Born as an Albanian in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire. She was baptised the very next day and considered this to be her true birthday. From a young age Teresa was fascinated by stories of missionaries and their work abroad, committing her to focus on a religious life and by the age of 18 she left home to travel to join the ‘Sisters of Loreto’ in Ireland, it was hear she learnt English and the familiarity with monastic day to day living.
Within a year she had moved to India, still staying with the ‘Sisters of Loreto’ and undertook her novice apprenticeship. She studied diligently and as well as learning the scriptures she also learnt Bengali so as to be able to teach at the local convent, now named The Mother Teresa School.
Almost two years after she arrived in India Teresa was to take her first religious vows and choose the spiritual name of Teresa after the patron saint of missionaries. She would spend almost twenty years teaching at the convent, becoming the headmistress in the process.
It wasn’t until 1948 that Mother Teresa found her “call within the call” and began her missionary work with the poor. It was also at this time she replaced the traditional Sisters of Loreto habit with her own unique style of a white cotton sari with a blue boarder. She also adopted Indian citizenship and undertook several months of basic medical training before entering the slums of Calcutta.
A year later she was joined by a small group of young women laying the foundations for her religious community dedicated to helping the poorest amongst the poor. Over the course of almost 50 years Mother Teresa tirelessly fought for the rights of those poor, she founded hundreds of clinics, schools, hospices and community projects, she helped people from all areas of the world, encouraging us all to look within our own neighbourhood to help those in need.
She was a truly inspirational lady and in recognition of her exception life dedicated to others she has been awarded amongst many other awards, the Romon Magsaysay Award for peace and international understanding in 1962, the Pope John xxiii Peace Prize In 1971 and in 1979 the Nobel Peace Prize for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress.
Some of the other awards an merits bestowed upon this great lady include in 1985 the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Order Of Australia in 1982, the Order of Merit and Honourable citizenship of the United States of America and the Balkan Prize for promoting Humanity to name but just a few. Mother Teresa day is held on the 19th October and is seen as a public holiday in her country of birth.
“Peace begins with a smile”
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them”
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echos are truly endless”
“Let us always meet each other with a smile, a smile is the beginning of love”
“Do small things with great love”
“It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving”
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier”
If you have enjoyed these amazing quotes and words of wisdom from such a truly inspirational lady then please share with friends and family
“The Earth provides enough to satisfy every mans need, but not every mans GREED”
“The future depends on what we do in the present”
“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet”
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”
“There is more to life than increasing its speed”
“NOBODY can hurt me without my permission”
Mahatma Gandhi 1869-1948
Leader of the Indian independence movement against the British rule of the time. Most memorable for his non violence approach, leading his fellow countrymen on a 400km march to the salt pans of Dandi in protest of the British imposed salt tax. Living modestly Gandhi wore the traditional Indian dhoti which he hand spun on his charkha.
He ate simple vegetarian food and undertook long fasts as a means of both self purification and political protest. October 2nd is Gandhi’s birthday and worldwide has become the international day of non violence, in India it is also a national holiday.
Jamaican singer songwriter and international superstar, bringing reggae to the masses. A spiritual a religious activist for the Rastafarian religion and pan-Africanist believing in the unity of all African people worldwide.
Bob was born on a farm in Nine Mile, Jamaica to his mother Cedella and his father Norval Marley. Norval was a white Jamaican origami ally from Sussex, England, and it is claimed he was a captain in the Royal Marines, this is difficult to confirm as he rarely spent time with his wife and son instead sent financial support. It was his parental grandfather and his mother that raised bob in nine miles until the age of 12 when Norval passed away of a heart attack, allowing Cedella, bob’s mum, to remarry and they moved to Trenchtown and it was hear that the legend is formed. Growing up alongside such talent as Peter Tosh, Joe Highs, Bunny Wailer, Junior Braithwaite and Beverley Kelso it is no surprise that Bob would rise to fame.
Bob Marley is without question the most successful reggae artist of all time selling hundreds of millions of albums worldwide, winning the Peace Medal of the Third World, a honour given by the United Nations, for his contribution of raising awareness of injustice in third world countries. His lyrics still resonate with love, unity and peace long after his death, making him a true legend.
Ralph Waldo Emerson quote
Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882
Was an American philosopher, poet, author and lecturer. Leader of the transcendentalist movement of the 1820’s and 1830’s that swept the eastern United States. Transcendentalism is the belief in the inherent goodness of people and nature. Believing society and its institutions have corrupted the purity of the individual, and people are at their best when truly self reliant and independent.
His lectures, which were in excess of 1500, and essays all resonate these core beliefs, criticising not only the corporate institutions but also of western religion. Strongly influenced by Hinduism and the Upanishads and always profoundly spiritual his works include subjects on the individual, freedom, self reliance and the outer soul.
