When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said “Let us pray.” We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.
TUTU DESMONDWhen the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said “Let us pray.” We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.
TUTU DESMONDLife is more than breath and a heartbeat; meaning and purpose are the life of life.
TUTU DESMONDWhen we see others as the enemy, we risk becoming what we hate. When we oppress others, we end up oppressing ourselves. All of our humanity is dependent upon recognizing the humanity in others.
TUTU DESMONDTransformation begins in you, wherever you are, whatever has happened, however you are suffering. Transformation is always possible.
TUTU DESMONDIn the end what matters is not how good we are but how good God is. Not how much we love Him but how much He loves us. And God loves us whoever we are, whatever we’ve done or failed to do, whatever we believe or can’t.
TUTU DESMONDLanguage is very powerful. Language does not just describe reality. Language creates the reality it describes.
TUTU DESMONDYou show your humanity by how you see yourself not as apart from others but from your connection to others.
TUTU DESMONDWe are fragile creatures, and it is from this weakness, not despite it, that we discover the possibility of true joy.
TUTU DESMONDLife of wholeness does not depend on what we experience. Wholeness depends on how we experience our lives
TUTU DESMONDYou don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.
TUTU DESMONDThe path of joy was connection and the path of sorrow was separation.
TUTU DESMONDA person is a person through other persons; you can’t be human in isolation; you are human only in relationships.
TUTU DESMONDReligion is like a knife: you can either use it to cut bread, or stick in someone’s back.
TUTU DESMONDThere is nothing more difficult than waking someone who is only pretending to be asleep.
TUTU DESMONDThough wrong gratifies in the moment, good yields its gifts over a lifetime.
TUTU DESMONDOur maturity will be judged by how well we are able to agree to disagree and yet continue to love one another, to care for one another, and cherish one another and seek the greater good of the other.
TUTU DESMOND