Powerful Quotes About Poverty

Millions of children around the world are living in extreme poverty. But you can do something about it. These powerful quotes on poverty from leaders, ministers and those dedicated to delivering hope to the hopeless will inspire you to take action.

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. — Proverbs 14:31, NIV

15 Powerful Poverty Quotes

1. “The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is enough.” — Dr. Wess Stafford, president emeritus of Compassion International

2. “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” — Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist

3. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” — Martin Luther King Jr., Baptist minister and civil rights activist

4. “When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.” — Mother Teresa, Roman Catholic nun and founder of the Missionaries of Charity

5. “There’s more to doing good than hating evil.” — Anonymous

6. “The measure of a society is found in how they treat their weakest and most helpless citizens.” — Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States

7. “There is enough in the world for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.” — Frank Buchman, Protestant evangelist

8. “It’s love that tells a child born into unimaginable and unacceptable poverty that they are not alone; they’re not invisible. It is love that tells a child that an endlessly merciful and all-powerful God knows their name and has a beautiful plan for their life.” — Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado, president and CEO of Compassion International

9. “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd president of the United States

10. “As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality exist in our world, none of us can truly rest.” — Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa

11. “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” — John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States

12. “Child labor and poverty are inevitably bound together, and if you continue to use the labor of children as the treatment for the social disease of poverty, you will have both poverty and child labor to the end of time.” — Grace Abbott, social worker

13. “Nothing that you have not given away will ever really be yours.” — C.S. Lewis, author and Christian apologist

14. “Where you live should not determine whether you live, or whether you die.” — Bono, singer-songwriter and philanthropist

15. “When we encounter suffering, we can either lean in or look away. When love wins the day, looking away is never an option — because love always leans in.” — Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado, president and CEO of Compassion International

8 Bible Verses About Poverty

Beyond the above quotes about children, what does the Bible say about children?

1. Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” — Matthew 19:21, NIV

2. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. — Proverbs 31:9, NIV

3. Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. — Psalm 82:3, NIV

4. John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” — Luke 3:11, NIV

5. This is what the Lord Almighty said: “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.” — Zechariah 7:9-10, NIV

6. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. — Psalm 34:6, NIV

7. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. — 1 Corinthians 13:3, NIV

8. The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” — Matthew 25:40, NIV

How to Use These Quotes on Poverty

These poverty quotes can help you advocate for vulnerable children around the world. Use them to start conversations with those around you about the issue of poverty and those suffering its challenges.

Here are some actionable and creative ways you can use these quotes to speak to others:

• Share one or more of these poverty quotes on social media.
• Include these quotes in a talk at your church or discuss them in your small group.
• Send a quote or Bible verse in a text to a friend.
• Add one of these quotes to your email signature.
• Set one of these quotes as your computer or phone wallpaper.
• Write your favorite poverty quote on your whiteboard at work.

What Are Other Ways to Help Children Living in Poverty?

Advocating for children in poverty using the ideas above is powerful. If you want to help even more, here are some practical ways you can join the fight against poverty.

Pray

Jeremiah 29:12 (NIV) says, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” When you pray for those living in poverty, you can trust that God hears you. And when you pray, God works through your prayers to change lives.

Not sure how to pray for those in poverty? Join us by becoming a prayer partner, and we’ll share where your prayers are needed the most each month.

Give

Children living in poverty lack their most basic needs, such as food, clean water and medical care. And because of this, they also lack hope. You can help by donating to meet their most pressing needs. For example, you can give medical care and support children facing disasters.

Sponsor

Sponsoring a child means donating to support them monthly. Through child sponsorship, you empower a local church to share the gospel, give medical care, fight malnutrition, provide education and deliver necessities to meet a child’s right-now and long-term needs.

Your yes to sponsorship helps a child break the vicious cycle of poverty and provides life-giving hope in the middle of their difficult circumstances.

When you sponsor a child in poverty, the child you sponsor will know your name, and you’ll be able to write messages to each other. Most importantly, you’ll give them the support and encouragement they need to journey out of poverty.