Month: July 2026

 “Spread the love of God through your life but only use words when necessary.”

This quotation by Mother Teresa encourages each of us to live in a way that spreads the love of God.  And by telling us to only use words when necessary, she emphasizes that it is through our actions that this happens.  For it’s one thing to talk about our intentions to do something, but it’s another thing to actually follow through on those good intentions.

I have chosen quotations of Mother Teresa’s for several posts since I started writing my blog a number of years ago, both because I respect how she lived her life and her faith and also because she expressed valuable truths with just a few words.  Through her work and that of the charitable organizations she founded, she certainly exemplified what she encourages us to do.

Mother Teresa often emphasized that our doing what might be considered “small” actions matters.  Helping someone, being patient, doing volunteer work for a worthy cause—these and many other endeavors make a positive difference and are some of the ways we can spread Divine love.  And during those times when we discern that we are called to do actions that require great effort, courage, and perseverance, it’s essential that we do our best to follow that calling as well.

Mother Teresa’s words remind me of the well-known expression “actions speak louder than words.”  That expression in itself is good to keep in mind.  But she also connects that reminder to the love of God.  For it is God, our Creator, who gives us the ability to do whatever worthwhile actions we do.  And also the One who guides us to choose the actions we are meant to do.  When we discern and do our best to follow that guidance, we do spread the love of God. 

“All people smile in the same language.”

This quote is by George Carlin, an American comedian, author, and social critic who lived from 1937 to 2008.  He was very creative and I’ve read that he wrote all of his own material.  In addition to being humorous and entertaining, his comedy routines were thought-provoking, enlightening, and at times profound.

I have a small plaque that I bought at an arts fair 30-some years ago that has the words “All people smile in the same language” written in calligraphy on in.  I just recently learned that those words are attributed to Carlin.  The artist from whom I bought the plaque also painted some small birds on it.  It’s one of my favorite pieces of artwork, both because it’s pretty and also because it’s a reminder that smiling is something people in all the regions of our world do.

There are many differences among the approximately 8.3 billion of us human beings who share this planet—different races, languages, worldviews, religious beliefs, abilities, gender identities, opinions, and others.  But one thing we have in common is smiling; it’s a universal way of expressing happiness and good will. 

Remembering this commonality leads me to also remember that all of us experience a variety of emotions.  In addition to feelings of happiness, we feel sadness, fear, anxiety, anger, and surprise.  And, although they might not be considered emotions per se, we also sometimes feel confused and sometimes hopeful.  Keeping this in mind can help us to be more accepting of and empathic toward others.  And it helps us to put less emphasis on our differences, especially when that emphasis leads to judgmental attitudes that are hurtful to others.

So as we go about our days, be mindful of our connection to people that a smile represents.  And appreciate the smiles you receive from others and the positive effects of the smiles that you give to others.