--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Community means that people come together…" description: "\"Community means that people come together around the table, not just to feed their bodies, but to feed their minds and their relationships.\" — Henri No..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13d/henri-nouwen-600_body_community-means-that-people-come-togethe_1483736.png" --- # Community means that people come together around the… ![“Community means that people come together around the table, not just to feed their bodies, but to feed their minds and their relationships.” quote by Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13d/henri-nouwen-600_body_community-means-that-people-come-togethe_1483736.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13d/henri-nouwen-600_body_community-means-that-people-come-togethe_1483736.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13d/henri-nouwen-600_body_community-means-that-people-come-togethe_1483736.png) > “Community means that people come together around the table, not just to feed their bodies, but to feed their minds and their relationships.” [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Community is about shared intellectual and relational nourishment, not just physical sustenance. **In simple terms:** People gather to feed minds and relationships. Key Takeaway Prioritize meaningful conversation over mere consumption. Themes community relationships intellectual growth shared purpose Mood warm reflective connected Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - team meetings - family dinners - study groups - online forums Key Concepts spirituality social bonding collective intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster mental nourishment in your gatherings? - What practices deepen relational bonds? A Different Perspective Physical needs alone cannot sustain deep connections. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Around The Table](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-table/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [Community means people spending time together here, and I don't think there's really that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/community-means-people-spending-time-together-here-and-i-don-t-think/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [I keep reminding myself, through all the ups and downs of 'Community,' that I might never have another job that really means something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/i-keep-reminding-myself-through-all-the-ups-and-downs-of-community/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [What we consistently feed our minds with, builds our attitudes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/what-we-consistently-feed-our-minds-with-builds-our-attitudes/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [ Unsound minds like unsound Bodies, if you feed, you poyson. \[Unsound minds, like unsound bodies, if you feed, you poison.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/unsound-minds-like-unsound-bodies-if-you-feed-you-poyson-unsound/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [“When you feed a girl, you make her feel that both her body and her self are wanted. When you screw her she can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-r-d-laing/when-you-feed-a-girl-you-make-her-feel-that-both-her-body-and-her/) Joan R.D. Laing > [You gotta remember: we're musicians... we're just crazy people who can't get along sometimes. I've definitely come to the table with my knife in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/you-gotta-remember-we-re-musicians-we-re-just-crazy-people-who-can-t/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [“To come to the table is to learn to be our real selves—not some construct conceived by someone else, but who God made us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-sweet/to-come-to-the-table-is-to-learn-to-be-our-real-selves-not-some/) [Leonard Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-sweet/) > [I will come across this table and rip out your urethra tubes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madea/i-will-come-across-this-table-and-rip-out-your-urethra-tubes/) [Madea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madea/) > [“Can you be quiet while I make you come at the table, Evangeline?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriane-leigh/can-you-be-quiet-while-i-make-you-come-at-the-table-evangeline/) [Adriane Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriane-leigh/) > [Therefore they should come to the table and reach an agreement that would protect their identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/therefore-they-should-come-to-the-table-and-reach-an-agreement-that/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [To be working in the theater steadily and to be recognized and appreciated by the community means the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-rabe/to-be-working-in-the-theater-steadily-and-to-be-recognized-and/) [Lily Rabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-rabe/) > [The Broadway community means the world. That goes for the actors, that goes for the crew, the producers, the writers, and most importantly, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-fisher/the-broadway-community-means-the-world-that-goes-for-the-actors-that/) [Jordan Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-fisher/) > [“Doing good in your community means you help out and show up with a positive attitude, lending a hand, you're behind the scenes rolling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/doing-good-in-your-community-means-you-help-out-and-show-up-with-a/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [I don't really know what 'community' means. And I never use that word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughes/i-don-t-really-know-what-community-means-and-i-never-use-that-word/) [Chris Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughes/) > [Community means more than anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrese-haliburton/community-means-more-than-anything/) [Tyrese Haliburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrese-haliburton/) ## 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/) [Explore all 452 Henri Nouwen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. 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My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Community means that people come together around the table, not just to feed their bodies, but to feed their minds and their relationships.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henri Nouwen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/community-means-that-people-come-together-around-the-table-not-just/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/community-means-that-people-come-together-around-the-table-not-just/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13d/henri-nouwen-600_body_community-means-that-people-come-togethe_1483736.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13d/henri-nouwen-600_body_community-means-that-people-come-togethe_1483736.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13d/henri-nouwen-600_body_community-means-that-people-come-togethe_1483736.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Community means that people come together around the table, not just to feed their bodies, but to feed their…” — Henri Nouwen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Henri Nouwen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Community means that people come together...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/community-means-that-people-come-together-around-the-table-not-just/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/community-means-that-people-come-together-around-the-table-not-just/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```