Mother Teresa's Motivation — The Power of Service and Humility

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Oct 5
4 min read

Updated: Nov 8

In the bustling, crowded streets of Kolkata, India, amidst the sounds of rickshaw wheels and the cries of street vendors, there once walked a small woman in a simple white sari with blue borders. She had no wealth, no political influence, and no worldly power. Yet her name became known across the globe: Mother Teresa.

Her story is not one of riches or fame but of quiet service and extraordinary humility. And the lesson she leaves us is this: a life devoted to others is a life of true greatness.

A Calling in the Shadows

Born as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Skopje (now part of North Macedonia), she felt a calling to religious life early on. At 18, she left home to join the Sisters of Loreto and was sent to India. She began her career teaching in a girls’ school in Kolkata, living a comfortable life by comparison to the poverty around her.

But in 1946, during a train ride to Darjeeling, she felt what she later called “the call within the call.” She sensed God urging her to leave the safety of the convent and live among the poorest of the poor. It was a choice that would change her life—and countless others.

She stepped out into the slums with almost nothing: a sari, a few supplies, and an unshakable resolve to serve.

Serving the Poorest of the Poor

Mother Teresa began by teaching poor children under the open sky, using sticks to draw letters in the dirt. Soon she was caring for the sick and the dying—people abandoned on the streets, shunned by society.

In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity, a congregation dedicated to serving “the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for.” Her sisters wore the same simple white sari and lived with the same simplicity as those they served.

One of her most remarkable initiatives was the opening of Nirmal Hriday (“Home of the Pure Heart”), a hospice for the dying. People who had been left to die alone found dignity, love, and care in their final days. For Mother Teresa, no life was too small, no person too unworthy of love.

Small Things with Great Love

Mother Teresa often said:

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

This was the essence of her philosophy. She did not set out to solve poverty on a global scale. Instead, she focused on the person in front of her—the child, the leper, the dying beggar. Her greatness was not in the size of her actions but in the depth of her love.

Her work drew international attention. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, yet even then she spoke simply, urging the world to find the poor and lonely in their own communities. “Find your own Calcutta,” she told audiences, reminding them that service begins at home.

Criticism and Complexity

Mother Teresa was not without critics. Some argued about the quality of medical care in her facilities, others about her views on certain moral issues. She was not a perfect saintly figure without flaws—she was human.

But even in criticism, one truth stands firm: she poured her life into service. She showed up where few others dared to go, and she loved with a consistency that inspired millions.

The Motivation Lesson for Us

What does Mother Teresa’s life teach us?

It teaches us that service is not about resources, but about willingness. You don’t need riches to help someone. You don’t need power to bring comfort. Sometimes, the most radical act is simply to be present with someone in their pain.

In a world obsessed with achievement, wealth, and recognition, her story reminds us that humility is power. Serving others does not make us smaller; it makes our lives larger, richer, and more meaningful.

Each of us can live this lesson. It may not mean moving to a far-off slum, but it might mean listening deeply to a lonely neighbor, offering kindness to a stranger, or giving time to someone who needs us.

A Life Well Lived

Mother Teresa died in 1997, mourned across the world. At her funeral, kings, presidents, and ordinary people alike came to honor her. But perhaps the truest tribute to her life was found not in ceremonies, but in the thousands of sisters who continue her mission and in the countless lives she touched.

Her legacy is a simple truth: our greatness is measured not by how high we rise, but by how deeply we serve.

Mother Teresa’s life is proof that love, expressed humbly in small acts, has the power to transform the world—one person at a time.