--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Where true inner freedom is, there is…" description: "\"Where true inner freedom is, there is God. And where God is, there we want to be.\" — Henri Nouwen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/henri-nouwen-600_freedom_where-true-inner-freedom-is-there-is-god_127519.png" --- # Where true inner freedom is, there is God. And where God… ![“Where true inner freedom is, there is God. And where God is, there we want to be.” quote by Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/henri-nouwen-600_freedom_where-true-inner-freedom-is-there-is-god_127519.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/henri-nouwen-600_freedom_where-true-inner-freedom-is-there-is-god_127519.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/henri-nouwen-600_freedom_where-true-inner-freedom-is-there-is-god_127519.png) > “Where true inner freedom is, there is God. And where God is, there we want to be.” [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. True inner freedom aligns with the divine; where God resides, we seek to be. **In simple terms:** Freedom leads to God. Key Takeaway Seek freedom through spiritual connection. Themes spirituality freedom divine Mood contemplative hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal meditation - community worship - ethical decisions Key Concepts theology existentialism Practical Applications - cultivate inner peace - serve others Questions to Reflect On - What does inner freedom mean to you? - How do you experience the divine? A Different Perspective Freedom without belief may feel empty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-god/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God is there](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-is-there/) [God Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-want/) [Inner Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-freedom-1049620/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [True Inner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-inner-949669/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [“To attain true inner freedom, you must be able to objectively watch your problems instead of being lost in them... Once you've made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-a-singer/to-attain-true-inner-freedom-you-must-be-able-to-objectively-watch-2/) [Michael A. Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-a-singer/) > [“To attain true inner freedom, you must be able to objectively watch your problems instead of being lost in them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-a-singer/to-attain-true-inner-freedom-you-must-be-able-to-objectively-watch/) [Michael A. Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-a-singer/) > [It is very hard to stay in touch with our true identity because those who want our money, our time, and our energy profit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/it-is-very-hard-to-stay-in-touch-with-our-true-identity-because-those/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [The only way to true inner-peace is Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-roumie/the-only-way-to-true-inner-peace-is-jesus/) [Jonathan Roumie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-roumie/) > [If one is true to one's inner self, and follows its wisdom, who is without a teacher?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/if-one-is-true-to-one-s-inner-self-and-follows-its-wisdom-who-is/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [“The true inner meaning of success is to be successful at the enterprise of living. A”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/the-true-inner-meaning-of-success-is-to-be-successful-at-the/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [True inner joy is self-created It does not rely on any outer circumstances A river is flowing in and through you carrying the message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/true-inner-joy-is-self-created-it-does-not-rely-on-any-outer/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [Rules are the offspring of fear. If everyone trusted and followed their true inner spirit, the world would function flawlessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/rules-are-the-offspring-of-fear-if-everyone-trusted-and-followed/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Difficult circumstances serve to reacquaint us with this One True Inner Self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/difficult-circumstances-serve-to-reacquaint-us-with-this-one-true/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [The true inner self must be drawn up like a jewel from the bottom of the sea, rescued from confusion, from indistinction, from immersion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-true-inner-self-must-be-drawn-up-like-a-jewel-from-the-bottom-of/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [You have the approval of yourself. 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Trust it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/there-is-always-one-true-inner-voice-trust-it/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“We were, all of us, prisoners of our character, unable to alter our true inner natures. When we said we had changed, what had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/we-were-all-of-us-prisoners-of-our-character-unable-to-alter-our-true/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) ## 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. 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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/) > [Perhaps nothing helps us make the movement from our little selves to a larger world than remembering God in gratitude. Such a perspective puts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/perhaps-nothing-helps-us-make-the-movement-from-our-little-selves-to/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) [Explore all 452 Henri Nouwen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) ## More Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. 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Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. 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