The Art of Letting Go: Living the Wisdom of Saint Francis

by Richard Rohr

The author introduces the reader to the vision of the Franciscan way of living, where joy, not dry theology helps us build relationships and find peace in ourselves.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Religion, Christian, Faith, Theology, Self Help

Audible Audio

First published January 25, 2004

About the author

Fr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. He is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fr. Richard's teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy—practices of contemplation and expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized.

Fr. Richard is author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, Eager to Love, and The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (with Mike Morrell).

Fr. Richard is academic Dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. Drawing upon Christianity's place within the Perennial Tradition, the mission of the Living School is to produce compassionate and powerfully learned individuals who will work for positive change in the world based on awareness of our common union with God and all beings. Visit cac.org for more information.

Reviews

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I'm giving this 5 stars. I kind of fell in platonic love with Richard Rohr while listening to The Art of Letting Go. Rohr is very informal and conversational throughout this audio lecture series -- you never feel like he is preaching or lecturing to you. Instead, it is like listening to a wise, older friend, who rambles a bit and contradicts himself sometimes, but who comes from a place of wisdom and knowing and experience. I would listen to this again.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that can be read in one sitting - good thing, because I couldn't put it down. It said so many things I've thought about faith and spirituality as opposed to organized religion (specifically Christianity), but haven't been able to articulate. For example: "...And the same for blame...now we (blame) parents, institutions, or history itself. There must be a victim and a victimizer. But why? What does it help?...Nothing is gained by accusing or avoiding, except a false sense of control." Powerful concept, in a nutshell. The book was released in 1990, revised in 2003. And just as applicable today as ever.

[Cayla Pruett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know where to begin... I have grown to adore Richard Rohr, I might even go so far as to categorize him as one of my favorite Spiritual mentors. And even still, this book managed to so far exceed my expectations in its depth of insight and astute observations about the nature and condition of the human soul, I find it difficult to review. Reading this piece felt something like what I imagine it might feel like to stroll along and rest among the green pastures and quiet waters of Psalm 23: profoundly refreshing and humbling in the same breath.

Rohr leads his readers on a journey of Spiritual insight, one that points the reader in the direction of actual freedom by way of the upside down Kingdom- which is to say: less is more, and the path upward is downward. We can only grasp hold of freedom if our hands our free to do so, in which case, we must first learn to let go, to be emptied. I checked this book out from the Library, but I will be buying it myself so I can reread it and literally underline every single passage. I plan to use it as a reflective tool during Lent, to lead me in contemplative prayer.

I simply cannot recommend this book enough. Probably the most insightful book I've read in the last year, easily. I'd give everyone I know a copy if I could.

[Mehrsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and essential reading for anyone trying to be a good person. St. Francis was probably one of like 10 people ever who really understand what Jesus was saying. And MLK and Mother Teresa were two others. Richard Rohr is an excellent guide to getting there--but this is not just about Christianity or even religion. It's about becoming a whole person and doing good with your one life

[Matt Root · Rating 2 out of 5]

I try not to judge spiritual books on whether they speak to me, so I don't rate this lowly because it wasn't the right time or right message. In fact it's hard to argue with anything he says. My problems with the book are twofold: 1. It doesn't work as a book; even if seen as a loose collection of essays, the titles of some of them don't match the content and many of them are poor in quality. 2. Much of the book is now dated. He would have been well served to do a far deeper edit for the re-release in 2003. Much of what was appropriate and even prophetic in 1991 feels hopelessly out of touch or obvious today.

I will commend three of the chapters/essays which I would encourage anyone to read: 1. The Preface, which is a powerful diagnosis of the problems of our society; 2. Chapter 6, "The Freedom of the Sons and Daughters of God," and 3. Chapter 7, "What is this Women's Stuff," which contains the most accessible and clear description of Privilege I've encountered.

[John Laliberte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fabulous contribution by Richard Rohr. He makes you think, ponder, reflect and pray.. but, mostly, he helps you find peace. I recommend this book highly.

[Ashley Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If I believe Jesus then I believe God is wherever the suffering is. God goes wherever the pain is. I believe awakened and aware people go wherever the suffering is; go where people have been excluded, expelled, diminished, abused— and that is where they find God.”

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This means that the real life has started now. It’s Heaven all the way to Heaven and it’s Hell all the way to Hell. We are in Heaven now by falling, by letting go, and by trusting and surrendering to this deeper, broader, and better reality that is already available to us. We’re in Hell now by wrapping ourselves around our hurts, by over-identifying with and attaching ourselves to our fears, so much so that they become our very identity. Any chosen state of victimhood is an utter dead end. Once you make that your narrative, it never stops gathering evidence about how you have been wronged by life, by others, and even by God.”

