Mother Teresa: In My Own Words (Hardcover)

~ Mother Teresa Mother Teresa (Author) "Holiness does not consists in doing extraordinary things..." (more)
Key Phrases: Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa, New York

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Though Mother Teresa's words may be spare, her good deeds are abundant. The messages in this lovely collection--directed at coworkers, sisters, and others eager to hear the words of someone who lived the challenge she presented to others--are sure to provide inspiration for anyone who reads them. The quotes, stories, and prayers are a testament to the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize winner's generosity and strength of spirit: "Good works are links that form a chain of love"; "I never will understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish"; "Before judging the poor, we have to examine with sincerity our own conscience." Mother Teresa's words and deeds fortified and inspired the poor, the dying, and the suffering. These powerful messages, combined with black-and-white photos of this highly regarded woman doing the work she loved, make for a truly unforgettable book.

Product Description

The legendary Mother Teresa's work for—and among—the poor has become the yardstick by which the entire world measures compassion, generosity, and selflessness. Her words and actions have inspired millions of people from every race and religion and country to help the poor and needy, a legacy that is her gift to all mankind for generations to come.
From 1950, when she founded the order of Missionaries of Charity, to winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, and then, in 1985, being awarded the Medal of Freedom—the United States' highest civilian award—to her final days, Mother Teresa served the world as a beacon shedding the light of hope, comfort, and peace on all.
Mother Teresa: In My Own Words is a timeless testament to the power of her words. Here are the same quotes, stories, and prayers that helped strengthen and inspire the poor, the dying, the suffering, and the doubting who she met during her lifetime, and that will continue to strengthen and inspire all who read them.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Gramercy (October 7, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517201690
• ISBN-13: 978-0517201695
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #172,428 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Collection of Mother Teresa Quotes, May 8, 2001

By	"scoobra" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

If you are looking for a concise collection of Mother Teresa quotes, this is a great choice. It is well organized with some of her best wisdom. If you are looking for more than a collection of quotes, then I recommend (as I have in other reviews of Mother Teresa books) that you start with "No Greater Love". That book remains my favorite book of her wisdom.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Inspiring Compilation, January 26, 2004

By	Graciela Sholander "Co-author of Dream It Do ... (Fort Collins, CO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This collection of Mother Teresa's own words was compiled by a journalist who knew her personally. The quotes are practical and spiritual, like the saint herself. They're arranged within several categories, including Holiness, Generosity, and Life And Death. One of my favorite Mother Teresa quotes from the book: "Some remind me of what a magazine once said about me; it described me as a "living saint." If someone sees God in me, I am happy. I see God in everyone, and especially in those who suffer." Be sure to read the Introduction for a brief account of her remarkable life. Each chapter begins with a photo of Mother Teresa in her work. Whatever your religion or faith, race or color, you will draw both inspiration and hope from this holy woman's heartfelt words.

-- Graciela Sholander, http://dreamitdoit.net

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars words of great wisdom, July 12, 2004

By	DAVID-LEONARD WILLIS (Thessaloniki Greece) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mother Teresa: In My Own Words (Hardcover)

This book is made up entirely of Mother Teresa's anecdotes and sayings. The author tells us little about this saintly woman except that Mother Teresa was very clear in her goals: to love and serve the poor and to see Jesus in everyone. She always left the ways and means to do this in God's hands. These are a few of the passages that inspired me.

"Holiness does not consist in doing extraordinary things. It consists in accepting, with a smile, what Jesus sends us. It consists in accepting and following the will of God."

"Holiness is not the luxury of a few. It is everyone's duty: yours and mine."

"In order to be saints, you have to seriously want to be one. Saint Thomas Aquinas assures us that holiness "is nothing else but a resolution made, the heroic act of a soul that surrenders to God." And he adds: "Spontaneously we love God, we run towards him, we get close to him, we possess him." Our willingness is important because it changes us into the image of God and likens us to him! The decision to be holy is a very dear one. Renunciation, temptations, struggles, persecutions, and all kinds of sacrifices are what surround the soul that has opted for holiness."

"Prayer makes your heart bigger, until it is capable of containing the gift of God himself."

"Prayer does not demand that we interrupt our work, but that we continue working as if it were prayer."

"To love with a pure heart, to love everybody, especially to love the poor, is a twenty-four-hour prayer."

"My secret is a very simple one: I pray. To pray to Christ is to love him."

"Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at his disposition, and listening to his voice in the depths of our hearts."

"Every day at communion time, I communicate two of my feelings to Jesus. One is gratefulness, because he has helped me to persevere until today. The other is a request: teach me to pray."

"Never forget, my children, that the poor are our masters. That is why we should love them and serve them, with utter respect, and do what they bid us."

"I ask you one thing: do not tire of giving, but do not give your leftovers. Give until it hurts, until you feel the pain."

"Let us ask God, when it comes time to ask him for something, to help us to be generous."

"The poor are great! The poor are wonderful! The poor are very generous! They give us much more than we give them."

"Today it is very fashionable to talk about the poor. Unfortunately, it is not fashionable to talk with them."

"Do we share with the poor, just like Jesus shared with us?"

"Whoever the poorest of the poor are, they are Christ for us - Christ under the guise of human suffering."

"Our food, our dress: it all must be just like the poor. The poor are Christ himself."

"The less we have, the more we give. Seems absurd, but it's the logic of love."

"True love causes pain. Jesus, in order to give us the proof of his love, died on the cross. A mother, in order to give birth to her baby, has to suffer. If you really love one another, you will not be able to avoid making sacrifices."

"Someone once told me that not even for a million dollars would they touch a leper. I responded: "Neither would I. If it were a case of money, I would not even do it for two million. On the other hand, I do it gladly for love of God."

"I will never tire of repeating this: what the poor need the most is not pity but love. They need to feel respect for their human dignity, which is neither less nor different from the dignity of any other human being."

My elderly parents-in-law often talk about the time when they met Mother Teresa. This book is probably the closest we will get to sitting at her feet and listening to her words of wisdom.

Words of great wisdom