Theme
Witnesses on humility
The small, the hidden, those who sought to leave no trace — and of whom these words remain.
A few words
There is no harder work than praying to God. Every time a man wants to pray, his enemies try to stop him. Prayer is a fight to the last breath.
Believe firmly that, alone, we will never be able to do anything truly good.
I wasn't God's first choice for what I've done for China. There was somebody else. But he wasn't willing. And God looked down, and saw Gladys Aylward.
I, John, the humble and sinful, who have never done anything good on earth.
Go and stay in your cell, and the cell will teach you everything.
To save us, God sent his only Son to become one of us. It hit me now. There was only one way to help those ragpicker children: become a ragpicker like them.
All 156 witnesses on humility
- Abba Agathon Prayer understood as a fight, to the last breath.
- Abba Arsène Chosen withdrawal, and silence kept as a piece of work.
- Abba Poemen Patience that wears down hardness drop by drop, without any great gesture.
- Alexis Khomiakov Prayer understood as an act that is never solitary, and theology done by working hands.
- Alfred le Grand Giving people back the words they need; wisdom sought by a man of action.
- Alphonse de Liguori Praying without ceasing as the great means of salvation, trust in the goodness of God.
- Ambroise d'Optina Short advice, given from a bed, that sets a life upright again.
- Ambroise de Milan Authority turned into service, a faith that is sung before it is argued.
- Amma Théodora Humility preferred to feats of endurance; the winter of trials received as a season that does its work.
- André Bessette The self-effacement of one who refers every grace beyond himself.
- Andrew Murray The patient school of prayer, learned day after day like a friendship that abides.
- Angelus Silesius Brevity as prayer: a few words that are enough to stand before God.
- Anselme de Cantorbéry Faith seeking understanding, and the mind that prays as it seeks to understand.
- Antoine le Grand The desert as a school: a solitude that does not flee people but learns to carry them.
- Aphraate le Sage persan Prayer measured not by its words but by the clarity of the heart and the deeds it produces.
- Augustin d’Hippone Conversion as the belated welcome of a presence that had always been waiting.
- Augustus Tolton Quiet faithfulness under contempt, and the God-given dignity that no rejection can take away.
- Benoît de Nursie “Some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Benedict made it a rule: every guest who arrives is received as Christ himself. We never welcome only the person we think we see, which is why hospitality is an act of faith before it is a courtesy.
- Benoît le More Authority exercised without ever leaving the servant's place; a simplicity that disarms.
- Benoît-Joseph Labre Destitution chosen as a form of prayer; a wandering that seeks nothing to keep.
- Bernadette Soubirous Littleness embraced without shame: saying what one has received, then disappearing into the ordinary.
- Blaise Pascal The heart that knows God where reason alone cannot reach, and the smallness of man before the infinite.
- Cædmon de Whitby A gift received late and unearned, and given straight back as praise.
- Caryll Houselander The inner emptiness consented to, so that God's breath may make its music there.
- Cassienne de Constantinople To speak the truth without flattery, and to sing the mercy offered to those who turn back.
- Catharine Brown To know oneself small, and to want to carry one's own people anyway.
- Catherine de Bologne The spiritual struggle waged in distrust of self and trust in God.
- Catherine Labouré Staying hidden to leave all the room to God, faithfulness in obscure tasks.
- Charbel Makhlouf The silent prayer of a hidden life, that says nothing and yet shines.
- Charles de Foucauld “His compassions are new every morning.” Charles de Foucauld made dawn itself a prayer: to begin with open hands, holding nothing back from the day before, and to entrust the coming hour to the One who has already gone ahead of it. His self-abandonment is not resignation. It is receiving the day as a gift already begun.
- Charlotte Elliott Coming without having arranged anything about oneself, with the conflict and the fear still intact.
- Christina Rossetti When there is nothing else, giving one's heart (poverty made into an offering).
- Claire d'Assise The gaze held on Christ until one becomes what one beholds.
