--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Waiting time is not wasting time. Waiting…" description: "\"Waiting time is not wasting time. Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.\" — Henri Nouwen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/henri-nouwen-600_expectations_waiting-time-is-not-wasting-time-waiting_807374.png" --- # Waiting time is not wasting time. Waiting patiently in… ![“Waiting time is not wasting time. Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.” quote by Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/henri-nouwen-600_expectations_waiting-time-is-not-wasting-time-waiting_807374.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/henri-nouwen-600_expectations_waiting-time-is-not-wasting-time-waiting_807374.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/henri-nouwen-600_expectations_waiting-time-is-not-wasting-time-waiting_807374.png) > “Waiting time is not wasting time. Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.” [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. Patience is a spiritual practice; waiting with hope builds inner life rather than being wasted. **In simple terms:** Waiting with hope nurtures the spirit. Key Takeaway Practice patient expectation. Themes patience spirituality hope Mood contemplative inspirational Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - prayer - meditation - life transitions - goal pursuit Key Concepts mindfulness faith inner growth Questions to Reflect On - How does patient waiting differ from idle procrastination? - What practices sustain hopeful waiting? A Different Perspective Waiting can become passive if not coupled with active hope. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Foundation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foundation/) [God Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-will/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Not wasting time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-wasting-time-133575/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Patiently Expectation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patiently-expectation-6161622/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-life/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-waiting-251239/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Waiting Patiently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting-patiently/) [Waiting Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting-time-962061/) [Wasting time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasting-time/) ## Related quotes > [In the long run, all I care about is making good music & not wasting time being in the public eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galcher-lustwerk/in-the-long-run-all-i-care-about-is-making-good-music-not-wasting/) [Galcher Lustwerk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galcher-lustwerk/) > [At the beach - time you enjoyed wasting, is not wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/at-the-beach-time-you-enjoyed-wasting-is-not-wasted/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [Flow is hard to achieve without effort. Flow is not 'wasting time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/flow-is-hard-to-achieve-without-effort-flow-is-not-wasting-time/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [What has not wasting time impaired?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/what-has-not-wasting-time-impaired/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/waste-no-more-time-arguing-what-a-good-man-should-be-be-one/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [I was a lonely soul, I had nobody till I met you. But you, keeping me waiting, all of the time. What can I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-day/i-was-a-lonely-soul-i-had-nobody-till-i-met-you-but-you-keeping-me/) [Green Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-day/) > [Waiting time is not wasted time. Something is being worked out - in us, in someone else, in the Universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-beattie/waiting-time-is-not-wasted-time-something-is-being-worked-out-in-us/) [Melody Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-beattie/) > [You swear the light is gonna find you but it can't find you when you're waiting all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parachute/you-swear-the-light-is-gonna-find-you-but-it-can-t-find-you-when-you/) [Parachute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parachute/) > [But the waiting time, my brothers, Is the hardest time of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-doudney/but-the-waiting-time-my-brothers-is-the-hardest-time-of-all/) [Sarah Doudney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-doudney/) > [What does not wasting time change! The age of our parents, worse than that of our grandsires, has brought us forth more impious still,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/what-does-not-wasting-time-change-the-age-of-our-parents-worse-than/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [The talking shows are like free jazz. I'm just gonna go out there and blow with the idea of keeping it streamlined and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/the-talking-shows-are-like-free-jazz-i-m-just-gonna-go-out-there-and/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Sometimes people are holding things in, but really are just waiting for someone to take the time to just listen and not judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-people-are-holding-things-in-but-really-are-just-waiting/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All the days of my life I have been waiting for this time. Could you believe now its right before my eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/all-the-days-of-my-life-i-have-been-waiting-for-this-time-could-you/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [“...have you been waiting all this time, faithful as always, my Life?...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/have-you-been-waiting-all-this-time-faithful-as-always-my-life/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [When I got a chance to rap, I just busted my ass. When I got a chance to act, I busted my ass. Anytime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-t/when-i-got-a-chance-to-rap-i-just-busted-my-ass-when-i-got-a-chance/) [Ice T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-t/) ## 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 Expectations quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I say this all the time: I've always been really good at managing my expectations so that I'm not let down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/i-say-this-all-the-time-i-ve-always-been-really-good-at-managing-my/) [Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Keeping up with everybody's expectation is soooo hard!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi/keeping-up-with-everybody-s-expectation-is-soooo-hard/) [Naomi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi/) > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-re-wired-to-expect-the-world-to-be-brighter-and-more-meaningful/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“Does your reality match your expectations? If not it's time to change either your expectations or your reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/does-your-reality-match-your-expectations-if-not-it-s-time-to-change/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [Jesus' kingdom was not like the popular expectation. He used the phrase 'kingdom of God' with a different meaning. His kingdom was not of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harpur/jesus-kingdom-was-not-like-the-popular-expectation-he-used-the-phrase/) [Tom Harpur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harpur/) > [Disappointment contains an appointment for doing much better. High expectations mean your higher capacity and belief in abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/disappointment-contains-an-appointment-for-doing-much-better-high/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [It's a good place when all you have is hope and not expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/it-s-a-good-place-when-all-you-have-is-hope-and-not-expectations/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [When we give from a place of love, rather than from a place of expectation, more usually comes back to us than we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/when-we-give-from-a-place-of-love-rather-than-from-a-place-of/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Everybody out there watches the show and has expectations of wanting to be an 'Idol', but we're going to teach them how much hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bice/everybody-out-there-watches-the-show-and-has-expectations-of-wanting/) [Bo Bice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bice/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) [Browse all 4,210 Expectations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Waiting time is not wasting time. 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