--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am working on three things: on being a…" description: "\"I am working on three things: on being a prayerful person; on staying close to the handicapped; and on my writing. These are my constant concerns.\" — H..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/henri-nouwen-600_concern_i-am-working-on-three-things-on-being-a_1443297.png" --- # I am working on three things: on being a prayerful person… ![“I am working on three things: on being a prayerful person; on staying close to the handicapped; and on my writing. These are my constant concerns.” quote by Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/henri-nouwen-600_concern_i-am-working-on-three-things-on-being-a_1443297.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/henri-nouwen-600_concern_i-am-working-on-three-things-on-being-a_1443297.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/henri-nouwen-600_concern_i-am-working-on-three-things-on-being-a_1443297.png) > “I am working on three things: on being a prayerful person; on staying close to the handicapped; and on my writing. These are my constant concerns.” [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. He prioritizes prayer, compassion for the disabled, and writing as continual personal commitments. **In simple terms:** He focuses on prayer, caring for disabled, and writing. Key Takeaway Cultivate these three practices daily. Themes spirituality compassion creativity Mood reflective inspirational Type personal development spiritual When to use this quote - daily meditation - volunteering with disabled - writing journal - community service - spiritual retreats Key Concepts prayerfulness service authorship Questions to Reflect On - How can you integrate these practices without overwhelm? - What small step can you take today toward each? A Different Perspective Balancing all three may lead to burnout without boundaries. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concern/) [Concerns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerns/) [Constant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constant/) [Constant Concerns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constant-concerns-5170217/) [Handicapped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handicapped/) [Handicapped Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handicapped-writing-5170218/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Prayerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayerful/) [Staying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staying/) [Things Prayerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-prayerful-5170219/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Three things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-things/) [Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [A prayerful life is not a life in which we say many prayers, but a life in which nothing, absolutely nothing, is done, said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/a-prayerful-life-is-not-a-life-in-which-we-say-many-prayers-but-a/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Live, work, and travel with handicapped people, so I can stay close to them. But since I am often busy with many things, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/live-work-and-travel-with-handicapped-people-so-i-can-stay-close-to/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [The members - mentally handicapped people who are marginal in society and not useful in an economic sense - welcomed me into their lives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-members-mentally-handicapped-people-who-are-marginal-in-society/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [In their poverty, the mentally handicapped reveal God to us and hold us close to the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/in-their-poverty-the-mentally-handicapped-reveal-god-to-us-and-hold/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [I speak of God's love and grace and redemption and freedom, but when I say "in the context of this community," it is heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-speak-of-god-s-love-and-grace-and-redemption-and-freedom-but-when-i/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Careful for nothing, prayerful for everything, thankful for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/careful-for-nothing-prayerful-for-everything-thankful-for-anything/) [Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/) > [ We're \[President Barack Obama and I\] clear on the fact that we have to stay humble and prayerful. We have to dig down deep… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/we-re-president-barack-obama-and-i-clear-on-the-fact-that-we-have-to/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [To me there is nothing more sacred than love and laughter, and there is nothing more prayerful than playfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/to-me-there-is-nothing-more-sacred-than-love-and-laughter-and-there/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [No man ever made himself to live. No preacher, however earnest, can make one hearer to live. No parent, however prayerful, no teacher, however…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/no-man-ever-made-himself-to-live-no-preacher-however-earnest-can-make/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [I'm going to be prayerful about it. Whatever decision I make hopefully is the best decision I can make for my family and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pujols/i-m-going-to-be-prayerful-about-it-whatever-decision-i-make-hopefully/) [Albert Pujols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pujols/) > [Prayer is speaking to God - but sometimes He uses our times of prayerful silence to speak to us in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/prayer-is-speaking-to-god-but-sometimes-he-uses-our-times-of/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [“Sometimes when I open my Bible to read, a verse leaps off the page and I know God is speaking to me. Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-graham-lotz/sometimes-when-i-open-my-bible-to-read-a-verse-leaps-off-the-page-and/) [Anne Graham Lotz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-graham-lotz/) > [The people who know God well—mystics, hermits, prayerful people, those who risk everything to find God—always meet a lover, not a dictator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/the-people-who-know-god-well-mystics-hermits-prayerful-people-those/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [There are already people en route to join this peaceful, prayerful, nonviolent exercise of our human, treaty, constitutional and civil rights, which are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-iron-eyes/there-are-already-people-en-route-to-join-this-peaceful-prayerful/) [Chase Iron Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chase-iron-eyes/) > [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) ## 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 Concern quotes > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I'm a vegetarian - I think there's a strong possibility, had I not become a vegetarian, I would not be working now. I became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barker/i-m-a-vegetarian-i-think-there-s-a-strong-possibility-had-i-not/) [Bob Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barker/) > [What really concerns me is for Christians to understand the fundamentals of evangelism in a way that is helpful in the contemporary scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/what-really-concerns-me-is-for-christians-to-understand-the/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [It concerns me when people frame the conversation about equal pay about the entertainment business. I don't want the wage gap issue to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/it-concerns-me-when-people-frame-the-conversation-about-equal-pay/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [The Patriot Act is certainly a concern; all of those things are dangerous. I think more important than me preaching is that we as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/the-patriot-act-is-certainly-a-concern-all-of-those-things-are/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [More compassionate mind, more sense of concern for other's well-being, is source of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/more-compassionate-mind-more-sense-of-concern-for-other-s-well-being/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [When I was in my teens I had a series of intensely religious experiences. They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/) [Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/) > [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [ I just have to deal with it \[injuries\] if and when problems happen. It's obviously a concern and I've been very careful with my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-james/i-just-have-to-deal-with-it-injuries-if-and-when-problems-happen-it-s/) [Greg James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-james/) > [Much has been said and continues to be said of what little concern the Turks had for the Acropolis treasures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-mercouri/much-has-been-said-and-continues-to-be-said-of-what-little-concern/) [Melina Mercouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-mercouri/) [Browse all 3,297 Concern quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concern/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am working on three things: on being a prayerful person; on staying close to the handicapped; and on my writing. 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