QuoteProject
The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.
Mother Teresa
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes that emotional neglect and feelings of unworthiness are more harmful than physical diseases.

Mother Teresa's quote sheds light on the profound impact of emotional and psychological neglect in today's society. While physical ailments such as leprosy and tuberculosis are serious, the feeling of being unwanted can lead to deep loneliness and despair, affecting mental health and societal cohesion. This insight underscores the importance of compassion and connection among individuals, highlighting that emotional well-being is crucial for a healthy society.

Themes

LonelinessEmotional HealthCompassionConnectionNeglect

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about mental health awareness, one might cite this quote to highlight the importance of emotional support.

More from Mother Teresa

The way to plan the family is natural family planning not contraception. In destroying the power of giving life, through contraception, a husband or wife is doing something to self, and so it destroys the gift of life in him or her
Mother TeresaRead
I believe in person to person; every person is Christ for me, and since there is only one Jesus, that person is only one person in the world for me at that moment.
Mother TeresaRead
Purity is the fruit of prayer.
Mother TeresaRead
If your Eyes are Positive, You will Love the World. _x000D_ But if Your Tongue is Positive, The World will Love you.
Mother TeresaRead
The poor are great! The poor are wonderful! The poor are very generous! They give us much more than what we give them.
Mother TeresaRead
God does not demand that I be successful. God demands that I be faithful. When facing God, results are not important. Faithfulness is what is important.
Mother TeresaRead

Similar quotes

Never make a companion equal to a brother.
HesiodRead
Why do people persist in a dissatisfying relationship, unwilling either to work toward solutions or end it and move on? It's because they know changing will lead to the unknown, and most people believe that the unknown will be much more painful than what they're already experiencing.
Tony RobbinsRead
But now his dry and silent grieving for his lost wife must end, for there she stood, the fierce, recalcitrant, and fragile stranger, forever to be won again.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
It is foolish to pretend that one is fully recovered from a disappointed passion. Such wounds always leave a scar.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
Elizabeth had never been more at a loss to make her feelings appear what they were not. It was necessary to laugh, when she would rather have cried.
Jane AustenRead
...hear rumors and go digging for the painful truth beneath the lovely lies. You believe you have a right to these things, but you don't. When someone tells you a piece of their life, they're giving you a gift, not granting you your due.
Patrick RothfussRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.