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Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa Quotes

Saint

Mother Teresa, born Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, was one of the most renowned religious figures of the 20th century. Born on August 26, 1910, in Albania, she passed away on September 5, 1997. She was the founder of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, and is known for her selfless care for the poor and the sick. Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and was canonized as a saint.

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Famous Mother Teresa Quotes

“Life is love, enjoy it. Life is mystery, know it. Life is a promise, fulfill it.”

Knows Life Is Enjoy Mystery Promise

Author:Mother Teresa

“You who have received so much love, show your love by protecting the sacredness of life. The sacredness of life is the greatest gifts that God has given us.”

Shows Life Is Given Greatest Gifts Much Love Sacredness Sacredness Of Life

Author:Mother Teresa

“The beginning of peace is a smile”

Author:Mother Teresa

“When you love till it hurts, there will be no hurt left, just love.”

Left Hurt It Hurts

Author:Mother Teresa

“Don't aim for success if you want it, just do what you love and believe in, Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier and it will come naturally.”

Ifs Want Believe Aim Leaving What You Love

Author:Mother Teresa

“To choose always the hardest.”

Author:Mother Teresa

“Suffering will come, trouble will come - that's part of life; a sign that you are alive. If you have no suffering and no trouble, the devil is taking it easy. You are in his hand.”

Ifs Hands Suffering Easy Alive Trouble Devil Parts Of Life

Book:Total Surrender

Source: Total Surrender

“Just show up and things will happen.”

Author:Mother Teresa

“I have a primary responsibility to myself; to make myself into the best person I can possibly be. Then and only then, will I have something worthwhile to share.- I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love.”

Ifs Persons I Can Found Hurt Responsibility Share Primaries Paradox Worthwhile It Hurts Best Person

Author:Mother Teresa

“We must love prayer. It widens the heart to the point of making it capable of containing the gift that God makes of himself. Ask and seek, and your heart will be widened to welcome him and to keep him within itself.”

Heart Asks Prayer Capable Welcome Containing Love Prayer

Author:Mother Teresa

“A family that prays together stays together. As we are united at this moment, let us join also the prayer of all and everyone. What you can do I cannot do. And what I can do you cannot do. But all of us together are doing something beautiful for God.”

I Can Moments Together Beautiful Can Do Prayer United Praying Something Beautiful

Author:Mother Teresa

“[My mother tongue is] Albanian. But, I am equally fluent in Bengali (language of Calcutta) and English.”

Mother Language Tongue Calcutta Bengali Fluent Mother Tongue Albanian

Author:Mother Teresa

“Every country I love and I am a child of God to love the humans.”

Humans Children Country Child Of God

Author:Mother Teresa

“I have a diplomatic passport for India, diplomatic passport for Albania. I have Vatican passport and to America, I can go any time.”

I Can America India Diplomatic Passports Albania

Author:Mother Teresa

“Every time I ask for visa, they (USA) give me visa for five years. I have never had any problem in getting a visa to any nation.”

Giving Years Problem Asks Nations Five Give Me Usa Five Years Visa

Author:Mother Teresa

“We are now in 126 countries. We have 561 houses - tabernacles we call them - and over 4600 nuns. It's simply to serve the poorest of the poor. We are wanted and we have championed those who have nothing, the deprived children of God.”

Children Country Wanted House Poor Deprived Poorest Child Of God Nun

Author:Mother Teresa

“Jesus has said "Come, blessed of my Father, take the seat in the kingdom prepared for you, because I was hungry you gave me food, I was thirsty you have me drink, I was naked you clothed me, I was homeless you took me home and I was sick you visited me." And we are just doing that.”

Said Home Father Jesus Drink Sick Blessed Prepared Hungry Kingdoms Naked Seats Homeless Thirsty

Author:Mother Teresa

“Brothers, Fathers and Sisters - all of us in the Missionaries of Charity are doing the same. All of us have been created by God to love and to be loved. We are involved in this work. When you do that, there is joy, unity and love.”

Has Beens Joy Father Brother Involved And Love Unity Charity

Author:Mother Teresa

“We have a vow to give wholeheartedly everything to the poor.”

Giving Poor Vow Wholeheartedly

Author:Mother Teresa

“Whatever we get from the government or other people - even one rupee we get, we give it to the poor. Completely free service.”

People Giving Government Poor Rupees

Author:Mother Teresa

“We have no salaries. When one says he is from a good Catholic family and says he wants to help us, why should we refuse his offer?”

Want Should Helping Offers Catholic Refuse Salary Catholic Family

Author:Mother Teresa

“I have told everybody that what we are doing is for the love of God and works of love are always to accept and respect others.”

Accepting God Love Respecting Others

Author:Mother Teresa

“In our home (for the dying at Kali Ghat) in Calcutta, there is great peace, unity and love. Many Hindu families bring food, clothing nonstop to our home for the dying. This is an act of love. I didn't ask them. They have only heard about what I am doing and they all come.”

Home Asks Heard Dying And Love Unity Clothings Acts Of Love Calcutta Kali

Author:Mother Teresa

“Anybody who helps the poor is delighted. So naturally, they (critics) are not very happy with us.”

Helping Poor Critics Very Happy Delighted Help The Poor

Author:Mother Teresa

“Nobody can convert you except God.”

Author:Mother Teresa

“Even if I want I cannot make you say sorry to God.”

Ifs Want Sorry Saying Sorry

Author:Mother Teresa

“Very less to say, I can make one Catholic or Protestant.”

I Can Catholic Protestants

Author:Mother Teresa

“Nobody can change your religion unless you want to and God gives you the grace. It's between you and God alone. Nobody can force you.”

