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
Today it is fashionable to talk about the poor. Unfortunately, it is not fashionable to talk with them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the superficiality in discussing poverty without engaging with those who are affected by it.
Mother Teresa's quote emphasizes the discrepancy between talking about the plight of the poor and the actual act of listening to their experiences and needs. It reflects a common tendency in society to engage in conversations about social issues from a distance, rather than fostering real connections and understanding with those who live in those circumstances. True compassion and support require genuine dialogue rather than mere acknowledgment of their struggles.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a charity event, someone might use this quote to inspire volunteers to engage more deeply with the community.
More from Mother Teresa
All quotes βI 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.
Purity is the fruit of prayer.
If your Eyes are Positive, You will Love the World. _x000D_ But if Your Tongue is Positive, The World will Love you.
The poor are great! The poor are wonderful! The poor are very generous! They give us much more than what we give them.
The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.
Similar quotes
Sometimes I do feel hopeless when I look out and scream out through my music, and I scream out through these interviews, and I scream out to people to kind of get their attention back on the things that are meaningful. There's people dying on the streets of Chicago - young people, young men and women who are losing their lives.
Abstract sympathy with the working class as an economic entity is easy, but the feeling can vanish on contact with actual members of the group, who often arrive with disturbing beliefs and powerful resentments - who might not sound or look like people urban progressives want to know.
When I was confronted with just the bare facts of poverty and inequality in America, it always disturbed and confused me.
Childhood hunger in America is as much a paradox as it is a tragedy. Why, in the wealthiest country in the world, should hunger darken the lives and dreams of 12 million children and their families? I believe that, when Americans learn the facts and understand how their involvement can make a difference, banishing childhood hunger will be a national, local and personal priority.
The news media's silence, particularly television news, is reprehensible. If we knew as much about Darfur as we do about Michael Jackson, we might be able to stop these things from continuing.
Race impacts 90 percent of our society - and I'm probably undershooting that figure. I find this fascinating and like to address it when pertinent.