Simply being with someone is difficult because it asks of us that we share in the other's vulnerability, enter with him or… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Perhaps nothing helps us make the movement from our little selves to a larger world than remembering God in gratitude. Such a… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
A life without a lonely place, that is, a life without a quiet center, easily becomes destructive. When we cling to the… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Nuclear man is the man who realizes that his creative powers hold the potential for self-destruction. He sees that in this nuclear… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Where is peace to be found? The answer is surprising but clear. In weakness. Why there? Because in our weakness, our familiar… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
I wrote to my bishop, the Archbishop of Utrecht, Holland, and explained that I wanted not just permission to stay longer, but… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the Beloved. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Our inclination is to show our Lord only what we feel comfortable with. But the more we dare to reveal our whole… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
A little criticism makes me angry, and a little rejection makes me depressed. A little praise raises my spirits, and a little… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
The Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Real greatness is often hidden, humble, simple, and unobtrusive. It is not easy to trust ourselves and our actions without public affirmation.… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Only in the context of the great encounter with Jesus can a real authentic struggle take place. The encounter with Christ does… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Hiddenness is the place of purification. In hiddenness we find our true selves. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
The spiritual life is a reaching out to our innermost self, to our fellow human and to our God. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond. Listening is paying full attention to… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
The mystery of the spiritual life is that Jesus desires to meet us in the seclusion of our own heart, to make… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Of one thing I am sure. Complaining is self-perpetuating and counterproductive. Whenever I express my complaints in the hope of evoking pity… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
It is hard to bear with people who stand still along the way, lose heart, and seek their happiness in little pleasures… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
We are not the healers, we are not the reconcilers, we are not the givers of life. We are sinful, broken, vulnerable people who… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
The more we touch the intimate love of God which creates, sustains, and guides us, the more we recognize the multitude of fruits that… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
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… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
...we all want to hear stories, from the moment we are born to the moment we die. Stories connect our little lives with the… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
I have found it very important...to let go of my wishes and start hoping. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
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… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
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… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
This sounds very simple and maybe even trite, but very few people know that they are loved without condition or limits. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
“The more preoccupied we are with security the more visible the force of death becomes, whether in the form of a pistol beside our… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
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… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
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. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