Want Giving Force Grace

Author:Mother Teresa

“We pick up people dying full of worms from the street. We have picked up more than 40,000 of them. If I lift up such a person, clean him, love him and serve him, is it conversion? He has been there like an animal in the street but I am giving him love and he dies peacefully. That peace comes from his heart. That's between him and God.”

People Ifs Giving Heart Persons Has Beens Dies Animal Streets Dying Picks Clean Conversion Lifts Worms People Dying

Author:Mother Teresa

“Even if I wanted, I cannot do anything. When they die, we always send for their co-religionists. Muslims take the Muslim's body to bury it, Hindus come and take away the dead to be cremated and Christians come and bury their dead.”

Ifs Body Wanted Christian Dies

Author:Mother Teresa

“I do make conversion, if conversion means really turning people to God - to have a clean heart and to love God. That's the real conversion.”

People Ifs Heart Mean Real Clean Conversion God Love Clean Heart

Author:Mother Teresa

“For all those who make such stories which are not true, I only say God forgive all these people. I feel sorry for them because they are doing so much harm to themselves.”

People Feels Stories Forgiving Sorry Harm God Forgives

Author:Mother Teresa

“If a Hindu wants to find the way to God, he has the right to go to any priest, nun or any other person.”

Ifs Way Want Persons Priests Nun

Author:Mother Teresa

“If you are Catholic, and some other person comes to you seeking guidance, naturally you take him straight away to someone who can show him God's love.”

Ifs Persons Shows Catholic Seeking Guidance God's Love

Author:Mother Teresa

“Conversion is not only changing the faith. Conversion is changing the heart and working over there is the grace of God. Then only comes the question of change of faith. Nobody can force you, not even the holy prophets.”

Heart Force Grace Holy Conversion Prophet Grace Of God Holy Prophet

Author:Mother Teresa

“‎I don't think we can do anything more than what we are doing now.”

Thinking Can Do

Author:Mother Teresa

“We have picked up people full of worms from the streets, cared for them and let them die in peace and love. When they are brought to our home, they feel they are in their own homes, with their own families. Now, I am trying to open a house for AIDS victims here (in Delhi). The people are dying because of it.”

People Feels Trying Home Dies House Streets Dying And Love Victim Aids Worms Peace And Love Delhi

Author:Mother Teresa

“‎We are already taking care of people from jail. Hundred and ten non-criminal women are already with us in Shantidhan (abode of peace).”

People Care Ten Hundred Criminals Jail Abode

Author:Mother Teresa

“[West Bengal state] Government has decided that non-criminal persons should not be kept in these kind of places and asked us to take care of them. They should live in an atmosphere of love. They need to be loved.”

Needs Should Kind Persons States Government Care Decided West Take Care Criminals Atmosphere State Government

Author:Mother Teresa

“We never had any problem from them. Jyoti Basu has been very kind to us. He was the one who told me "Mother, please do something for these (jail) girls. He has been helpful and always accessible to us over phone. We also never had any problem whenever we wanted to meet him.”

Kind Has Beens Problem Wanted Mother Girl Please Phones Helpful Jail

Author:Mother Teresa

“I always say "if you are afraid of them (the unborn), give them to me. Please, don't kill them."”

Ifs Giving Please Unborn

Author:Mother Teresa

“We are fighting abortion through adoption.”

Fighting Abortion Adoption

Author:Mother Teresa

“In Calcutta alone, we have given more than 1,000 children in adoption. I cannot calculate how many babies we get a year. But we never refuse anybody. Everybody is most welcome.”

Years Children Given Baby Refuse Welcome Adoption Calcutta

Author:Mother Teresa

“How can I act in an impersonal manner? When a man dies in the street for want of food, how can I ignore him? When I find a starving or naked man in the street, I cannot walk past him. I think no human being can do that.”

Thinking Men Want Humans Past Dies Can Do Human Beings Walks Streets Naked Starving

Author:Mother Teresa

“I am busy with my work. My path is clear. I see somebody dying, I pick him up. I find somebody hungry, I give him food. He can love and be loved. I don't look at his color, I don't look at his religion.”

Giving Looks Path Clear Dying Color Picks Busy Hungry

Author:Mother Teresa

“I don't look at anything. Every person whether he is Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist, he is my brother, my sister. I think we all do like that.”

Thinking Looks Persons Brother Buddhist My Brother My Sister

Author:Mother Teresa

“The fruit of Silence is Prayer.”

Prayer Silence Fruit Silence Is

Book:Where There Is Love, There Is God: A Path to Closer Union with God and Greater Love for Others

Source: Where There Is Love, There Is God: A Path to Closer Union with God and Greater Love for Others

“Jesus has very clearly said in the gospel. "Whatever you do, do to the least of my brethren." Clear? That was the work of Jesus.”

Said Jesus Clear Brethren

Author:Mother Teresa

“Works of love are always to accept and respect others.”

Accepting Respecting Others

Author:Mother Teresa

“Many people (who go to her as volunteers) have found peace, joy and unity in their families by helping the poor.”

People Helping Joy Found Poor Unity Volunteer

Author:Mother Teresa

About the Author

Born: August 26, 1910
Died: September 5, 1997
Known for: Saint
Quotes: 902

Related Topics

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Popular Topics

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Books & Sources

No Greater Love, Commemorative EditionRelated source material

Mother Teresa: Essential WritingsRelated source material

Where There Is Love, There Is God: A Path to Closer Union with God and Greater Love for OthersRelated source material

A Simple Path-Open MarketRelated source material

In my own wordsRelated source material

In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories & PrayersRelated source material

In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories & Prayers (Easyread Large Edition)Related source material

My Life for the PoorRelated source material

Mother Teresa: Contemplative in the Heart of the WorldRelated source material

Total SurrenderRelated source material

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