Henri Nouwen Quotes About Silence

Quotes about: Silence

• The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing...that is a friend who cares.

  Henri Nouwen

  Friendship, True Friend, Grief

  "Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life". Book by Henri Nouwen, 1974.

• A friend is more than a therapist or confessor, even though a friend can sometimes heal us and offer us God's forgiveness. A friend is that other person with whom we can share our solitude, our silence, and our prayer. A friend is that other person with whom we can look at a tree and say, "Isn't that beautiful," or sit on the beach and silently watch the sun disappear under the horizon. With a friend we don't have to say or do something special. With a friend we can be still and know that God is there with both of us.

  Henri Nouwen

  Beautiful, Beach, Prayer

• Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure.

  Henri Nouwen

  Distance, Silence, Listening

  Henri J. M. Nouwen (2010). “Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit”, p.21, Harper Collins

• It is not easy to enter into the silence and reach beyond the many boisterous and demanding voices of our world and to discover there the small intimate voice saying: 'You are my Belived Child, on you my favor rests.'

  Henri Nouwen

  Children, Our World, Voice

  Henri J. M. Nouwen (2016). “Life of the Beloved”, p.35, Hachette UK

• 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.

  Henri Nouwen

  Prayer, Real, Blessing

• We must ask ourselves how many times others would benefit more from our silence than from our words.

  Henri Nouwen

  Silence, Our Words, Benefits

• It is to this silence [contemplative prayer] that we all are called.

  Henri Nouwen

  Prayer, Silence, Contemplative

• Silence is a very concrete, practical, and useful discipline in all our ministerial tasks. It can be seen as a portable cell taken with us from the solitary place into the midst of our ministry. Silence is solitude practiced in action.

  Henri Nouwen

  Taken, Cells, Discipline

  Henri J. M. Nouwen (2016). “The Spiritual Life: Eight Essential Titles by Henri Nouwen”, p.23, HarperCollins

• As ministers our greatest temptation is toward too many words. They weaken our faith and make us lukewarm. But silence is a sacred discipline, a guard of the Holy Spirit.

  Henri Nouwen

  Discipline, Silence, Temptation

  Henri J. M. Nouwen (2016). “The Spiritual Life: Eight Essential Titles by Henri Nouwen”, p.27, HarperCollins

• Ministers are tempted to join the ranks of those who consider it their primary task to keep other people busy … But our task is the opposite of distraction … how to keep them from being so busy that they can no longer hear the voice of God who speaks in silence.

  Henri Nouwen

  Opposites, Voice, People

  Henri J. M. Nouwen (2016). “The Spiritual Life: Eight Essential Titles by Henri Nouwen”, p.29, HarperCollins

• Somewhere we know that without silence, words lose their meaning.

  Henri Nouwen

  Silence, Distance Friendship, Inspirational Long Distance Relationship

  Henri J. M. Nouwen (2010). “Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit”, p.21, Harper Collins

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