Peter Bouteneff > Quotes

“As the saying goes, “The devil rejoices twice,” first at the sin, and then the havoc wreaked through ill-placed shame and self-loathing.”
― Peter Bouteneff, How to Be a Sinner

“But self-care also involves a thoughtful denial of excesses.”
― Peter Bouteneff, How to Be a Sinner

“The freest, least self-conscious people are usually those who know full well that they are broken, that they are sinners, and that they depend on a higher power for their very life.”
― Peter Bouteneff, How to Be a Sinner

“Substitute “I am a sinner” and you can see that it, too, means “I have a problem.” It does not define the totality of who you are. You are admitting that you are not whole. That you have a problem.”
― Peter Bouteneff, How to Be a Sinner

“Low self-esteem,” if understood in terms of self-loathing or insecurity rather than healthy humility, is a paralyzing thing, keeping us from achieving great things.”
― Peter Bouteneff, How to Be a Sinner

“When a person loves only himself, he loves neither God nor his fellow-men. He does not even love the person that is in himself; he loves only his thoughts about himself, his illusions about himself. Were he to love the person in himself, he would love God’s image in him, and would quickly become a lover of God and man, for he would be seeking man and God in other people, as objects of his love.”
― Peter Bouteneff, How to Be a Sinner

“Many of us spend a lot of our time and energy avoiding genuine self-discovery. We take refuge in the world’s abundant noise, distractions, and mediocrity because even a glimpse of our sins can be horribly unpleasant. We so often “hate the light . . . lest our deeds should be exposed” (Jn 3.20).”
― Peter Bouteneff, How to Be a Sinner

“This is part of a healthy and genuine self-reflection. The trick is to steer clear of vanity. That means, for one, when you do self-reflect, keep it light. A good sense of humor about yourself helps immensely in this regard. Don’t overdramatize either your sins or your virtues. Frankly, chances are good that neither are spectacular.”
― Peter Bouteneff, How to Be a Sinner

“appraisal”
― Peter Bouteneff, How to Be a Sinner