--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can choose to grateful when I am…" description: "\"I can choose to grateful when I am criticized, even when my heart still responds in bitterness. I can choose to speak about goodness and beauty, even w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/henri-nouwen-600_beauty_i-can-choose-to-grateful-when-i-am-criti_3230989.jpg" --- # I can choose to grateful when I am criticized, even when… ![“I can choose to grateful when I am criticized, even when my heart still responds in bitterness. I can choose to speak about goodness and beauty, even when my inner eye still looks for someone to accuse or something to call ugly.” quote by Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/henri-nouwen-600_beauty_i-can-choose-to-grateful-when-i-am-criti_3230989.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/henri-nouwen-600_beauty_i-can-choose-to-grateful-when-i-am-criti_3230989.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/henri-nouwen-600_beauty_i-can-choose-to-grateful-when-i-am-criti_3230989.jpg) > “I can choose to grateful when I am criticized, even when my heart still responds in bitterness. I can choose to speak about goodness and beauty, even when my inner eye still looks for someone to accuse or something to call ugly.” [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. Choosing gratitude and beauty despite criticism and inner bitterness reflects a conscious spiritual practice of transformation. **In simple terms:** I can be grateful even when hurt. Key Takeaway Practice gratitude and focus on goodness. Themes spirituality resilience gratitude Mood hopeful reflective Type spiritual inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - conflict resolution - mental health - relationships Key Concepts inner transformation mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate gratitude amid bitterness? - What practices help shift focus to beauty? A Different Perspective Gratitude may feel forced during deep pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Bitterness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitterness/) [Christian thanksgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-thanksgiving/) [Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) [Grateful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grateful/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Thanksgiving christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thanksgiving-christian/) ## Related quotes > [Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice. I can choose to be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still steeped in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/gratitude-as-a-discipline-involves-a-conscious-choice-i-can-choose-to/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Houses of Congress have . . . requested me to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/houses-of-congress-have-requested-me-to-recommend-to-the-people-of/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good; if bad, because it works in us patience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/we-ought-to-give-thanks-for-all-fortune-if-it-is-good-because-it-is/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Thou that hast given so much to me give me one thing more, a grateful heart: not thankful when it pleaseth me, as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/thou-that-hast-given-so-much-to-me-give-me-one-thing-more-a-grateful/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-have-been-the-recipients-of-the-choicest-bounties-of-heaven-we-2/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/what-we-re-really-talking-about-is-a-wonderful-day-set-aside-on-the/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/how-can-god-entrust-great-things-to-one-who-will-not-thankfully/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [WHEREAS it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/whereas-it-is-the-duty-of-all-nations-to-acknowledge-the-providence/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [But see, in our open clearings, how golden the melons lie; Enrich them with sweets and spices, and give us the pumpkin-pie!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-junkin-preston/but-see-in-our-open-clearings-how-golden-the-melons-lie-enrich-them/) [Margaret Junkin Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-junkin-preston/) > [You know that just before that first Thanksgiving dinner there was one wise, old Native American woman saying, Don't feed them. If you feed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-brody/you-know-that-just-before-that-first-thanksgiving-dinner-there-was/) Dylan Brody > [A sensible thanksgiving for mercies received is a mighty prayer in the Spirit of God. It prevails with Him unspeakably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/a-sensible-thanksgiving-for-mercies-received-is-a-mighty-prayer-in/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/it-is-the-duty-of-all-nations-to-acknowledge-the-providence-of-2/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Foolish talking and jesting are not the ways in which Christian cheerfulness should express itself, but rather "giving of thanks" (Eph. 5:4). Religion is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/foolish-talking-and-jesting-are-not-the-ways-in-which-christian/) [Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/) > [It must be an odd feeling to be thankful to nobody in particular. Christians in public institutions often see this odd thing happening on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelius-plantinga/it-must-be-an-odd-feeling-to-be-thankful-to-nobody-in-particular/) [Cornelius Plantinga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-plantinga/) > [“I Choose Love... No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-choose-love-no-occasion-justifies-hatred-no-injustice-warrants/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) ## 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 Beauty quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/) [Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) Tumblr > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) [Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can choose to grateful when I am criticized, even when my heart still responds in bitterness. I can choose to speak about goodness and beauty, even when my inner eye still looks for someone to accuse or something to call ugly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henri Nouwen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-can-choose-to-grateful-when-i-am-criticized-even-when-my-heart/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-can-choose-to-grateful-when-i-am-criticized-even-when-my-heart/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/henri-nouwen-600_beauty_i-can-choose-to-grateful-when-i-am-criti_3230989.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/henri-nouwen-600_beauty_i-can-choose-to-grateful-when-i-am-criti_3230989.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/henri-nouwen-600_beauty_i-can-choose-to-grateful-when-i-am-criti_3230989.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can choose to grateful when I am criticized, even when my heart still responds in bitterness. I can choose…” — 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": "I can choose to grateful when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-can-choose-to-grateful-when-i-am-criticized-even-when-my-heart/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-can-choose-to-grateful-when-i-am-criticized-even-when-my-heart/#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 } } ] } ```