190+ Inspiring Mother Teresa Quotes You Must Read

Here we’ve compiled a list of 200 best quotes of Mother Teresa on life, service, love, kindness, healing, peace, and family.

Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, known as Mother Teresa born in Skopje, now the capital of North Macedonia. She has a special place in Indians’ hearts and spirituality, also known for her social work worldwide.

After 18 years in Skopje, she moved to Ireland and then to India, where she served people. The famous Albanian Roman Catholic nun worked to help the helpless people dying in the slums of Kolkata (Calcutta).

Mother Teresa founded her Missionaries of Charity for aiding the poor, orphans, homeless, and dying people. In 1979, she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her works and serving humanity. She also got many other awards like Pope John XXIII Peace Prize, the Nehru Prize, the prestigious Magsaysay, etc.

She breathed her last in Kolkata (Calcutta) On September 5, 1997; however, still alive in many hearts due to her kindness.

We hope these famous 200 quotes of Mother Teresa on life, service, love, kindness, healing, peace, and family will fascinate you. So, scroll down and start reading!

Mother Teresa Quotes On Life & Service

“Some people come in our life as blessings. Some come in your life as lessons.” — Mother Teresa
“Life is a game, play it.” — Mother Teresa
“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.” — Mother Teresa
“Profound joy of the heart is like a magnet that indicates the path of life.” — Mother Teresa
“Life is a promise; fulfill it.” — Mother Teresa
“It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.” — Mother Teresa
“The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.” — Mother Teresa
“Life is a song; sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it.” — Mother Teresa
“Like Jesus, we belong to the world living not for ourselves but for others. The joy of the Lord is our strength.” — Mother Teresa
“Life is a sorrow, overcome it.” — Mother Teresa
“Prayer is the breath of life to our soul; holiness is impossible without it.” — Mother Teresa
“Life is beauty admire it!”— Mother Teresa
“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? — Mother Teresa
“In this life, we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”
— Mother Teresa
“At the end of life, we are going to be judged on the basis of our love for one another.”— Mother Teresa
“Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness.” — Mother Teresa
“When you don’t have anything, then you have everything.” — Mother Teresa
“I do not pray for success; I ask for faithfulness.” — Mother Teresa
“What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight; build it anyway.” — Mother Teresa
“A life not lived for others is not a life.”— Mother Teresa
“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.” — Mother Teresa
“Live simply so others may simply live.” — Mother Teresa
“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” — Mother Teresa
“Never be so busy as not to think of others.” — Mother Teresa
“A day lived without doing something good for others is a day not worth living.” — Mother Teresa
“I must be willing to give whatever it takes to do good to others. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in me, and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me.” — Mother Teresa
“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.” — Mother Teresa
“We have only today. Let us begin.” — Mother Teresa
“Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.” — Mother Teresa
“Find your own Calcutta. Find the sick, the suffering and the lonely right there where you are.” — Mother Teresa
“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” — Mother Teresa
“To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.” — Mother Teresa
“Your true character Is most accurately measured by how you treat those who can do ‘Nothing’ for you.” — Mother Teresa
“God gives us things to share, God doesn’t give us things to hold…” — Mother Teresa
“Never travel faster than your guardian angel can fly.” — Mother Teresa
