nouwen"
description: "3 Powerlessness quotes by Henri Nouwen. Plus more from Henri Nouwen and more Powerlessness sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/henri-nouwen-600_asks_simply-being-with-someone-is-difficult-b_80861.png"
---

> [Simply being with someone is difficult because it asks of us that we share in the other's vulnerability, enter with him or…](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/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/henri-nouwen-600_asks_simply-being-with-someone-is-difficult-b_80861.png)

> [Jesus' whole life and mission involve accepting powerlessness and revealing in this powerlessness the limitlessness of God's love. Here we see what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/jesus-whole-life-and-mission-involve-accepting-powerlessness-and/)

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

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/henri-nouwen-600_accepting_jesus-whole-life-and-mission-involve-acc_286690.png)

> [To be a minister means above all to become powerless, or in more precise terms, to speak with our powerlessness to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/to-be-a-minister-means-above-all-to-become-powerless-or-in-more/)

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

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f70/henri-nouwen-600_age_to-be-a-minister-means-above-all-to-beco_2122130.jpg)

## Other authors on Powerlessness

- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b024/author-warren-farrell-94555.jpg) Warren Farrell 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerlessness/warren-farrell/)

## 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/powerlessness/henri-nouwen/#itemlist",
            "name": "3 Powerlessness Quotes By Henri Nouwen",
            "numberOfItems": 3,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "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 the experience of weakness and powerlessness, become part of the uncertainty, and give up control and self-determination.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Henri Nouwen"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/simply-being-with-someone-is-difficult-because-it-asks-of-us-that-we/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/henri-nouwen-600_asks_simply-being-with-someone-is-difficult-b_80861.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/henri-nouwen-600_asks_simply-being-with-someone-is-difficult-b_80861.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/henri-nouwen-600_asks_simply-being-with-someone-is-difficult-b_80861.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Simply being with someone is difficult because it asks of us that we share in the other's vulnerability…” — Henri Nouwen",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Jesus' whole life and mission involve accepting powerlessness and revealing in this powerlessness the limitlessness of God's love. Here we see what compassion means. It is not a bending toward the underprivileged from a privileged position; it is not a reaching out from on high to those who are less fortunate below; it is not a gesture of sympathy or pity for those who fail to make it in the upward pull. On the contrary, compassion means going directly to those people and places where suffering is most acute and building a home there.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Henri Nouwen"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/jesus-whole-life-and-mission-involve-accepting-powerlessness-and/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/henri-nouwen-600_accepting_jesus-whole-life-and-mission-involve-acc_286690.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/henri-nouwen-600_accepting_jesus-whole-life-and-mission-involve-acc_286690.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/henri-nouwen-600_accepting_jesus-whole-life-and-mission-involve-acc_286690.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Jesus' whole life and mission involve accepting powerlessness and revealing in this powerlessness the…” — Henri Nouwen",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "To be a minister means above all to become powerless, or in more precise terms, to speak with our powerlessness to the condition of powerlessness which is so keenly felt but so seldom expressed by the people of our age.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Henri Nouwen"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/to-be-a-minister-means-above-all-to-become-powerless-or-in-more/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f70/henri-nouwen-600_age_to-be-a-minister-means-above-all-to-beco_2122130.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f70/henri-nouwen-600_age_to-be-a-minister-means-above-all-to-beco_2122130.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f70/henri-nouwen-600_age_to-be-a-minister-means-above-all-to-beco_2122130.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“To be a minister means above all to become powerless, or in more precise terms, to speak with our…” — Henri Nouwen",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerlessness/henri-nouwen/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerlessness/henri-nouwen/",
            "name": "Powerlessness Quotes by Henri Nouwen",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerlessness/henri-nouwen/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/henri-nouwen-600_asks_simply-being-with-someone-is-difficult-b_80861.png"
            },
            "description": "3 Powerlessness quotes by Henri Nouwen. Plus more from Henri Nouwen and more Powerlessness sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerlessness/henri-nouwen/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerlessness/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": "Powerlessness",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerlessness/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Henri Nouwen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerlessness/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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
