---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In this crazy world, there's an enormous…"
description: "\"In this crazy world, there's an enormous distinction between good times and bad, between sorrow and joy. But in the eyes of God, they're never separate..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/henri-nouwen-600_crazy_in-this-crazy-world-there-s-an-enormous_1567378.png"
---

#  In this crazy world, there's an enormous distinction…

![“In this crazy world, there's an enormous distinction between good times and bad, between sorrow and joy. But in the eyes of God, they're never separated. Where there is pain, there is healing. Where there is mourning, there is dancing. Where there is poverty, there is the kingdom.” quote by Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/henri-nouwen-600_crazy_in-this-crazy-world-there-s-an-enormous_1567378.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/henri-nouwen-600_crazy_in-this-crazy-world-there-s-an-enormous_1567378.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/henri-nouwen-600_crazy_in-this-crazy-world-there-s-an-enormous_1567378.png)

> “In this crazy world, there's an enormous distinction between good times and bad, between sorrow and joy. But in the eyes of God, they're never separated. Where there is pain, there is healing. Where there is mourning, there is dancing. Where there is poverty, there is the kingdom.”

[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.

Good and bad coexist; divine perspective unites them, turning pain into healing and joy.

**In simple terms:** Joy and sorrow are linked; God sees them together.

Key Takeaway

Seek unity in contrast, trusting divine wholeness.

Themes

spirituality duality healing joy pain

Mood

contemplative uplifting balanced

Type

theological inspirational

When to use this quote

- grief
- joy
- poverty relief
- community building
- personal crisis

Key Concepts

theology holism paradox

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to find dancing in mourning?
- How can you see poverty as a gateway to kingdom?

A Different Perspective

Balancing extremes can be psychologically taxing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing/) [Distinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction/) [Encouragement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encouragement/) [Good times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-times/) [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Kingdoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdoms/) [Mourning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mourning/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [This crazy world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-crazy-world/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [My story of success and failure is not just about music and being famous. It's about living and loving and trying to find purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynonna-judd/my-story-of-success-and-failure-is-not-just-about-music-and-being/)

[Wynonna Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynonna-judd/)

> [Rick Blaine: We'll always have Paris. We didn't have Paris, we lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/rick-blaine-we-ll-always-have-paris-we-didn-t-have-paris-we-lost-it/)

[Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/)

> [I do a lot of reading, meditating, and praying to stay as grounded as I can be in this crazy world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jada-pinkett-smith/i-do-a-lot-of-reading-meditating-and-praying-to-stay-as-grounded-as-i/)

[Jada Pinkett Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jada-pinkett-smith/)

> [Ballet.something pure in this crazy world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/ballet-something-pure-in-this-crazy-world/)

[Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/)

> [I wouldn't want to bring a kid into this crazy world right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/i-wouldn-t-want-to-bring-a-kid-into-this-crazy-world-right-now/)

[Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/)

> [Comedy has been my way to reconcile with the world. I didn't really set out to do this, but comedy has served as my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/comedy-has-been-my-way-to-reconcile-with-the-world-i-didn-t-really/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [It would make me feel that creative art has a chance in this crazy world that we all live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carl-black/it-would-make-me-feel-that-creative-art-has-a-chance-in-this-crazy/)

[Jimmy Carl Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carl-black/)

> [I feel like I'm not living a life different than anyone else. You know, I live in a house with 5 kids and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobymac/i-feel-like-i-m-not-living-a-life-different-than-anyone-else-you-know/)

[TobyMac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobymac/)

> [Well, you know, in this crazy world of entertainment, I would say if you have a dream, you have to pursue it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-bourret/well-you-know-in-this-crazy-world-of-entertainment-i-would-say-if-you/)

[Caprice Bourret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-bourret/)

> [Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/here-s-to-the-crazy-ones-the-misfits-the-rebels-the-troublemakers-the-2/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [I feel like, even in this crazy world of Trump getting elected and these things that really kind of caught me off-guard, I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/i-feel-like-even-in-this-crazy-world-of-trump-getting-elected-and/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [Rock music is important to people , because it allows them to escape this crazy world. It allows them not to run away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-townshend/rock-music-is-important-to-people-because-it-allows-them-to-escape/)

[Pete Townshend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-townshend/)

> [Peter Joseph is asking the questions and proposing the possible solutions that we should be demanding from the elected leaders of this crazy world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-rogan/peter-joseph-is-asking-the-questions-and-proposing-the-possible/)

[Joe Rogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-rogan/)

> [To be able to help a 13-year-old kid from the Bronx follow her dreams just by letting her know she's not forgotten in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-keys/to-be-able-to-help-a-13-year-old-kid-from-the-bronx-follow-her-dreams/)

[Alicia Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-keys/)

## 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 Crazy quotes

> [Im wild Im crazy, I'm wild, Im crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dot-dot-curve/im-wild-im-crazy-i-m-wild-im-crazy/)

Dot Dot Curve

> [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/)

[Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/)

> [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/)

[Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/)

> [Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self belief - everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/grit-determination-the-right-amount-of-crazy-self-belief-everything/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I didn't understand Southland Tales script at all! Is there a single word to describe it? Cacophony? It's celebrity meets pornography meets politics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/i-didn-t-understand-southland-tales-script-at-all-is-there-a-single/)

[Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/)

> [What I do miss that I don't get anymore? You're going to think I'm crazy, but you want the truth, so here it is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mandrell/what-i-do-miss-that-i-don-t-get-anymore-you-re-going-to-think-i-m/)

[Barbara Mandrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mandrell/)

> [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/)

[Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/)

> [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/)

[Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/)

> [Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-aunt-and-uncle-will-be-proud-though-won-t-they-said-hermione-as/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium - at a baseball game - which was crazy; there was, like, 60,000 people there, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/i-sang-the-national-anthem-at-dodger-stadium-at-a-baseball-game-which/)

[Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/)

> [In the middle of a play, I go crazy and don't realize what I'm doing. I'll snap back to reality and I realize, 'Hey,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-bosworth/in-the-middle-of-a-play-i-go-crazy-and-don-t-realize-what-i-m-doing-i/)

[Brian Bosworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-bosworth/)

> [ That's probably why my face was looking so crazy when I was crying \[in "Hardball"\] because it was some real. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-b-jordan/that-s-probably-why-my-face-was-looking-so-crazy-when-i-was-crying-in/)

[Michael B. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-b-jordan/)

> [I'm always writing. I'm an obsessive. It's not because I'm a disciplined person. It's because I'm crazy about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-m-always-writing-i-m-an-obsessive-it-s-not-because-i-m-a/)

[Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/)

Browse all 9,039 Crazy quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In this crazy world, there's an enormous distinction between good times and bad, between sorrow and joy. But in the eyes of God, they're never separated. Where there is pain, there is healing. Where there is mourning, there is dancing. Where there is poverty, there is the kingdom.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henri Nouwen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/in-this-crazy-world-there-s-an-enormous-distinction-between-good/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crazy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/in-this-crazy-world-there-s-an-enormous-distinction-between-good/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/henri-nouwen-600_crazy_in-this-crazy-world-there-s-an-enormous_1567378.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/henri-nouwen-600_crazy_in-this-crazy-world-there-s-an-enormous_1567378.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/henri-nouwen-600_crazy_in-this-crazy-world-there-s-an-enormous_1567378.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In this crazy world, there's an enormous distinction between good times and bad, between sorrow and joy. But…” — 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": "In this crazy world, there's an...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/in-this-crazy-world-there-s-an-enormous-distinction-between-good/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/in-this-crazy-world-there-s-an-enormous-distinction-between-good/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