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, feed just one.” — Mother Teresa
“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.” — Mother Teresa
“The true way and the sure way to friendship is through humility-being open to each other, accepting each other just as we are, knowing each other.” — Mother Teresa
“If I look at the mass, I will never act.” — Mother Teresa
“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.” — Mother Teresa
There are many people who can do big things, but there are very few people who will do the small things.” — Mother Teresa
“We, the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing.” — Mother Teresa
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” — Mother Teresa
“I am Albanian by birth. Now I am a citizen of India. I am also a Catholic nun. In my work, I belong to the whole world. But in my heart, I belong to Christ.” — Mother Teresa
“The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.” — Mother Teresa
“Life is not worth living unless it is lived for others.” — Mother Teresa
“The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” — Mother Teresa
“Prayer in action is love, love in action is service.” — Mother Teresa
“Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being’s entitlement by virtue of his humanity.” — Mother Teresa
“Do you want to do something beautiful for God? There is a person who needs you. This is your chance.” — Mother Teresa
“Helping hands are better than Praying Lips.” — Mother Teresa
“The greatest good is what we do for others.” — Mother Teresa
“Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.” — Mother Teresa
“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” — Mother Teresa
“Give, but give until it hurts.” — Mother Teresa
“Let’s do something beautiful for God.” — Mother Teresa
“It’s not about how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do that counts. Life isn’t worth living unless lived for other people.” — Mother Teresa
“One thing that I ask of you: Never be afraid of giving. There is a deep joy in giving, since what we receive is much more than what we give.” — Mother Teresa
“I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper’s wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?” — Mother Teresa
“You can pray while you work. Work doesn’t stop prayer, and prayer doesn’t stop work. It requires only that small raising of the mind to him: I love you, God, I trust you, I believe in you, I need you now. Small things like that. They are wonderful prayers.” — Mother Teresa
“If each of us would only sweep our own doorstep, the whole world would be clean.” — Mother Teresa
“Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing.” — Mother Teresa
“If I ever become a Saint – I will surely be one of “darkness.” I will continually be absent from heaven – to light of those in darkness on earth.” — Mother Teresa
“I will not pray clarity for you. Clarity is the crutch of the Christian. But I will pray trust for you, that your trust will increase.” — Mother Teresa
“Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration with exposition needs a great push. People ask me: ‘What will convert America and save the world?’ My answer is prayer. What we need is for every parish to come before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in holy hours of prayer.” — Mother Teresa
“We are not social workers. We are contemplatives in the heart of the world.” — Mother Teresa
“Do you want to be great? Pick up a broom and sweep the floor.” — Mother Teresa
“We belong to each other.” — Mother Teresa
“I fear just one thing: Money! Greed was what motivated Judas to sell Jesus.” — Mother Teresa
“There’s nothing more calming in difficult moments that knowing there’s someone fighting with you.” — Mother Teresa
No matter who says what, you should accept it with a smile and do your own work.” — Mother Teresa
. “I never look at the masses as my responsibility. I look at the individual. I can love only one person at a time. I can feed only one person at a time. Just one, one, one.” — Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa Quotes Teresa on Love & Kindness

