We are called to be fruitful - not successful, not productive, not accomplished. Success comes from strength, stress, and human effort. Fruitfulness comes from vulnerability and the admission of our own weakness.
— Henri Nouwen
Unconventional Human Strength quotations
If human beings can be trained for cruelty and greed and a belief in power which comes through hate and fear and force, certainly we can train equally well for greatness and mercy and the power of love which comes because of the strength of the good qualities to be found in the soul of every human being.
There is no power in the world that can stop the forward march of free men and women when they are joined in the solidarity of human brotherhood.
In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result.
Mountains are cathedrals: grand and pure, the houses of my religion.
I go to them as humans go to worship...From their lofty summits, I view my past, dream of the future, and with unusual acuity I am allowed to experience the present moment. My strength renewed, my vision cleared, in the mountains I celebrate creation. On each journey I am reborn.
Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create.
Cultural differences should not separate us from each other, but rather cultural diversity brings a collective strength that can benefit all of humanity." Also: "Intercultural dialogue is the best guarantee of a more peaceful, just and sustainable world.
Even the most powerful human being has a limited sphere of strength.
Draw him outside of that sphere and into your own, and his strength will dissipate.
If human beings are perceived as potentials rather than problems, as possessing strengths instead of weaknesses, as unlimited rather that dull and unresponsive, then they thrive and grow to their capabilities.
I have a concept of Naples that is not so much of a city, per se, but rather an ingredient of the human spirit that I detect in everyone, Neapolitan or not. The idea that 'Neapolitanism' and mass ignorance are somehow indissolubly linked is one that I am prepared to fight with all the strength I have.
If we find ourselves increasing beyond example in numbers, in strength, in wealth, in knowledge, in everything which promotes human and social happiness, let us ever remember our dependence for all these on the protection and merciful dispensations of Divine Providence.
Both now and for always, I intend to hold fast to my belief in the hidden strength of the human spirit.
Prayer is the force as real as terrestrial gravity.
As a physician, I have seen men, after all other therapy had failed, lifted out of disease and melancholy by the serene effort of prayer. Only in prayer do we achieve that complete and harmonious assembly of body, mind and spirit which gives the frail human reed its unshakable strength.
When it seems humanly impossible to do more in a difficult situation, surrender yourself to the inner silence and thereafter wait for a sign of obvious guidance or for a renewal of inner strength.
For me, the strength of photography lies in its ability to evoke humanity.
If war is an attempt to negate humanity, then photography can be perceived as the opposite of war.
I firmly believe, that before many centuries more, science will be the master of man. The engines he will have invented will be beyond his strength to control. Someday, science shall have the existence of mankind in its power, and the human race commit suicide by blowing up the world.
There is an Eye that never sleeps, Beneath the wind of night.
There is an ear that never shuts, When sinks the beams of light. There is an Arm that never tires, When human strength gives way. There is a Love that never fails, When earthly loves decay.
...Respecting the woman as an important and valuable human being and making certain that the woman's experience while giving birth is fulfilling and empowering is not just a nice extra, it is absolutely essential as it makes the woman strong and therefore makes society strong.
Our only reliable source of strength is the goodness of our hearts.
Our only foundation for coming to terms with the suffering of the times is our innate need to be decent human beings.
People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life.
You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart.
America is not dying because of the strength of humanism but the weakness of evangelism.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.
I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow.
The aim of education is to guide young persons in the process through which they shape themselves as human persons-armed with knowledge, strength of judgment, and moral virtues-while at the same time conveying to them the spiritual heritage of the nation and the civilization in which they are involved.
Peace has to be created, in order to be maintained.
It is the product of Faith, Strength, Energy, Will, Sympathy, Justice, Imagination, and the triumph of principle. It will never be achieved by passivity and quietism.
Selfless service alone gives the needed strength and courage to awaken the sleeping humanity in one's heart.
The strength of Olympism comes to it from that which is simply human, hence worldwide is its essence.
Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.
Production and consumption are the nipples of modern society.
Thus suckled, humanity grows in strength and beauty; rising standard of living, all modern conveniences, distractions of all kinds, culture for all, the comfort of your dreams.
Near this spot are deposited the remains of one who possessed beauty without vanity, strength without insolence, courage without ferocity, and all the virtues of man, without his vices. This praise, which would be unmeaning flattery if inscribed over human ashes, is but a just tribute to the memory of Botswain, a dog.
I pray God that we shall never use our physical prowess to oppress the human race, but we will use our strength, physically, morally and otherwise to preserve humanity and civilization.
There comes a pause, for human strength will not endure to dance without cessation; and everyone must reach the point at length of absolute prostration.
Only in prayer do we achieve that complete and harmonious assembly of body, mind, and spirit which gives the frail human reed its unshakable strength.
The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered.
We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human.
Good and evil, as we term them, are not antagonistic;
they are ever found hand in hand. Humanity has never achieved a single conquest without the aid of both. Indeed how can she? What adds to moral strength, but a grappling with temptation?