He was born in Massachusetts to a religious family of the Unitarian church, his father was the Rev. William Emerson, a liberal minded pastor to the first church in Boston, a forthright thinker and philosopher and eminent figure of his day. Ralph’s early career saw him as a pastor in Boston’s second church, where he married and settlers for a few years. On the death of his wife, which effected him deeply, he started to question and disagree with the church’s methods. He abandoned his position and toured Europe, meeting some of the prominent men of our time. After returning to the United States and seeing it was possible to earn a living and forged a career from lecturing he embarked on what would become a life long pursuit delivering some 1500 lectures. Emerson settled and remarried in 1835 and moved to Concord, Massachusetts. His views on religion and philosophy were often considered radical for the time but his philosophies and essays have stood as testimony of a great thinker and philosopher of our time, having influenced so many 21st century thinkers, artist and creators alike.
Amit Ray quote
Amit Ray 1960 – present
Is an Indian spiritual author and meditation and yoga master. Best known for his work with Om Meditation and Vipassana meditation techniques. He’s the author of several books teaching peace, loving kindness and compassion.
Amit Ray was born and educated in Calcutta graduating from the university of Calcutta and the Indian institute of Technology with a Phd. He would go on to work in the field of neuroscience. Learning from a young age the art of meditation, from wandering monks passing the farm where he was born. He continued the practice and while working in the corporate world in London did he have his first awakening and true understanding of the true nature of reality. He moved to the Himalayas and continued to practice, sharing his wisdom. His emphasise is on mindfulness and meditation, promoting positive vibration and creating inner and outer peace.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin quote
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 1881 – 1955
Was a French philosopher, Jesuit priest and idealist, he originally trained as a geologist and palaeontologist, taking part in the discovery of the 700,000 year old skeleton in China known as the “Peking Man”. His ideas and theories at the time were considered taboo and radical, he used the Darwinian approach to evolution developing it further with the ‘Omega Point’, getting him into serious trouble with the Vatican City, even being issued a ‘monitum’ on all his works.
Being born to a French nobility in Auvergne, his family roots could be traced back hundreds of years of French history. He was to enter a Jesuit collage at the age of twelve and studied philosophy, theology and spirituality amounts other subjects. His early career saw him teach physics in Egypt, study theology in England and working as a palaeontologist in Paris. World War One came and Pierre became a stretcher bearer. After service he would travel to China and spend a period of twenty years there carrying out geological research, venturing into Mongolia and the far reaches of china his research became the foundation into Asian human palaeontology. He would also venture into Africa, America, India and Indonesia. His life was varied and sometimes full of controversy but his future vision or the omega point where it is believed the universe is heading for a maximum level of complexity and consciousness, even after his death, was getting him into trouble, all catholic bookstores were ordered by the Vatican to remove his works and the ban and controversy have really only just began to lift after the appointment of the new pope, also a man of science.
Dalai Lama quote
Dalai Lama 1935 – present
The 14th Dalai Lama, born as Tenzin Gyatso is the current spiritual leader of Tibet. Tenzin was born in the small village of Taktser in Tibet, selected from a young age as being the possible reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. After careful selection and some remarkable coincidences or fate, Tenzin was chosen as the reincarnation at the age of five. He was 15 years old when he partly took over the political duties of Tibet. During the 1950’s China progressively and violently claimed Tibet as a state of the Chinese and denounced the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader and all who followed him. The uprising that came and the cultural cleansing preformed by the communist Chinese is one of recent history’s most tragic stories. China was swift and brutal, burning all cultural as religious artefacts, destroying temples and performing horrific acts upon monks and nuns, while the civilised world just watched. The Dalia Lama fled with his life along with a few number of government officials to India in 1959.
Dharamshala has now become residence to the refugees of Tibet and his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. It is also the capital for the central Tibetan administration (Tibet’s government in exile) from hear the Dalai Lama gives talks and meets and greets thousands upon thousands of tourists and well wishers who have travelled vast distances just to glimpse this truly enlightened man. A true loving example of peace
Indian born American spiritual author, public speaker and advocate of alternative medicine. A celebrated author in the self help category, Deepak studied medicine in India before moving to the United States in 1970. After completing further academic studies into internal medicine and endocrinology he became chief of staff at the New England memorial hospital. It was hear that Deepak met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a meeting that would change his life. As he started with Transcendental meditation and resigned his position as chief of staff and established the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre. Deepak Chopra believes that we can change the very ageing process, sometimes even reversing that process. His claims that his practices can treat chronic disease has had him regularly criticised by medical and scientific professionals alike. After Oprah Winfrey interviewed him about his books a loyal following grew making him one of the highest grossing self help authors of all time. In 1996 he co-founded the Chopra Centre for Wellbeing.