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” — Mother Teresa
“Intense love does not measure, it just gives.” — Mother Teresa
“The Simple Path Silence is Prayer; Prayer is Faith, Faith is Love, Love is Service The Fruit of Service is Peace.” — Mother Teresa
“A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, and must empty ourselves. Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your weakness.” — Mother Teresa
“The greatest science in the world; in heaven and on earth; is love.” — Mother Teresa
“Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light in the hearts of people.” — Mother Teresa
“Spread love wherever you go…” — Mother Teresa
“A joyful heart is the normal result of a heart burning with love. She gives most who gives with joy.” — Mother Teresa
“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.” — Mother Teresa
“The fruit of faith is love.” — Mother Teresa
“To love others as God loves you, that is the measure of success.” — Mother Teresa
“Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you.” — Mother Teresa
“People are not hungry just for bread; they are hungry for love.” — Mother Teresa
“Faith in action is love, and love in action is service. By transforming that faith into living acts of love, we put ourselves in contact with God Himself, with Jesus our Lord.” — Mother Teresa
“Death is nothing else but going home to God, the bond of love will be unbroken for all eternity.” — Mother Teresa
“At this Christmas when Christ comes, will He find a warm heart? Mark the season of Advent by loving and serving the others with God’s own love and concern.” — Mother Teresa
“The woman is at the heart of the home. Let us pray that we women realize the reason for our existence: to love and be loved and through this love become instruments of peace in the world.” — Mother Teresa
“It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.” — Mother Teresa
“Do not worry about your career. Concern yourself with your vocation, and that is to be lovers of Jesus.” — Mother Teresa
“Following Jesus is simple, but not easy. Love until it hurts, and then love more.” — Mother Teresa
“It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you.” — Mother Teresa
“Love until it hurts. Real love is always painful and hurts: then it is real and pure.” — Mother Teresa
“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” — Mother Teresa
“Life is an opportunity; benefit from it.” — Mother Teresa
“The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action.” — Mother Teresa
“When you know how much God is in love with you, then you can only live your life radiating that love.” — Mother Teresa
“It is not enough for us to say: “I love God,” but I also have to love my neighbor. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you don’t love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live?” — Mother Teresa
“God loves the world through us.” — Mother Teresa
“Life is love; enjoy it. Life is mystery; know it. Life is a promise, fulfill it.” — Mother Teresa
“We must know that we have been created for greater things, not just to be a number in the world, not just to go for diplomas and degrees, this work and that work. We have been created in order to love and to be loved.” — Mother Teresa
“The person who gives with a smile is the best giver because God loves a cheerful giver.” — Mother Teresa
“Hungry for love, He looks at you. Thirsty for kindness, He begs of you. Naked for loyalty, He hopes in you. Homeless for shelter in your heart, He asks of you. Will you be that one to Him?” — Mother Teresa
“Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service. Whatever form we are, able or disabled, rich or poor, it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing; a lifelong sharing of love with others.” — Mother Teresa
“Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” — Mother Teresa
“There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.”— Mother Teresa
“When Christ said: “I was hungry, and you fed me,” he didn’t mean only the hunger for bread and for food; he also meant the hunger to be loved. Jesus himself experienced this loneliness.” — Mother Teresa
“I pray that you will understand the words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Ask yourself, “How has he loved me? Do I really love others in the same way?” Unless this love is among us, we can kill ourselves with work, and it will only be work, not love. Work without love is slavery.” — Mother Teresa
“Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.” — Mother Teresa
“Spread the love of God through your life but only use words when necessary.” — Mother Teresa
“It is not the magnitude of our actions, but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.” — Mother Teresa
“Jesus said love one another. He didn’t say love the whole world.” — Mother Teresa
“If we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we will serve.” — Mother Teresa
“It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home, for this is where our love for each other must start.” — Mother Teresa
“Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service — Mother Teresa
“Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary.” — Mother Teresa
“Joy is a net of love in which you can catch souls.” — Mother Teresa
“The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.” — Mother Teresa
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” — Mother Teresa
“Love to be real, it must cost – it must hurt – it must empty us of self.” — Mother Teresa
“Love begins by taking care of the closest ones – the ones at home.” — Mother Teresa
“Love is a fruit in season at all times and within reach of every hand.” — Mother Teresa
“People who love each other fully and truly are the happiest people in the world. They may have little, they may have nothing, but they are happy people. Everything depends on how we love one another.” — Mother Teresa
“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” — Mother Teresa
“People are unrealistic, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.” — Mother Teresa
“Give your hands to serve and your hearts to love.” — Mother Teresa
“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” — Mother Teresa
“I’m a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world.” — Mother Teresa
“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.” — Mother Teresa
“If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive.” — Mother Teresa
“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” — Mother Teresa
“Do small things, with great love.” — Mother Teresa
“Work without love is slavery.” — Mother Teresa
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” — Mother Teresa
“Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world. What you see reflects your thinking. And you’re thinking but reflects your choice of what you want to see. If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” — Mother Teresa
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” — Mother Teresa
“It is a kingly act to assist the fallen.” — Mother Teresa
“I would rather make mistakes in kindness and compassion than work miracles in unkindness and hardness.” — Mother Teresa
“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.” — Mother Teresa
“Speak tenderly; let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don’t only give your care, but give your heart as well.” — Mother Teresa
“If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.” — Mother Teresa
“Be a living expression of God’s kindness.” — Mother Teresa
“Be kind to each other. It is better to commit faults with gentleness than to work miracles with unkindness.” — Mother Teresa
“Holiness grows so fast where there is kindness. The world is lost for want of sweetness and kindness. Do not forget we need each other.” — Mother Teresa
“One thing will always secure heaven for us the acts of charity and kindness with which we have filled our lives. We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” — Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa Quotes About Family