[Greg Diehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rohr's true gift is his ability to plant within his readers' (and hearers') hearts a sincere desire to let go of the superficial. He brings what is really worth hanging on to into the full light of day, and thus helps us identify what needs to be relinquished in the shadows of our soul. He reflects the true message of St. Francis (and I believe of Christ himself) as he consistently reinforces the call to give others not only the benefit of the doubt - but the absolute wisdom and radical compassion of giving others the benefit of our faith! To find and seek the common ground, our common humanity, even if that represents only 10% of the current conversation, lead with faith. To lead with anything else only brings us back to the superficial and the small - to those things we really need to let go of . . .

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half of the chapters from this essay series were very impactful and ones that I will be coming back to. Half were did not speak to me as much but were still interesting. I like learning from Richard Rohr.

[Andrea Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book attempts to reverse the unfortunate effects that our culture has had on our spirituality … it contrasts our current situation with the teachings of Jesus and finds it distinctly imperfect … it also dispenses wisdom, such as, “You can lead people only as far as you yourself have gone.” … helpful …

[Jaksone Wallbank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book incredibly enlightening. Richard Rohr is a Franciscan monk who examines the inherent spirituality within Christianity that it feels like so many modern Christians have lost connection with. This book only comes in audio format, as in you have to buy a set of CD's in order to "read" it. If you can get over that part of it, then this book is more than worth a listen.

Richard Rohr breaks down so many barriers that modern Christianity has put up inside our own minds, hearts, souls, and spirits. He briefly explains the life of St. Francis and then takes those learnings and makes it applicable to ways of living. If you're wanting to experience a "Ways of Knowing" course without having to go to a University approved course and from a slightly alternative perspective, then this is well worth it.

These CD's have allowed me to reassess a lot of the things that I believe about my faith and the way that I want to exist within it. I had the benefit of listening to these at the same time as a podcast that Fr. Rohr was on. My one recommendation would be that if you choose to listen to it, that you listen at a reasonable pace, but that you leave decent gaps between each disk as there is a lot of information and emotion to process through before you feel ready to tackle the next subject.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

spirituality of subtraction, pander to ego, push out for more vs rooted, most written about fear of war obsession with possession measure time barter to money, invite vs push, freedom from self for others needs pains, like Jesus, God as holy mystery, observe natural world, let go less is more, win win view, joyful humility, rope vs belt, rely on nature and goodness of others, who am I, life phase write text then commentary, to love is souls purpose, we are own worst enemy, love people use things, inherent dignity, affluenza swollen expectations commoditize god in pocket 2 masters, Budda 3 poisons greed ill-will delusion-1 view vs objective observation, entitlement leads to scarcity ½ empty, change heart ak mustard seed to sufficiency, full within and full to others, falling upward heaven all the way to heaven hell to hell, atheists via cathed, ed vs transformation, grace and meritocracy, 9 my body pleasure security-look good win lose-ego my truth-elitism arrogance-self-cannot-by grace-am who am, see God in all things, transform pain/unforgiveness or transmit, own to let go.

[Rick Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I confess that I really love Richard Rohr's work on spirituality and contemplative prayer so any review I give is certainly filtered through that lens. That said, this is a profound meditation on how the spiritual life is, in Meister Eckhart's terms, a process of subtraction. This is a countercultural word to our Western culture of achievement and status. The ways in which Christianity has been twisted to match the culture of "winning" and achievement add to, rather than assuage, our discontent and disconnection. Simplicity is about letting go but it is far from simple. This book is worth returning to again and again.

[Deanna]

I must confess that I went into this book with expectations based solely on the title of the book. "Simplicity: the freedom of letting go". This book seems to be about neither simplicity nor about any kind of letting go. It wasn't that I thought it was a how to of living a simpler life, i.e. less stuff but how to simplify by getting rid of all that emotional baggage we carry around. Part way through the book and I still don't know what the overarching theme is or how it even remotely relates to the title.

[Tamara D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a bit disjointed at times, this book will make you think about how you view God and why. A short book that is easy to devour and yet, in some ways, hard to digest because it's so full of ideas to mull over, put away, and then return to. Worth the time to delve into.

[Summer Cromartie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it again, and it's full of great reminders. So good.
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Another excellent work! Lots of good stuff about St. Francis, avoiding materialism, false self vs true self, and I especially loved his thoughts on the stages of life/faith. His model has nine!

[Kelley Johnson]

Listened to the audio book while sewing masks. It was intriguing to learn about Rohr's nine levels of spiritual development. I'd like to read more from him on this topic.

There was also a really compelling idea about a person's real self being the spirit of God that's been breathed into you (what some might call the soul). This is an intertwining of you, and the god in you. This is why ALL people have worth and value, not as a result of anything they do, but because the spirit of God is in them.

