Quotes from Henri Nouwen

Joy and laughter are the gifts of living in the presence of God and trusting that tomorrow is not worth worrying about.

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

Our first responsibility in the midst of violence is to prevent it from destroying us.

My whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I discovered that my interruptions were my work.

Every relationship carries within its center a holy vacancy, a space that is for the first Love, God alone.

I need no longer always manage and muster support for my "cause."

Our salvation comes from something small, tender, and vulnerable, something hardly noticeable. The Lord, who is the creator of the universe, comes to us in smallness, weakness, and hiddenness.

The unfathomable mystery of God is that God is a Lover who wants to be loved. The one who created us is waiting for our response to the love that gave us our being. God not only says: 'You are my Beloved.' God also asks: 'Do you love me?' and offers us countless chances to say 'Yes.' That is the spiritual life: the chance to say 'Yes' to our inner truth. The spiritual life, thus understood, radically changes everything.

Once you are in communion with God, you have the eyes to see and the ears to hear other people in whom God has also found a dwelling place.

the real "work" of prayer is to become silent and listen to the voice that says good things about me. To gently push aside and silence the many voices that question my goodness and to trust that I will hear the voice of blessing-- that demands real effort.

What once seemed such a curse has become a blessing. All the agony that threatened to destroy my life now seems like the fertile ground for greater trust, stronger hope, and deeper love.

Solitude is the place where we can connect with profound bonds that are deeper than the emergency bonds of fear and anger.