- Claire de Montefalco Not praying from a distance about what one has been through.
- Colette de Corbie Letting oneself be reformed before reforming, keeping one's gaze on the cross.
- Crispine de Thagore Calmly repeating the same thing in front of those who have power over everything.
- Cyprian Michael Tansi To give oneself to God without half-measures, and to prefer the hidden life to renown: an ordinary holiness, African and monastic.
- Cyrille de Tourov Naming yourself before God, with no one in between.
- Devasahayam Pillai Joyful constancy under trial, when faith is costly and the dignity of all is worth more than one's own rank.
- Dominique de Guzmán Praying at night for the people one meets by day.
- Dorothée de Gaza Concrete humility: drawing near to God by drawing near to others.
- Élisabeth de Hongrie Royalty that becomes service, charity that lowers the crown.
- Élisabeth de la Trinité The prayer of the interior: to seek God not far off but in the depths of oneself, and to abide there.
- Enrique Shaw Answering for those who depend on us; other people's work carried as a charge before God.
- Étienne de Hongrie Responsibility lived out before God: governing, deciding, working while remaining a person of prayer.
- Florence Li Tim-Oi Serving without a title, and waiting decades without bitterness.
- François d’Assise Poverty as radical freedom, creation as family.
- François de Sales Gentleness as strength, and holiness offered to ordinary life.
- Frère Laurent de la Résurrection “Come to me, all you who are weary.” The rest he promises is not the end of work, but a presence within it. Brother Lawrence found it among the pots of his monastery kitchen: doing the smallest task for the love of God, and never doing it alone. The tiredness remains; the weight is shared.
- George Herbert Prayer woven into the humblest gestures of the everyday.
- George Washington Carver Science as prayer: seeking in creation the secrets patiently entrusted by God, and returning them to serve the poorest.
- Gérard Groote Ordering one's life not by a solemn vow, but by a resolution taken up again each day.
- Gladys Aylward The prayer of the unlikely sent one: to know oneself an improbable choice, and to go all the same.
- Godric de Finchale A song received rather than composed, and long faithfulness to a single place.
- Grégoire de Tours Speaking to God, and of people, in the language you have rather than the one you wish you had.
- Grégoire le Grand Holding together overflowing action and the desire for contemplation, sacrificing neither to the other.
- Grégoire Palamas The prayer of the heart: to stand in silence and let the light of God give itself.
- Guigues Ier le Chartreux The prayer of someone who looks his body's needs in the face without shame.
- Hannah More Prayer understood as desire rather than speech, and a piety proved in the use of one's days.
- Héloïse du Paraclet The prayer that refuses to lie to itself about what it feels.
- Henri Nouwen A spirituality of returning to the foundational identity of beloved child.
- Hillel l'Ancien Kindness held as the heart of the whole Law, and the gentle urgency of the present moment.
- Ignace de Loyola To seek and find God in all things, and to hand over to him all one's freedom.
- Ignacia del Espíritu Santo Foundation against the current, patience under suspicion, dignity claimed for local women when the Church itself doubted them.
- Ini Kopuria Work shared rather than carried alone, and land given before words.
- Isaac Penington Long inward searching resolved into simplicity, courage to leave comfort and status behind, testimony to the Light that needs no institution to be true.
- Isidore le Laboureur Manual work held as continuous prayer; poverty that still gives.
- Jacques de Saroug Prayer that becomes song, and the humble request to be a simple instrument in the breath of God.
- Jacques-Désiré Laval The freely accepted wearing-out of self in service of the poorest, and the trusting expectation of rest in God.
- Jadwiga de Pologne Political power redirected toward the poor, generosity that outran what was expected, a short life spent building things that would outlast her.
- Jakob Böhme Inner stillness as the first place of listening, kept in the middle of a trade and a household.
- Jan Tyranowski The inner life of a man with no title; handing on faith through friendship rather than from a pulpit.
- Jane Austen The examination of a day made with irony towards oneself and gentleness towards others.