Motivational quote William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare 1564 – 1616
Was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as the greatest playwright of the English language. He married at 18 to Anne Hathaway and had three children, his son Hamnet was to die only a few years later, Shakespeare’s life was based in Stratford up to this point, and it’s not until around 1585 do we hear of Shakespeare again. Shakespeare began a career in London as an actor, writer and a part owner of the playing company the “Lord Chamberlin’s Men”. His early plays were either comedies or historicals, creating great master pieces, it is his later work that Shakespeare is best remembered, a period in his life now know as the tdradigies, works of which include Hamlet, Othelo, Macbeth and King Lear come from this period of his life, it isn’t until the final phase of his writing do we see the romances such as the great Romeo and Juliette. His works and plays are still being re-produced for new audiences in the 21st century, and school children are still learning his mastery of the English language and story telling making him one of the most highest selling authors in history and great literacy artist of human history.
Motivational quote Carl Jung
Carl Jung 1875 – 1961
Was a Swiss psychiatrist and highly influential psychoanalyst having major contributions to philosophy, religion, literature, anthropology and psychiatry. Suffering from an early age with neurosis and a split personality disorder, it was Jung himself who would work out a cure for himself. His mother was also said to of suffered greatly with a split personality and depression. It wasn’t until a chance encounter with a psychiatric textbook and upon reading that psychoses are personality disorders it is said something clicked deep inside, his interest was immediately captured. After studying at the university of Basel, Carl Jung moved to Zurich where he began work at the Burgholzli Psychiatric hospital and it was here he was introduced to Sigmund Freud, the two would pioneer psychiatric practice by developing a new approach called analytical psychology. Much of his life’s work was spent exploring related area’s in fields of vitalism, eastern philosophy, alchemy, astrology, literature and sociology, as well as an interest in the occult led to many to believe and view him as a mystic, although his preference was to be seen as a man of science.
Motivational quote Socrates
Socrates 470 – 399BC
An Ancient Greek Philosopher and the first moral thinker of our age, considered at the time as a nuisance to his peers of Athens, or as Plato referred to him, as the gadfly is to the Horse, so Socrates is to the Athenians. He was born as a stonemasons and sculptors son, and continued for a period in this fashion as was the custom in those days. He entered the military and saw active service in particular the bloody battle of Amphipolos. Socrates decorated himself in battle as a hero saving the life of Alcibiades, a very prominent Athenian statesman. After his military service Socrates sees himself a prominent member of society. It is at this point Socrates developed his “Socratic Dialogues” a method where to solve a problem you break it down into a series of questions. It is said after developing this method, Socrates would ask the people of Athens probing questions of love, happiness and religious beliefs, forcing people to question their own beliefs. He caused such a ripple through society with his constant analytical questioning it was decided Socrates should be put to death by drinking poison. Even with death so close he stayed calm and collective drinking his poison.
Motivational quote Buddha
Buddha 563 – 483BC
Gautama Buddha lived 2562 years ago as a monk and teacher of which Buddhism was founded. Born a prince of the Shakya clan in northern India, now Nepal. Dissatisfied with his life and that of the human condition he left the royal palace in search of truth. After many years practicing Medici W yoga and other meditation techniques of the time, Sitting ina Medici was state for prolonged periods of time Gautama discovered his middle way or the noble eightfold path as the way to enlightenment. For the remaining 45 years of his life the Buddha taught this path, established the Sangha and monastery’s through out his travels leaving behind a legacy that has endured millennium
If you liked this please share with your friends as easy as pressing one of the buttons below.
American lawyer and politician serving as the 16th president of the United States of America. A remarkable man who led his country through civil war described as the bloodiest war America has ever known, he abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government and considered by many to be the forefather of the modern economy with methods first introduced during his presidency.
Lincoln had grown up in a poor family upbringing in Kentucky, largely self educated he was an avid reader and having a life long interest in learning, compelling Lincoln to his destiny. Lincoln married Miss Marry Todd in 1842 the daughter a wealthy slave holding family, they were to have four children of which only one survived to adulthood. This is said to have had a profound effect of both Lincoln and his wife for the rest of there lives. Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865 a few days after successfully reuniting two opposing forces at war with remarkable policy’s of reconciliation.
A highly revered man in not only presidential history but of the history of the United States of America itself.
Dalai Lama 1935 – present
The 14th Dalai Lama, born as Tenzin Gyatso is the current spiritual leader of Tibet. Tenzin was born in the small village of Taktser in Tibet, selected from a young age as being the possible reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. After careful selection and some remarkable coincidences or fate, Tenzin was chosen as the reincarnation at the age of five. He was 15 years old when he partly took over the political duties of Tibet. During the 1950’s China progressively and violently claimed Tibet as a state of the Chinese and denounced the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader and all who followed him. The uprising that came and the cultural cleansing preformed by the communist Chinese is one of recent history’s most tragic stories. China was swift and brutal, burning all cultural as religious artefacts, destroying temples and performing horrific acts upon monks and nuns, while the civilised world just watched. The Dalia Lama fled with his life along with a few number of government officials to India in 1959.
Dharamshala has now become residence to the refugees of Tibet and his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. It is also the capital for the central Tibetan administration (Tibet’s government in exile) from hear the Dalai Lama gives talks and meets and greets thousands upon thousands of tourists and well wishers who have travelled vast distances just to glimpse this truly enlightened man. A true loving example of peace
Eleanor Roosevelt 1884 – 1962
An American diplomat, civil rights activist, writer and political figure serving as First Lady of the United States during her husband Franklin D Roosevelt’s four terms as United States president. A passionate human rights activist that has her the nickname ‘the First Lady of the world’ first coined by president Harry S Truman.
She was born into the prestigious family of Livingston but lost both her parents at a young age. She was educated in both America and London England where it is said the headmistress had an enormous impact on her life. She married Franklin D Roosevelt in 1905 and after her husband had an affaire she became more independent wanting a public life of her own.
Sometimes outspoken always headstrong she redefined the role as First Lady campaigning strongly for civil rights of African and Asian Americans and the World War II refugees. Following he husbands death she would spend the next 17 years in public service becoming the United States very first delegate of the United Nations. Regarded by many as one of the most esteemed women of the world.
Buddha 563 – 483BC
Gautama Buddha lived 2562 years ago as a monk and teacher of which Buddhism was founded. Born a prince of the Shakya clan in northern India, now Nepal. Dissatisfied with his life and that of the human condition he left the royal palace in search of truth. After many years practicing Medici W yoga and other meditation techniques of the time, Sitting ina Medici was state for prolonged periods of time Gautama discovered his middle way or the noble eightfold path as the way to enlightenment. For the remaining 45 years of his life the Buddha taught this path, established the Sangha and monastery’s through out his travels leaving behind a legacy that has endured millennium.
Mahatma Gandhi 1869-1948
Leader of the Indian independence movement against the British rule of the time. Most memorable for his non violence approach, leading his fellow countrymen on a 400km march to the salt pans of Dandi in protest of the British imposed salt tax. Living modestly Gandhi wore the traditional Indian dhoti which he hand spun on his charkha. He ate simple vegetarian food and undertook long fasts as a means of both self purification and political protest. October 2nd is Gandhi’s birthday and worldwide has become the international day of non violence, in India it is also a national holiday. A truly remarkable man.
“There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way”
Thich Nhat Hanh 1926-present
A Vietnamese zen Buddhist monk and peace activist, nominated for the Nobel Peace prize by Martin Luther king jr. in 1967. Thay as he is affectionately known was refused entry into his native Vietnam also in 1967 and moved to France where he set up his plum village monastery, now home to over 150 monks and nuns. His numerous literary works include ‘peace in every step’ ‘the miracle of mindfulness’ and ‘old path white clouds’.
A truly extraordinary man who I personally had thought privilege to meet while at his plum village monastery, to sit in his presents was so calming, you didn’t feel nervous just completely loved. Thay has in recent times suffered from illness and has now been given permission I reside in his beloved Vietnam for his final days.
Optimistic quote Albert Einstein
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”
Albert Einstein 1879-1955
German born theoretical physicist who developed amongst many others the theory of relativity. He is most loved by the public for the equation E=mc2, winner of the 1921 Nobel prize for his services to theoretical physics and the discovery of the photoelectric effect, a pivotal role in the development of quantum theory.
Optimistic quote Mahatma Gandhi
“Where there is love there is life”
Mahatma Gandhi 1869-1948
Leader of the Indian independence movement against the British rule of the time. Most memorable for his non violence approach, leading his fellow countrymen on a 400km march to the salt pans of Dandi in protest of the British imposed salt tax. Living modestly Gandhi wore the traditional Indian dhoti which he hand spun on his charkha. He ate simple vegetarian food and undertook long fasts as a means of both self purification and political protest. October 2nd is Gandhi’s birthday and worldwide has become the international day of non violence, in India it is also a national holiday. A truly remarkable man.
Positive quote Buddha
“Peace comes from within, do not seek it without”
Gautama Buddha lived 2562 years ago as a monk and teacher of which Buddhism was founded. Born a prince of the Shakya clan in northern India, now Nepal. Dissatisfied with his life and that of the human condition he left the royal palace in search of truth. After many years practicing Medici W yoga and other meditation techniques of the time, Sitting ina Medici was state for prolonged periods of time Gautama discovered his middle way or the noble eightfold path as the way to enlightenment. For the remaining 45 years of his life the Buddha taught this path, established the Sangha and monastery’s through out his travels leaving behind a legacy that has endured millennium.
“Seize the day, and put the least possible trust in tomorrow”
