Quote

Real greatness is often hidden, humble, simple, and unobtrusive. It is not easy to trust ourselves and our actions without public affirmation. We must have strong self-confidence combined with deep humility.

Henri Nouwen

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Henri Nouwen
Age: 64 †
Born: 1932
Born: January 24
Died: 1996
Died: September 21
Catholic Priest
Presbyter
Priest
Psychologist
Theologian
University Teacher
Writer
Henri Jozef Machiel Nouwen
Self
Trust
Combined
Must
Public
Hidden
Real
Simple
Humble
Often
Actions
Easy
Humility
Strong
Greatness
Action
Confidence
Unobtrusive
Without
Deep
Affirmation

More quotes by Henri Nouwen

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When we break bread and give it to each other, fear vanishes and God becomes very close.
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What is forgotten cannot be healed, and that which cannot be healed easily becomes the cause of greater evil.
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We cannot make it rain but we can see to it that the rain falls on prepared soil.
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In solitude we become aware that our worth is not the same as our usefulness.
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Perhaps nothing helps us make the movement from our little selves to a larger world than remembering God in gratitude. Such a perspective puts God in view in all of life, not just in the moments we set aside for worship or spiritual disciplines. Not just in the moments when life seems easy.
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When you have loved deeply, that love can grow even stronger after the death of the person you love. That is the core message of Jesus.
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The university has become a place that prepares you for the fights in the world.
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Although I am a committed Catholic priest, and nowhere hide that fact, my focus is very much a spiritual journey.
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Today's reading was if they ask you to walk a mile, walk two. Don't take an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. You have chances every second to live this Word, but it has to be in you. It can't just be an idea it has to sink from the mind into the heart.
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The real question is: how can I live so that my death will be fruitful for others?
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I have always felt that if I am very personal and connected with what I myself am living, my writing will transcend ecclesial boundaries.
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I am very grateful that I am in touch with so many different church groups. I am always very moved by the fact that so many people - practically over the spectrum of the Christian world - are responding to my writing.
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Becoming the beloved is pulling the truth revealed to me from above down into the ordinariness of what I am, in fact, thinking of, talking about and doing from hour to hour.
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It is in solitude that we discover that being is more important than having and that we are worth more than the results of our efforts. In solitude we discover that our life is not a possession to be defended but a gift to be shared.
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Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own.
Henri Nouwen
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I often wonder if my knowledge about God has not become my greatest stumbling block to my knowledge of God.
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The third discipline is community. Whom do you choose as your companions? Whom do you choose to be friends with, to live with? Are they people who love you, and care for you, and nurture you?
Henri Nouwen
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One of the main tasks of theology is to find words that do not divide but unite, that do not create conflict but unity, that do not hurt but heal.
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If we want other people to give us something that only God can give, we become a demon. We say, Love me! and before you know it we become violent and demanding and manipulative. It's so important that we keep forgiving one another - not once in a while, but every moment of life.
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Your heart is greater than your wounds.
Henri Nouwen