Five Quotes from Henri Nouwen

(January 24, 1932 – September 21, 1996)

I came across the the above photo recently at Indy Bikehiker (thanks John!) and it reminded me of some of the books I've read by this inspirational and prolific author (this one is my favorite). But it also reminded me that even though he, Fr. Nouwen, touched so many people's lives (including mine, even though I never met him), he himself struggled with doubt (of himself and his faith) and had bouts of depression and self-worth...in short he was as human and confused as the rest of us. And yes, I realize that this is the Five Quotes series and I have eight...but I could have gone on for quite some time, so I just chose these eight short ones. If you want to learn a bit more about him, visit the Henri Nouwen Society, and this is also an excellent biography.

“You don't think your way into a new kind of living. You live your way into a new kind of thinking.” 

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”

“The spiritual life does not remove us from the world but leads us deeper into it”  

“The soul of the artist cannot remain hidden.” 

“Emit gratitude as though it was done”  

“One of the tragedies of our life is that we keep forgetting who we are” 

“Much violence is based on the illusion that life is a property to be defended and not to be shared.”  

“The world is evil only when you become its slave.”

 More in the Five Quotes Series.

Urban Simplicity.

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