Mother teresa quotes i alone cannot change the world

Mother Teresa’s name has become synonymous with kindness, compassion, and good works. Canonized as a saint for her many years of service, Mother Teresa is among the most famous religious figures of the 20th century. But what can we learn from her? Let’s take a look at her teaching.

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

This quote from Mother Teresa reminds us that we need to start making changes ourselves. When we see something that is going wrong or not working, when we see injustice or a person in need, we have the power to make a difference right there and then.

We don’t have to wait for someone else to show us how, we can take the initiative ourselves.

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

Connections with other people are what make life worth living. You might need to remember how important it is to find other people and build strong bonds with them. Strive to be kind to others and do your best. Remember that we live in an interconnected world and that having a strong network of connections and giving to others is something that will provide us with additional support and strength.

When we feel unsettled, anxious, angry, or sad, we can always turn to other people for comfort and help them, which will in turn make us feel better as well. Research confirms that social connection is as essential for our well-being as something like exercise or a good diet.

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

It’s easy to feel powerless in a world where so many things seem to be going wrong. We might feel too small to make a difference, so why even try? Mother Teresa reminds us that even if all we can add is a little grain of sand, a small stone, it can have bigger effects than we imagine.

For example, helping a single person might not be such a huge deal, but when we do, we can change their day and their mood. Maybe they help someone else or simply smile and pass that smile to someone else. Not every action will change the world, but everything ripples.

Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.

Actions matter more than words. You might say or feel many things, but they need to be supported through action, especially when you want to show your feelings to another person. It’s not that words are bad, it’s more that Mother Teresa reminds us to put them into practice.

We can’t say we are good people if we never do any good. We can’t say we love someone if we never do anything to show it. Whatever we feel and whatever we believe becomes stronger when supported by actual things, not just words.

If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one

At the same time, what we do doesn’t have to be huge. Small actions have value too. Mother Teresa reminds us that we should not stop ourselves from doing good just because we can’t change the problem entirely. It continues on her other thoughts, like the value and power of action, but suggests that we can feel fine if all we can do is a small change, a small thing, a small act of kindness.

If all you can do is help one person carry their bags, do that. It’s not enough to change the world, but it’s enough to make a dent.

Intense love does not measure, it just gives.

A good thought to complete our collection of teachings by Mother Teresa is her opinion of love. She views it as something that does not measure: does not evaluate worthiness or what we receive in return. Love has worth on its own, and it should allow us to give.

Giving, even when we are not receiving in return or getting recognized or when we are hurt in some way, has value on its own, because it is the maximum expression of love.

Mother Teresa reminds us that we can and should be kind to others and show our love. We should seek connections and build powerful bonds because we live in a world together and because the connection is what gives our lives meaning.

There are a lot of people peddling inspiration nowadays, but very rarely do we get some good entrepreneurial advice from a saint, or at least someone who is about to be named one.

Well, kind of.

A second miracle was confirmed by the Vatican over the weekend, lining up Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu -- better known as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, or, better yet, Mother Teresa -- to be canonized by the Catholic Church in 2016.

The soon-to-be St. Teresa was known for her tireless work with the poor, notably in India, where she spent most of her life and where she established her religious order, the Missionaries of Charity.

Bl. Teresa is also one of the most misquoted people in history. Most of her famous "quotes" -- particularly the ones that have resonance to modern entrepreneurs and those who aspire to be -- are more paraphrases or cleaned-up versions, rather than her authentic written words. Some she didn't even come close to saying. But I kind of think Bl. Teresa would intercede on my behalf for forgiveness of the venial sin in reprinting these oft-repeated, misattributed statements.

For entrepreneurs, they're the answer to a good many prayers, so we can ignore the devils in the details, just this once:

'God doesn't require us to succeed. He only requires that you try.'

So many people don't follow a dream, or try to turn an idea into a product, because of a paralyzing fear. Entrepreneurship takes risk. Risk often leads to losses -- financial, emotional, spiritual. Failure is not only a possibility; it is a probability.

But there is joy, and education, in trying. Just attempting something new adds value to your life.

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'Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.'

Passion is a double-edged sword for business leaders, and sharper for entrepreneurs. We think big, and get frustrated when the love of our job, our project, our company isn't shared by the rest of the world. But I often think that's our fault, not everyone else's. The great love and outsized passion we bring to our daily work doesn't have to be used on the large goals we have in front of us, but is more effectively channeled toward the smaller tasks in front of us. After all, innovation can happen in small, but no less meaningful, ways.

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

The word "ecosystem" is used a lot in entrepreneurship. That's a function of how collaborative the community is. When I spend time at coworking spaces like AlleyNYC, where we are an investor and partner, I love to see individual companies building products, but also collaborating with one another.

No one really operates alone, as lonely as entrepreneurship and company leadership may seem. All efforts in capitalism are interconnected, and we play a daily role in a system that includes customers, partners, employees, investors and competitors. Each action we make, large or small, has a ripple effect.

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'I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot. Together we can do great things.'

If you are a true leader, you know the value of your team. You know that you always should put employees first. You know that culture is important. You know that, even if your name is the only one on the door, you got there through the help of the people around you.

I've argued that all entrepreneurship is "social" entrepreneurship because building a business has two main effects: solving a problem for a customer with a need, and giving someone else a job. When you hire employees, you change their lives, and you benefit from their talent and their time. If you hire well, you bring into your community people with experiences, backgrounds and skillsets that complement, rather than copy, your own. If you hire poorly, great things can't happen.

'I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.'

Of all the quotes in the Bl. Teresa apocrypha, this is my favorite. How many of us have doubted? All of us, hopefully, since doubt is a necessary condition for the faith we need to soldier on. Even in the darkest of moments, leaders find a way to win. It comes from a mindset that we can achieve anything if we just have faith in ourselves.

That's a key trait of entrepreneurs: they believe they are capable. It isn't ego. It certainly isn't hubris. Rather, it's a confidence in the gifts they can bring and share with the world. No matter how hard the work gets, no matter the strife and suffering that comes, the mission matters, and good business leaders and entrepreneurs can rely on their minds and skills to make something special happen.

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Did Mother Teresa say I alone Cannot change the world but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples?

Did Mother Teresa say you can do what I Cannot do?

What does the quote I alone Cannot change the world but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples mean?

What is Mother Teresa's most famous quote?