To confess your sins to God is not to tell [God] anything [God] doesn't already know. Until you confess them, however, they are the abyss between you. When you confess them, they become the bridge.
Frederick BuechnerRead
You can survive on your own; you can grow strong on your own; you can prevail on your own; but you cannot become human on your own.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Human connection is essential for personal growth and self-discovery.
This quote by Frederick Buechner highlights the importance of relationships in our journey toward becoming our true selves. While we can achieve survival and strength independently, authentic humanity—filled with compassion, connection, and understanding—requires the influence and presence of others in our lives. It emphasizes the idea that our interactions and relationships shape who we are fundamentally and that community is vital to our personal development.
Themes
RelationshipsCommunityHumanityGrowthConnection
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the importance of teamwork in personal development.
More from Frederick Buechner
All quotes →By and large a good rule for finding out is this: the kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work a) that you need most to do and b) the world most needs to have done. If you really get a kick out of your work, you've presumably met requirement a), but if your work is writing TV deodorant commercials, the chances are you've missed requirement b).
Frederick BuechnerRead
When you remember me, it means you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that if we meet again, you will know me. It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart.
Frederick BuechnerRead
We find by losing. We hold fast by letting go. We become something new by ceasing to be something old. This seems to be close to the heart of that mystery. I know no more now than I ever did about the far side of death as the last letting-go of all, but now I know that I do not need to know, and that I do not need to be afraid of not knowing. God knows. That is all that matters.
Frederick BuechnerRead
To be wise is to be eternally curious.
Frederick BuechnerRead
if you don't have doubts you're either kidding yourself or asleep. Doubts are the ants-in-the-pants of faith. They keep it alive and moving.
Frederick BuechnerRead
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It is not good to see people who have been pretending strength all their lives lose it even for a minute.
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There are some needs only you can see. There are some hands only you can hold. There are some people only you can reach.
Timothy KellerRead