“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” — Mother Teresa
“Smile at each other. Smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other – it doesn’t matter who it is – and that will help to grow up in greater love for each other.” — Mother Teresa
“The way you help heal the world is you start with your own family.” — Mother Teresa
“How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers.” — Mother Teresa
“The problem with the world is that we draw the circle of our family too small.” — Mother
“Prayer is the mortar that holds our house together.” — Mother Teresa
“The openness of our hearts and minds can be measured by how wide we draw the circle of what we call family.” — Mother Teresa
“Be humble like Mary so that you can be holy like Jesus.” — Mother Teresa
“The child is the beauty of God present in the world, that greatest gift to a family.” — Mother Teresa
“Where does love begin? In our own homes. When does it begin? When we pray together. The family that prays together stays together.” — Mother Teresa
“As far as I am concerned, the greatest suffering is to feel alone, unwanted, unloved. The greatest suffering is also having no one, forgetting what an intimate, truly human relationship is, not knowing what it means to be loved, not having a family or friends.” — Mother Teresa
“The family that prays together stays together, and if they stay together, they will love one another as God has loved each one of them. And works of love are always works of peace.” — Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa Quotes on Healing

“Doctors can heal the body, but it is music that uplifts the spirit.” — Mother Teresa
“We need silence to be able to touch souls.” — Mother Teresa
“God speaks in the silence of the heart.” — Mother Teresa
“A joyful heart is like the sunshine of God’s love, the hope of eternal happiness.” — Mother Teresa
“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.” — Mother Teresa
“Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any failure as long as you have done your best.” — Mother Teresa
“Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of Christ risen.” — Mother Teresa
“We are all pencils in the hand of God.” — Mother Teresa
“Be happy in the moment; that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.” — Mother Teresa
“God doesn’t require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.” — Mother Teresa
“Joy is very infectious; therefore, be always full of joy!” — Mother Teresa
“If you are humble, nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.” — Mother Teresa
“Listen in silence because if your heart is full of other things, you cannot hear the voice of God.” — Mother Teresa
“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.” — Mother Teresa
“It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself.” — Mother Teresa
“Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow, suffering is but the kiss of Jesus – a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.” — Mother Teresa
May God break my heart so completely that the whole world falls in.” — Mother Teresa
“In the silence of the heart, God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.” — Mother Teresa
“Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart.” — Mother Teresa
“In vocal prayer, we speak to God; in mental prayer, he speaks to us. It is then that God pours Himself into us.” — Mother Teresa
“My secret is simple – I pray.” — Mother Teresa
“I think it is very good when people suffer. To me, that is like the kiss of Jesus.” — Mother Teresa
“I am a little pencil in God’s hands. He does the thinking. He does the writing. He does everything, and sometimes it is really hard because it is a broken pencil and He has to sharpen it a little more.” — Mother Teresa
“Gratitude to God is to accept everything, even my problems, with joy.” — Mother Teresa
“Be faithful in the little things.” — Mother Teresa
“Do not let the past disturb you, just leave everything in the Sacred Heart and begin again with joy.” — Mother Teresa
“There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter.” — Mother Teresa
“Be faithful in the little things, for in them our strength lies. To the good God nothing is little, because He is so great and we are so small.” — Mother Teresa
“If you ever feel distressed during your day – call upon our Lady – just say this simple prayer: ‘Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.’ I must admit – this prayer has never failed me.” — Mother Teresa
“I always begin my prayer in silence, for it is in the silence of the heart that God speaks. God is the friend of silence-we need to listen to God because it’s not what we say but what He says to us and through us that matters.” — Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa Quotes on Peace

“Peace begins with a smile.” — Mother Teresa
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” — Mother Teresa
“Only humility will lead us to unity, and unity to peace.” — Mother Teresa
“We do not need guns and bombs to bring peace; we need love and compassion.” — Mother Teresa
“Today, if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other-that man, that woman, that child is my brother or my sister. If everyone could see the image of God in his neighbor, do you think we would still need tanks and generals?” — Mother Teresa
“Whatever religion we are, we must pray together.” — Mother Teresa
“There is no key to happiness; the door is always open.” — Mother Teresa
“A smile is the beginning of peace.” — Mother Teresa
“If you hold an anti-war rally, I shall not attend. But if you hold a Pro-Peace rally, invite me.” — Mother Teresa
“I was once asked why I don’t participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I’ll be there.” — Mother Teresa
“Peace begins with a smile. I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish.” — Mother Teresa

What was the motive of Mother Teresa?

The motive of Mother Teresa was to connect with God and follow His path. Primarily, this desire or thoughts inspire her to live a life for others. She believes in spreading love to other, serving needy peoples and promotes simplicity. Therefore, you always find her talk about God, prayers, love, and a strong will to help humanity.

What did Mother Teresa say about life?

Saint Teresa of Calcutta, also known as Mother Teresa to many people worldwide, was an inspirational woman with a unique perspective on life. She believed that living in this world and caring for each other is our purpose here on earth.

Mother Teresa’s passion for helping others is also shown by her words when she got ill and could not continue her social work.

“I find it hard because I am not able just yet to get into my heart all those who want me – but they are there,” she said laughing softly; then adding seriously again, “It’s strange how we human beings keep asking God something which He has given us already.”

What were Mother Teresa’s last words?

On September 5, 1997, the Albanian Roman Catholic nun and founder of the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa, breath her last in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. The doctors tried their best to save her life from the fourth heart attack, but they couldn’t.

According to her close friend, Sunita Kumar, the last words of Mother Teresa were “I cannot breathe” as she felt difficulty in breathing.