- Jarena Lee Persistence against a closed door, courage to preach without permission when permission never came, an authority claimed from conviction rather than granted by title.
- Jean Cassien Careful transmission of hard-won wisdom, patience with the restless mind, a bridge built between traditions so nothing of value would be lost.
- Jean Climaque Climbing step by step: the spiritual life as patience, where the highest prayer is still a child's.
- Jean Colobos Humility learned the hard way, the marriage of ordinary work and ceaseless prayer, wisdom compressed into short unforgettable sayings.
- Jean de Dieu Doing good without keeping count, because the mercy one has received is not counted either.
- Jean de Rila The short prayer repeated in working hands, until it holds up on its own.
- Jean de Shanghai et San Francisco Ceaseless prayer and charity without borders, kept intact under slander.
- Jean l'Aumônier Seeing in the one who lacks everything someone who has credit with God.
- Jean Tauler Descending to the ground of the soul where God speaks, praying in bareness.
- Jean XXIII Trusting simplicity, handing the world's cares back to God each evening.
- Jean-Marie Vianney Perseverance in an obscure post, and the certainty that prayer is our happiness.
- Jeanne Jugan Chosen littleness, which awaits all from God and serves the forgotten.
- John Bradburne The long wandering that finds at last its rest in serving the most rejected.
- John Newton Repentance that comes late and works anyway, and grace found wider than the memory of the harm one has done.
- Juan Diego The little one whom God chooses as messenger, who dares to voice his sense of unworthiness without shirking.
- Julia Greeley Giving at night to spare the shame of the one who receives; a charity that refuses to be seen.
- Lancelot Andrewes Prayer patiently shaped in secret, made of praise, confession, and remembrance.
- Léonie Martin The hope of new beginnings: when nothing works the first time, trust ends up opening a way.
- Lucretia Mott The inward light recognised in every human being, with no exception and no precondition.
- Macaire l'Égyptien The shortest prayer: when words fail, stretching out one's hands and letting mercy do the rest.
- Madeleine-Sophie Barat The education of the heart, patient and humble, in the service of one as of all.
- Margery Kempe The prayer of tears: to bring before God a weeping heart, neither justifying it nor silencing it.
- Marguerite Bourgeoys To serve without withdrawing from the world, in the manner of the Virgin who goes out toward others: a prayer with hands and roads.
- Marguerite d'Youville Unshakable trust in the Father's Providence, in the very heart of loss and destitution.
- Marguerite Porete Silence before those who judge, and a stripping-away carried to the point of asking for nothing.
- Mariam Baouardy Letting the Spirit lift you like a little nothing: the simplicity that asks for light before acting.
- Marie-Alphonsine Ghattas Constant prayer that takes flesh in teaching the lowly.
- Martin de Porres Loving without making distinctions, putting compassion before all.
- Martin de Tours Sharing what one has, serving without shirking the task.
- Matt Talbot Starting again one day at a time; a deliverance not told but held.
- Mélanie l'Ancienne Naming oneself by belonging to God, and not by what one owns.
- Moïse l'Éthiopien Not to judge the faults of others while already carrying one's own.
- Nahmanide Prayer begins in the way one speaks to others the rest of the day.
- Nano Nagle The dogged service of the little ones in the dark, a light carried where faith is hindered.
- Nectaire d'Égine Gentleness in the face of injustice; prayer held as a conversation that is never broken off.
- Nersès Shnorhali Prayer hour after hour: to confess one's faith and ask again for mercy through the whole day.
- Nicodème l'Hagiorite Handing on rather than producing; placing the prayer of the ancients into today's hands.
- Nimatullah Kassab Al-Hardini Faithfulness to the hour of prayer, kept without display, year after year.
- Pacôme le Grand Common life as a way to God: serving one's brothers rather than saving oneself alone.
- Païssios du Mont-Athos Prayer woven into the work of the hands, and the compassion that prays by carrying another's pain.
- Païssy Velitchkovsky Handing on what you did not invent, cleaning it patiently as you go.
