"The discipline of the Christian disciple is not to master anything, but rather to be mastered by the Spirit."
~Henri Nouwen, The Selfless Way of Christ

"To follow Christ requires the willingness and determination to let God's Spirit pervade all the corners of out minds and hearts and there make us into other Christs. Formation is transformation, and transformation means a growing conformity to the mind of Christ, who did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself."
~Henri Nouwen, The Selfless Way of Christ

"Indeed, the search for spectacular glitter is an expression of doubt in God's complete and unconditional acceptance of us."
~Henri Nouwen, The Selfless Way of Christ

"To be a person and to be seen, praised, liked, and accepted have become nearly the same for many. Who am I when nobody pays attention, says thanks, or recognizes my work? The more insecure, doubtful, and lonely we are, the greater our need for popularity and praise. Sadly, this hunger is never satisfied."
~Henri Nouwen, The Selfless Way of Christ


"In this life, there is no finished symphony. We are built for the infinite, Grand Canyons without a bottom. Because of that we will, this side of eternity, always be lonely, restless, incomplete, still a virgin - living in the torment of the insufficiency of everything attainable."
~Ronald Rolheiser, The Holy Longing

"In a variety of ways we are made to believe that we are what we produce. This leads to a preoccupation with products, visible results, tangible goods, and progress. The temptation to be relevant is difficult to shake since it is usually not considered a temptation, but a call."
~Henri Nouwen, The Selfless Way of Christ

"This expression of downward mobility is unnatural for us, because it belongs to the essence of out sinful, broken condition that every fiber of our being is infused with the spirit of rivalry and competition."
~Henri Nouwen, The Selfless Way of Christ

"If discipleship requires following Jesus in downward mobility, is this truly a human option? Is it possible to take Jesus totally seriously? Or would that simply mean embarking on a self-destructive, even masochistic, road? I wonder if in practice we haven't already answered this question. haven't we already decided that Jesus cannot be taken at his word, but rather needs to be adapted to our way of upward mobility?"
~Henri Nouwen, The Selfless Way of Christ