110 Best Mother Teresa Quotes, Thoughts with Images (2023)

Mother Teresa is one of the world’s most revered humanitarians and spiritual leaders. Born in Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia in 1910, Mother Teresa dedicated her life to helping the poor and sick.

She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 with a mission to care for those who had no one else to turn to and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her tireless work.

As an inspirational figure, Mother Teresa was renowned for her compassion, humility, and selflessness, and her legacy continues to inspire millions around the world.

100+ Mother Teresa Quotes

Here you will find many inspirational, motivational, and uplifting quotes that have been said by this incredible woman. Mother Teresa was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary who dedicated her life to helping the poor, the sick, and the dying. She is remembered for her compassion, humility, and unwavering faith.

Her words are still a great source of guidance and wisdom for those seeking to be better people and make the world a better place. So, let’s explore the powerful message behind these famous Mother Teresa quotes!

30 Quotes from Mother Teresa

1. “The fruit of silence is prayer.”

2. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

3. “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”

4. “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”

5. “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”

6. “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.”

7. “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

8. “Peace begins with a smile.”

9. “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”

10. “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”

11. “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”

12. “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”

13. “Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.”

14. “Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do… but how much love we put into that action.”

15. “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

16. “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

17. “I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, He will not ask, ‘How many good things have you done in your life?’ rather He will ask, ‘How much love did you put into what you did?”

18. “If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.”

19. “Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.”

20. “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

21. “I prefer you to make mistakes in kindness than work miracles in unkindness.”

22. “God doesn’t require us to succeed, he only requires that you try.”

23. “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”

24. “The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.”

25. “Intense love does not measure, it just gives.”

26. “Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep for every dream precedes the goal.”

27. “Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.”

28. “We fear the future because we are wasting today.”

29. “A life not lived for others is not a life.”

30. “The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”

30 Quotes About Mother Teresa

31. “Love is a fruit in season at all times and within reach of every hand.”

32. “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”

33. “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.”

34. “Never travel faster than your guardian angel can fly.”

35. “‎Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”

36. “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”

37. “I want you to be concerned about your next-door neighbor. Do you know your next-door neighbor?”

38. “Be happy at the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.”

39. “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

40. “Work without love is slavery.”

41. “I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.”

42. “If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.”

43. “There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.”

44. “Live simply so others may simply live.”

45. “I’m a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world.”

46. “True love is love that causes us pain, that hurts, and yet brings us joy. That is why we must pray to God and ask Him to give us the courage to love.”

47. “What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight; build it anyway.”

48. “We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.”

49. “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”

50. “Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it.”

51. “I go of my free choice, with the blessing of obedience.”

52. “Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier.”

53. “I fear just one thing: Money! Greed was what motivated Judas to sell Jesus.”

54. “Give, but give until it hurts.”

55. “Love to be real, it must cost—it must hurt—it must empty us of self.”

56. “Smiling novices. I can hear the music of your laughter of joy. Learn, my children, to be holy, for true holiness consists of doing God’s work with a smile.”

57. “If you are discouraged, it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own powers.”

58. “Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light in the hearts of people.”

59. “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.”

60. “Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it.”

30 Inspiring Quotes by Mother Teresa

61. “I am perfectly happy to be nobody even to God….”

62. “Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any failure as long as you have done your best.”

63. “May God break my heart so completely that the whole world falls in.”

64. “We cannot give what we have not got.”

65. “It is a kingly act to assist the fallen.”

66. “Love is not patronizing and charity isn’t about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same — with charity you give love, so don’t just give money but reach out your hand instead.”

67. “One of the realities we’re all called to go through is to move from repulsion to compassion and from compassion to wonderment.”

68. “It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself.”

69. “The person who gives with a smile is the best giver because God loves a cheerful giver.”

70. “People are unrealistic, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.”

71. “Life is a challenge; we must take it.”

72. “Spread the love of God through your life but only use words when necessary.”

73. “Life is a game, play it.”

74. “Poverty was not created by God. It is we who have caused it, you and I through our egotism.”

75. “I know I am touching the living body of Christ in the broken bodies of the hungry and the suffering.”

76. “If we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we will serve.”

77. “The openness of our hearts and minds can be measured by how wide we draw the circle of what we call family.”

78. “How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers.”

79. “We interfere with God’s plans when we push in someone or something else not suitable for us. Be strict with yourself, and then be very strict with what you are receiving from the outside.”

80. “One filled with the joy preaches without preaching.”

81. “If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway.”

82. “You are greater than you know.”

83. “Without patience, we will learn less in life. We will see less. We will feel less. We will hear less. Ironically, rush and more usually mean less.”

84. “We must never be afraid to be a sign of contradiction for the world.”

85. “I do not pray for success; I ask for faithfulness.”

86. “When you don’t have anything, then you have everything.”

87. “Prayer in action is love, love in action is service.”

89. “The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action.”

90. “Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.”

20 Mother Teresa Thoughts

91. “Do extraordinary things with love.”

92. “We have to possess before we can give.”

93. “Some people come into our life as blessings. Some come into your life as lessons.”

94. “Whenever you share the love with others, you’ll notice the peace that comes to you and to them.”

95. “Love begins by taking care of the closest ones – the ones at home.”

96. “It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.”

97. “The way you help heal the world is you start with your own family.”

98. “There should be less talk; a preaching point is not a meeting point. What do you do then? Take a broom and clean someone’s house. That says enough.”

99. “We do not need guns and bombs to bring peace, we need love and compassion.”

100. “In the final analysis it is between you and God, it was never between you and them anyway.”

101. “In order to keep the lamp burning you have to keep putting the oil in it.”

102. “We are all pencils in the hand of God.”

103. “Seeking the face of God in everything, everyone, all the time, and his hand in every happening; This is what it means to be contemplative in the heart of the world. Seeing and adoring the presence of Jesus, especially in the lowly appearance of bread, and in the distressing disguise of the poor.”

104. “Profound joy of the heart is like a magnet that indicates the path of life.”

105. “God speaks in the silence of the heart.”

106. “The trees, the flowers, the plants grow in silence. The stars, the sun, and the moon move in silence. Silence gives us a new perspective.”

107. “Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of Christ risen.”

108. “If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway.” 

109. “Joy is strength.”

110. “One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody.”

Learning Lessons from Mother Teresa

1. Live a Life of Service: Mother Teresa lived a life of service, dedicating her time and energy to helping those in need. She believed in the power of service, and it was this belief that drove her to help the poor and needy. She taught us that true joy comes from helping others and that we can make a difference in the lives of those around us.

2. Persevere: Mother Teresa faced many obstacles in her life, but she never gave up. She kept going, even in the face of adversity and difficulty. She taught us that we should never give up, no matter what life throws our way.

3. Be Compassionate: Mother Teresa was known for her compassion. She showed kindness and care for everyone she encountered. She taught us that true compassion and kindness have the power to change the world.

4. Stay Positive: Despite the hardships Mother Teresa faced, she always managed to stay positive. She believed in the power of prayer and faith, and it was this positive outlook that kept her going. She taught us that no matter what life throws our way, we can stay positive and keep going.

5. Put Others First: Mother Teresa was always putting others first. She put the needs of others before her own, and she never expected anything in return. She taught us that we should always put the needs of others before our own.