Loneliness and the feeling of being uncared for and unwanted are the greatest poverty.

Mother Teresa repeatedly used this sentiment in talks and interviews to reframe “poverty” as not only material deprivation but also emotional and social abandonment. It reflects her experience with the Missionaries of Charity, whose work included caring for the dying, the sick, and the socially excluded—people who often suffered as much from isolation as from hunger. She frequently applied the idea to affluent societies as well, arguing that modern life can produce a different kind of destitution: being unseen, unloved, or unwanted. The line is commonly circulated as part of her broader message that love and human presence are essential forms of aid.

The statement reframes “poverty” as a condition of relationship rather than resources. By calling loneliness and feeling unwanted “the greatest poverty,” Mother Teresa suggests that the deepest human deprivation is the absence of love, recognition, and community—needs that persist regardless of wealth. The quote also functions as a moral critique of societies that meet material needs while allowing social fragmentation, neglect, or emotional abandonment. Implicitly, it elevates acts of attention—listening, visiting, including, and affirming dignity—as forms of real aid. In her worldview, restoring belonging is not sentimental but essential to human flourishing.

1) "The greatest poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted."
2) "Loneliness is the greatest poverty."
3) "The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved."