Mother Teresa, known for her boundless compassion and unwavering dedication to helping those in dire need, has left a treasure trove of memorable quotes that continue to inspire and uplift people around the world. Her wisdom addresses themes of empathy, kindness, selflessness, and the power of small acts of love. In this article, we explore some of her most profound sayings under various themes. Each section contains a selection of quotes that exemplify her unique ability to speak directly to the heart and soul of her audience, offering timeless insights into the human spirit and the transformative impact of loving actions.
Quotes on Love
"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."
"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."
"Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand."
"Intense love does not measure, it just gives."
"If you want to change the world, go home and love your family."
"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread."
"It's not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving."
"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love."
"Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls."
"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action."
"A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love."
"Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."
Quotes on Compassion
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."
"Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received."
"Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness."
"We must conquer war through peace, hatred through love, and falsehood through truth."
"Peace begins with a smile."
"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies."
"There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter."
"True love is loving and giving until it hurts."
"The simple path: Silence is prayer, prayer is faith, faith is love, love is service, the fruit of service is peace."
"It's not how much we have but how much we enjoy that makes happiness."
"The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion."
Quotes on Service
"The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it."
"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person."
"Give your hands to serve, and your hearts to love."
"Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it."
"Some people come in our life as blessings. Some come in your life as lessons."
"Each one of them is Jesus in disguise."
"I cannot do what you can do. You cannot do what I can do. Together we can do great things."
"Joy is strength."
"Spread love everywhere you go. First of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbour."
"Never travel faster than your guardian angel can fly."
"Our life of poverty is as necessary as the work itself."
"Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God."
Quotes on Faith
"Faith keeps you stable and tender at the same time."
"God doesn't require us to succeed, he only requires that you try."
"Be still and know that I am God."
"Prayer changes us, and we change things."
"Pray each day."
"We need to learn how to pray. We need to return to prayer. We need to spend time in prayer."
"We need silence to be able to touch souls."
"God has not called me to be successful. He has called me to be faithful."
"Without faith, I am nothing."
"I am only a pencil in the hand of God, but it is He who does the writing."
"God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer."
"I have all faith to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."
Quotes on Peace
"Peace starts with a smile."
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
"Peace begins with a smile. I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish."
"We do not need guns and bombs to bring peace, we need love and compassion."
"I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?"
"Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace."
"If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive."
"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family."
"Forgiveness is the greatest gift."
"Do small things with great love."
"Spread love everywhere you go."
"Smile at people, make them believe that your love is the sun and it will grow."
Quotes on Happiness
"Joy is strength."
"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person."
"Love life and life will love you back."
"The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow, do good anyway."
"Find people who make you better."
"Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile, when it is difficult to smile."
"Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times."
"If you want to keep your family together and strong, always pray together."
"Joy is prayer and joy is strength: joy is love and joy is a net of love by which you catch souls."
"There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation than for bread."
"Nothing makes one as happy and joyful as the joy of seeing others happy."
"One filled with joy preaches without preaching."
Quotes on Giving
"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving."
"Give, but give until it hurts."
"The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones that do."
"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."
"You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving."
"Giving is living in its truest form."
"To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it."
"Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary."
"We must give more to receive more."
"Give thanks in all circumstances."
"There is no better gift than giving yourself."
"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for... that's the greatest poverty."
Quotes on Kindness
"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person."
"Love begins by taking care of the closest ones, the ones at home."
"Go out into the world today and love the people you meet."
"A life not lived for others is not a life."
"Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."
"Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence, or learning."
"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."
"One filled with joy preaches without preaching."
"Everyone can make a difference, even if it is a small one."
"A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love."
"If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one."
"We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do."
Quotes on Friendship
"I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things."
"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier."
"Spread love everywhere you go. First of all in your own house."
"The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved."
"Love begins by taking care of the closest ones, the ones at home."
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you."
"Go out into the world today and love the people you meet."
"Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."
"We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do."
"I want you to be concerned about your next-door neighbor. Do you know your next-door neighbor?"
"There is no key to happiness; the door is always open."
"Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace."
Quotes on Gratitude
"The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it."
"Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary."
"I know that God won't give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much."
"I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot."
"Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."
"The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow, do good anyway."
"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."
"Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls."
"Today somebody is suffering, somebody is lonely, somebody has pain."
"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving."
"Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls."
Final words
Mother Teresa's words remind us of the tremendous power of love and kindness in impacting lives. Her grave wisdom sheds light on the human capacity for empathy and generosity, transcending religious and cultural barriers, granted through simple but profound gestures of compassion. In adopting and espousing her teachings, we can foster a more harmonious, loving world, acknowledging the potent forces of love and service. Moreover, her messages about small acts of love resonate distinctly in today's world, reminding us that creating ripples of positive change lies within everyone's capability, regardless of their position or resources. In our daily interactions and intentions, let us be guided by her quotes, championing the universal gifts of peace, joy, and love that Mother Teresa so earnestly embodied. The teachings challenge us to look inward and extend outward, cleaning out love from self-centric motives, thus fortifying not just our world, but our souls.
