464 Quotes by Henri Nouwen

Spiritual maturity is not knowing what to do with your whole life, but just knowing what to do next.

Good families always ritualize the table. You can say, "This is a Christmas meal; this is a birthday meal."

Jesus does not respond to our worry-filled way of living by saying that we should not be so busy with worldly affairs. He does not try to pull us away from the many events, activities, and people that make up our lives. . . . He asks us to shift the point of gravity, to relocate the center of our attention, to change our priorities. Jesus does not speak about a change of activities, a change in contacts, or even a change of pace. He speaks about a change of heart.

It is very hard to stay in touch with our true identity because those who want our money, our time, and our energy profit more from our insecurity and fears than from our inner freedom.

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

I often wonder if my knowledge about God has not become my greatest stumbling block to my knowledge of God.

Life is precious. Not because it is unchangeable, like a diamond, but because it is vulnerable, like a little bird. To love life means to love its vulnerability, asking for care, attention, guidance, and support. Life and death are connected by vulnerability. The newborn child and the dying elder both remind us of the preciousness of our lives. Let's not forget the preciousness and vulnerability of life during the times we are powerful, successful, and popular.

Although I am a committed Catholic priest, and nowhere hide that fact, my focus is very much a spiritual journey.

Through prayer we can carry in our heart all human pain and sorrow, all conflicts and agonies, all torture and war, all hunger, loneliness and misery, not because of some great psychological or emotional capacity, but because God's heart has become one with ours.