Generally we work hard to achieve, do great things, gain power, buy the better version of all our possible possessions, because that's what we define us "me". We think our true self is a result of what we think, what we do, what we have, the power/position we hold. Rohr seems to believe that we don't need to chase after things to build up the best version of our true self, but we instead need to let go of these things. With each step of letting go, we reveal more and more of our true self, the self that was always there, the self that is the spirt of God breathed into us. We don't need more, we need less.

[Brock Belnap · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a Christian background being dropped in favor of Nirvana or Brahman and the spiritually awakening of my soul; Richard has connected me back to Christian values to progress further towards heaven on earth. Just as Christ said “the kingdom of heaven is inside you”. This has helped me progress in a way that I didn’t know I needed. I had gotten stuck with the spiritual path. I’ve found myself at levels 7-9 but always rejecting those at levels 2-3 and this is great insight into my path. The path to heaven is heaven all the way. The path to hell is hell all the way. Heaven and hell are states of mind and we progress through the levels of spiritual growth through suffering and forgiveness…. Letting go! I hope to continue my free fall up the mountain and this has given me insights into how I can move forward with more hope and growth.

Highly recommend and hope my wife will listen to this audio book! So good!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated the ways that Rohr talked about faith. Each chapter was on a different topic, not all of them relating to simplicity so that felt a little challenging and disjointed. Overall I liked the points that Rohr made about faith including how we represent Jesus, the role gender plays in faith and the role of community. Not every single chapter stuck with me but I did like this book, the topics still felt relevant in 2025.

[Nic Lishko · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little franchise retreat.

[Cate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just delight in Fr. Richard Rohr. I’ve never read or listened to anything from him that did not leave me happier and improved.

[Ray Timmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thought provoking. Truly, less is more. "He must increase, I must decrease."

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of a course than a book... Brilliant nonetheless.

[Maureen Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend to anyone wanting to grow in their spiritual and personal journey.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can never get enough of Fr. Richard. Excellent reminders of the Falling Upward concepts in the context of St. Francis.

[Steve Worsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learnt a lot about Francis of Assisi and found plenty of challenging moments through the course of this book. I presume Richard Rohr never married, and at times I wondered how much the experience of raising and loving children forces parents to 'let go' of much they previously valued.

This has all the value of a devotional book as well as fascinating biographical material about Francis. Well worth reading.

A couple of quotes that really struck me:

‘The False self can’t forgive enemies. Show me where it is in western christianity – even though Jesus commanded that we love our enemy - Christian nations certainly have not been known for love of enemies. We couldn’t even love the other kind of Christian on the other side of town. Much less Jews, or Muslims or anybody who is not just like us. In short, I’m afraid, we have not been a bridge building religion. We’ve largely been protectors of boundaries.’ (2:32:40)

‘A lot of reincarnationalists and most pious Christians and many mainline religious people in all denominations, believe that the real life is later. It’s after death. This, I believe has disempowered the teaching of Jesus perhaps more than anything else. Once his great good news became a reward/ punishment system that only checked in in to place in the next world, instead of a transformational system in this world, Christianity in effect, moved from a religion of letting go – because the ‘enoughness’ was already experienced - to a religion of holding on. Largely a religion protecting the status quo of empire, power, war, money and the private ego. So in many ways we have not been a force for liberation, peace-making or change in the world.

There was no satisfaction in God now, so I guess we rewarded ourselves by many other satisfactions – as many as we could get by with, while not feeling too guilty, while still enforcing on ourselves the ‘moral minimals’ of good conscience. I’m afraid that’s the religion we largely have.’ (5:10:00)

Another quote I couldn't find said Francis instructed any Christian coming across a page of the Koran should pick it up and kiss it, and take it into a Mosque and place it on the altar. They are seekers of God just as we Christians are. Rohr asks, Can you imagine how much bloodshed would have been avoided if Christians through the centuries had had this attitude?

Other things I bullet pointed:

• Francis considered money like dung
• Francis' father was wealthy and powerful
• Freedom in the first instance means freedom from your own urges
• All spirituality is about letting go
• Living in the moment means accepting what is in front of you (in the first place) as it is without trying to manipulate or change it
• Orwell vs Huxley - who was right? Is our future problem overlords and big brother, or amusing ourselves to death?
• Sufficiency vs entitlement worldviews. Sufficiency - being enough and having enough, is an inside job. It's the work of religion. Brings contentment, joy despite externals
• Commodity culture
• False self rises and falls on reputation, critique etc. Gets angry every five minutes

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this mans work, but while the book has many good points that either coincide with my life, or are something I need to aim for, I agree it is disjointed at time. The thing is, this is a book based on his talks; and those are more difficult to read.

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disjointed...appears to be writing stuck together with no glue. Not even sure what he wrote has to do with simplicity. Loved his other work, though.

[Keith]

Rohr had a lot of good things to say, but i felt it was a bit disconnected and didn't give a lot of direction for the person seeking to practice simplicity.