Richard Francis Xavier Manning, also known as Brennan Manning (1934-2013), was an American author, laicized priest and speaker, most renowned for his book “The Ragamuffin Gospel.”
Born in Brooklyn during the Depression, he studied briefly at St. John’s University before serving in the Korean War and later studying journalism.
A profound spiritual experience in 1956 profoundly impacted his life, leading him to graduate in philosophy and theology and become a Franciscan priest.
He embraced a life of service with the Little Brothers of Jesus, undertaking humble jobs and even choosing imprisonment.
After addressing his alcoholism in the 1970s, he began writing. Leaving the Franciscan order in 1982, he married and subsequently divorced Roslyn Ann Walker.
Manning was candid about his imperfections but emphasized God’s grace and mercy.
His influence reached many, including singer Rich Mullins. Manning’s notable quote on Christians’ authentic representation of Jesus resonated widely.
He passed away in 2013 from a neurological disorder, potentially exacerbated by alcohol misuse.
I have compiled a list of the top quotes by Brennan Manning.
Brennan Manning Quotes
That which is denied cannot be healed. ~ Brennan Manning.
The litmus test of our love for God is our love of neighbor. ~ Brennan Manning.
You will trust God to the degree you know you are loved by Him. ~ Brennan Manning.
I have been seized by the power of a great affection. ~ Brennan Manning.
Prayer is first and foremost an act of love. ~ Brennan Manning.
God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be. ~ Brennan Manning.
A ragamuffin knows he’s only a beggar at the door of God’s mercy. ~ Brennan Manning.
Best Brennan Manning Quotes
The ancient spiritual tradition is that God gives himself fully to us in silence and solitude. ~ Brennan Manning.
In human beings, love is a quality, a high-prized virtue; in God, love is His identity. ~ Brennan Manning.
My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it. ~ Brennan Manning.
Our hearts of stone become hearts of flesh when we learn where the outcast weeps. ~ Brennan Manning.
Our identity rests in God’s relentless tenderness for us revealed in Jesus Christ. ~ Brennan Manning.
The Christian with depth is the person who has failed and who has learned to live with it. ~ Brennan Manning.
Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion. ~ Brennan Manning.
The Good News of the gospel of grace cries out: We are all, equally, privileged but unentitled beggars at the door of God’s mercy! ~ Brennan Manning.
Powerful Brennan Manning Quotes
I could more easily contain Niagara Falls in a teacup than I can comprehend the wild, uncontainable love of God. ~ Brennan Manning.
A saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God. ~ Brennan Manning.
The deepest desire of our hearts is for union for God. God created us for union with himself. This is the original purpose of our lives. ~ Brennan Manning.
Grace is sufficient even though we huff and puff with all our might to try and find something or someone that it cannot cover. Grace is enough. ~ Brennan Manning.
To lend each other a hand when we’re falling, perhaps that’s the only work that matters in the end. ~ Brennan Manning.
There is a beautiful transparency to honest disciples who never wear a false face and do not pretend to be anything but who they are. ~ Brennan Manning.
In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange. ~ Brennan Manning.
Great Brennan Manning Quotes
The ragamuffin gospel says we can’t lose, because we have nothing to lose. ~ Brennan Manning.
How glorious the splendor of a human heart that trusts that it is loved! ~ Brennan Manning.
When a man or woman is truly honest, it is virtually impossible to insult them personally. ~ Brennan Manning.
Our culture says that ruthless competition is the key to success. Jesus says that ruthless compassion is the purpose of our journey. ~ Brennan Manning.
We even refuse to be our true self with God- and then wonder why we lack intimacy with him. ~ Brennan Manning.
I asked for wonder, and He gave it to me. ~ Brennan Manning.
Faithfulness requires the courage to risk everything on Jesus, the willingness to keep growing, and the readiness to risk failure throughout our lives. ~ Brennan Manning.
The temptation of the age is to look good without being good. ~ Brennan Manning.
Famous Brennan Manning Quotes
Ruthless trust ultimately comes down to this: faith in the person of Jesus and hope in his promise. ~ Brennan Manning.
The only kind of love that helps anyone grow is unconditional love. ~ Brennan Manning.
In Love’s service, only wounded soldiers can serve. ~ Brennan Manning.
Real freedom is freedom from the opinions of others. Above all, freedom from your opinions about yourself. ~ Brennan Manning.
Letting ourselves be loved by God is more important than loving God. ~ Brennan Manning.
Craving clarity, we attempt to eliminate the risk of trusting God. ~ Brennan Manning.
We are made for God, and nothing less will ever satisfy us. ~ Brennan Manning.
So these were the 37 quotes by Brennan Manning.
If you like these quotes and sayings, then you can also read my other popular blog posts on the topics of Tired Soul quotes and Deep Soul quotes and Reciprocity quotes and Relationship Silence quotes and Stay in your Lane quotes.