- Paulina du Cœur agonisant de Jésus Staying beside the people no one else will look after.
- Pauline Jaricot Making prayer and giving into shared works, where the smallest, joined together, carry the whole world.
- Pedro de San José Betancur The charity of one who, having known destitution, makes it the place of his prayer.
- Philippe Néri Joy as a way to God: a holiness without pose, refusing to take itself seriously so as to take God seriously.
- Philoxène de Mabboug Faith understood as an organ of sight, and simplicity held to be the condition of every other virtue.
- Phoebe Palmer Holiness open to all, given in the moment to whoever surrenders without delay.
- Pierre Claver Serving with one's hands before speaking, drawing near to the suffering body.
- Pierre Toussaint The quiet, stubborn charity of daily life, working in order to be able to give.
- Proba Making what you already know into the matter of praise.
- Richard Allen Dignity that does not shout and does not yield, and anger turned into a house built.
- Richard Baxter Meditation kept as a regular appointment, and the humility that comes of the frequenting itself.
- Rosalie Rendu Prayer that carries on into the service of the poorest, contemplation held in the middle of the street.
- Rose-Philippine Duchesne Prayer offered when one can do nothing else, held as true labour before God.
- Salomon ibn Gabirol Praise that knows it will not reach its object, and complaint that dares be spoken inside the prayer.
- Samson Occom To serve without being repaid, and to say so without falling silent.
- Sarah du désert Holding fast in the battle without asking for it to end: praying for strength rather than for relief.
- Satoko Kitahara Not helping from above but joining: drawing so near as to share the other's condition.
- Serge de Radonège Seeking God in solitude, serving unity through humility.
- Silouane de l'Athos To pray for all people, even one's enemies, and to hold on to hope at the very edge of despair.
- Sisoès le Grand To begin again each day, never supposing one has arrived.
- Socrate le Scolastique Peace kept in the face of difference: what varies from church to church is not what saves.
- Sophrony d'Essex The descent into the hell of despair carried through into light, and the name of God held in the depth of the heart.
- Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Intelligence held as a gift of God, and an imposed silence inhabited without pretence.
- Stephen Kim Sou-hwan Physical courage placed between power and the vulnerable, a church that became sanctuary in fact and not just in name, authority used to shield rather than to command.
- Suzanne Aubert Stubborn hope that lets God settle things in his own time.
- Théodore Stoudite Prayer held inside a timetable, like work that is not put off.
- Thérèse Couderc Surrendering oneself: a handing over of self deeper than devotion, learned in hiddenness.
- Thérèse de Lisieux Love as vocation. Sanctity at the height of a child.
- Thomas a Kempis Preferring to feel rather than to define, and finding a hidden life enough.
- Thomas Cranmer Praying in words anyone can say, and coming back after giving way.
- Thomas d'Aquin Prayer that surpasses knowledge: to seek God with all one's mind, then to fall silent before him.
- Tikhon de Zadonsk Gentleness born of inner trial, and forgiveness given as one has received it.
- Timothée Ier de Bagdad Giving an account of one's faith before someone who does not share it, without raising one's voice.
- Úrsula de Jesús What the one who serves can see, and was never once asked about.
- Véronique Giuliani Love that lets itself be found at the end of the night, and the humble obedience that tells what it would rather have hidden.
- Vincent de Paul Loving God by the sweat of one's arms, seeing in the poor one's master.
- Wang Zhiming The faithfulness that will not be bent, and hands kept pure for God alone.
- Watchman Nee The prayer of weakness: to stop relying on oneself and let Christ live within us.
- William Law The devotion that reaches all of ordinary life, down to work and the use of money.
- Xénia de Saint-Pétersbourg Carrying another's name before God; the freedom of those with nothing left to defend.
- Yohanan ben Zakkaï What remains when the holy place is destroyed: study, prayer, and kindness given back.
- Zita de Lucques Holiness in work nobody watches; service kept without bitterness.