Top 500 Quotes & Sayings by Henri Nouwen - Page 9

The mystery of one man is too immense and too profound to be explained by another man.

The soul of the artist cannot remain hidden.

Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are.

People who read your ideas tend to think that your writings reflect your life.

There are areas I have to work on. I had some questions and some struggles, but it was an enormously important time for me.

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.

No one person can fulfill all your needs. But the community can truly hold you. The community can let you experience the fact that, beyond your anguish, there are human hands that hold you and show you God's faithful love.

The great challenge is to discover that we are truly invited to participate in the divine life of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

I have always felt that if I am very personal and connected with what I myself am living, my writing will transcend ecclesial boundaries.

The beatitudes say, "Blessed are the poor". They don't say, "Blessed are those who care for the poor."

Often we come home from a sharing session with a feeling that something precious has been taken away from us or that holy ground has been trodden upon.

Solitude, community, and ministry are certainly not just for celibates! Celibates also have a hard time keeping up.

I wrote to my bishop, the Archbishop of Utrecht, Holland, and explained that I wanted not just permission to stay longer, but a mission. He met me at the Trosly L'Arche community and we spent a few days together . . . I wanted him to get to know L'Arche, to understand what I was doing there. Afterward he said, "I understand now, Henri. You have found a home for your self."

Writing is not just a job. It helps me to pray. It's a way of being.

I still believe that the university is a place where people can develop their minds and learn skills, but also they can develop their personalities and their spiritual life.

Beneath our frantic activities, there's a deep desire to show the world we are worthwhile.

The university has become a place that prepares you for the fights in the world.

Community life is not easy for somebody like me, who is used to living by himself and doing what he wants. It's a demanding life, and you quickly get in touch with your own handicaps and weaknesses.

One way to express the spiritual crisis of our time is to say that most of us have an address but cannot be found there.

It is not that the university as such is against spiritual formation. It is just that often the university does not know how to integrate spiritual formation within its academic disciplines.