Gratitude Resources: Quotes

So Many Quotes!

There are quotes interspersed throughout the pages of the Gratitude section. Here, you’ll find them all–and many, many more–gathered in one place.
Quotes are ordered alphabetically by the first name of the author.

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” – A.A. Milne

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein

“Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.” – Albert Schweitzer

“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” – Albert Schweitzer

“No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.” – Alfred North Whitehead

“If taking each other for granted is the poison, then gratitude might be the antidote.” – Amie M. Gordon

“Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.” – Amy Collette

“I looked around and thought about my life. I felt grateful. I noticed every detail. That is the key to time travel. You can only move if you are actually in the moment. You have to be where you are to get where you need to go.” – Amy Poehler

“I was always ashamed to take. So I gave. It was not a virtue. It was a disguise.” – Anaïs Nin

“I lie in bed at night, after ending my prayers with the words ‘Ich danke dir für all das Gute und Liebe und Schöne.’ (Thank you, God, for all that is good and dear and beautiful.)” – Anne Frank

“One can never pay in gratitude; one can only pay ‘in kind’ somewhere else in life.” – Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“Today I choose to live with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of hope that says all things are possible.” – Anonymous

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Anonymous

“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” – Anthony Robbins

“You don’t experience life by drinking coffee fast. You experience life by savoring every last drop.” – Anthony T. Hincks

“Celebratory love is when we see the awesomeness in someone else and celebrate it with them” – Barbara Fredrickson

In daily life, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy. – Br. David Steindl-Rast

“We cannot be grateful for all that a given moment brings us; yet, in any given moment, we can be grateful for something. The gift within the gift of any given moment is opportunity.” – Br. David Steindl-Rast

“Key: We can not only have grateful experiences. We can be people who live gratefully. How? By becoming aware that every moment is a gift” – Br. David Steindl-Rast

“The root of joy is gratefulness.” – Br. David Steindl-Rast

Most people have a superhighway to blame and shame, and a goat path to gratitude – Brené Brown

“What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” – Brené Brown

“​“We’re all so busy chasing the extraordinary that we forget to stop and be grateful for the ordinary.”” ” – Brené Brown

“We are what we repeatedly do” – Brian Johnson

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” – Brian Tracy

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” – Buddha

“‘Enough’ is a feast.” – Buddhist Proverb

“Gratitude looks to the Past and love to the Present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.” – C.S. Lewis

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” – Charles Dickens

“The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.” – Charles Schwab

“For my part, I am almost contented just now, and very thankful. Gratitude is a divine emotion: it fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever.” – Charlotte Brontë

“I believe gratitude is the foundation of personal happiness—and a community’s happiness as well, as the two aren’t easily separated.” – Christine Carter (Happiness Expert)

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” – Cynthia Ozick

“The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.” – Dalai Lama

“Happiness cannot be traveled to owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley

“Opening your eyes to more of the world around you can deeply enhance your gratitude practice.” – Derrick Carpenter

“In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“I’ve had a remarkable life. I seem to be in such good places at the right time. You know, if you were to ask me to sum my life up in one word, gratitude.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.” – Doris Day

“The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.” – Douglas Wood

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” – Eckhart Tolle

“Gratitude for the present moment and the fullness of life now is the true prosperity.” – Eckhart Tolle

“Two kinds of gratitude: The sudden kind we feel for what we take; the larger kind we feel for what we give.” – Edwin Arlington Robinson

“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.” – Eileen Caddy

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” – Epictetus

“in training ourselves not only to accept but to embrace the temporality of all things, even those we most cherish and most wish would stretch into eternity, so that when love does vanish, we are left with the irrevocable gladness that it had entered our lives at all and animated them for the time that it did.” – Epictetus

“Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of things.” – Epictetus

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus

“If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.” – Frank A. Clark

“Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.” – Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

“Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky

“The test of all happiness is gratitude.” – G. K. Chesterton

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – G.K. Chesterton

“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” – G.K. Chesterton

“You bring out the best in yourself by looking for the best in others.” – Gene Bedley

“If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” – Gerald Good

“It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.” – Germany Kent

“Silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone.” – Gertrude Stein

“The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.” – Hannah Whitall Smith

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” – Henri Frederic Amiel

“Gratitude goes beyond the ‘mine’ and ‘thine’ and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift.” – Henri J.M. Nouwen

“The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.” – Henry Ward Beecher

“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.” – Henry Ward Beecher

“Got no checkbooks, got no banks, still I’d like to express my thanks. I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.” – Irving Berlin

“Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy.” – Jacques Maritain

“No duty is more urgent than giving thanks.” – James Allen

“As with all commandments, gratitude is a description of a successful mode of living. The thankful heart opens our eyes to a multitude of blessings that continually surround us.” – James E. Faust

“People report the greatest benefit from the gratitude-based exercises, especially the gratitude letter.” – Jeff Huffman

“Thankfulness is the quickest path to joy.” – Jefferson Bethke

“The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.” – John E. Southard

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy

“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” – John F. Kennedy

“Gratitude bestows reverence…changing forever how we experience life and the world.” – John Milton

“Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation.” – John Ortberg

“Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out.” – John Wooden

“Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” – Karl Barth

“Being thankful is not always experienced as a natural state of existence, we must work at it, akin to a type of strength training for the heart.” – Larissa Gomez

“Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.” – Lionel Hampton

“Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“Rather than waking up in the morning with ‘I didn’t get enough sleep’ and going to bed at night with ‘I didn’t get enough done’ — which is bookending your day with scarcity…what if we woke up in the morning and are so grateful for the sweet territory of silence and sleep? And you can wake up that way! You can actually tell yourself to do that. Our mind is very obedient” – Lynne Twist

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” – Margaret Cousins

“I’m still thanking all the stars, one by one.” – Marissa Meyer

“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.” – Mary Davis

“This a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.” – Maya Angelou

“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” – Maya Angelou

“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” – Meister Eckhart

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie

“The world has enough beautiful mountains and meadows, spectacular skies and serene lakes. It has enough lush forests, flowered fields, and sandy beaches. It has plenty of stars and the promise of a new sunrise and sunset every day. What the world needs more of is people to appreciate and enjoy it.” – Michael Josephson

“I truly believe we can either see the connections, celebrate them, and express gratitude for our blessings, or we can see life as a string of coincidences that have no meaning or connection. For me, I’m going to believe in miracles, celebrate life, rejoice in the views of eternity, and hope my choices will create a positive ripple effect in the lives of others. This is my choice.” – Mike Ericksen

“It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.” – Naomi Williams

“We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count.” – Neal A. Maxwell

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey

“True forgiveness is when you can say, ‘Thank you for that experience.'” – Oprah Winfrey

“If you fail to carry around with you a heart of gratitude for the love you’ve been so freely given, it is easy for you not to love others as you should.” – Paul David Tripp

“It was lovely. I woke up with a great feeling. It was really like she had visited me at this very difficult point in my life and gave me this message: Be gentle, don’t fight things, just try and go with the flow and it will all work out.” – Paul McCartney, on the inspiration for ‘Let it Be’

“If one wishes suffering not to happen to people and the Earth, it begins with a kind heart” – Pema Chödrön

“Gratitude enhances well-being by amplifying the good in one’s life.” — Philip Watkins – Philip Watkins

“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” – Rabbi Harold Kushner

“Gratitude is more of a compliment to yourself than someone else.” – Raheel Farooq

“The most visible joy can only reveal itself to us when we’ve transformed it, within.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

“There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.” – Ralph H. Blum

“Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.” – Ralph Marston

“You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Even in the mud and scum of things, something always, always sings.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“In life, one has a choice to take one of two paths: to wait for some special day–or to celebrate each special day.” – Rasheed Ogunlaru

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” ― Melody Beattie – Rhonda Byrne

“Gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency, and you will attract much better things.” – Rhonda Byrne

“People draw on psychological resources such as gratitude to cope with adversity and maintain well-being.” – Rick Hanson

“Gratitude and attitude are not challenges; they are choices.” – Robert Braathe

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault

The real gift of gratitude is that the more grateful you are, the more present you become. – Robert Holden

“If you count all your assets, you always show a profit.” – Robert Quillen

“Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more.” – Roy T. Bennett

“Gratitude is the wine of the soul. Go on. Get drunk!” – Rumi

“Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.” – Rumi

“Happiness is a thing to be practiced, like the violin.” – Sir John Lubbock

“Gratitude is an antidote to negative emotions, a neutralizer of envy, hostility, worry, and irritation. It is savoring; it is not taking things for granted; it is present-oriented.” – Sonja Lyubomirsky

“Gratitude is the sweetest thing in a seeker’s life – in all human life. If there is gratitude in your heart, then there will be tremendous sweetness in your eyes.” – Sri Chinmoy

“Gratitude also opens your eyes to the limitless potential of the universe, while dissatisfaction closes your eyes to it.” – Stephen Richards

“Forget yesterday–it has already forgotten you. Don’t sweat tomorrow–you haven’t even met. Instead, open your eyes and your heart to a truly precious gift–today.” – Steve Maraboli

“When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.” – Tecumseh

“Take heart: The benefits of gratitude aren’t only available to people with a naturally grateful disposition. Instead, feeling grateful is a skill we can develop with practice, reaping its rewards along the way” — The Greater Good Science Center – The Greater Good Science Center

“Gratitude is the doorway to joy.” – Thomas Hora

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” – Thornton Wilder

“Keep your eyes open and try to catch people in your company doing something right, then praise them for it.” – Tom Hopkins

“They both seemed to understand that describing it was beyond their powers, the gratitude that spreads through your body when a burden gets lifted, and the sense of homecoming that follows, when you suddenly remember what it feels like to be yourself.” – Tom Perrotta

“When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” – Vietnamese Proverb

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Voltaire

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward

“The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated. ” – William James

“O Lord that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.” – William Shakespeare

“Rest and be thankful.” – William Wordsworth

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” – Willie Nelson

“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” – Zig Ziglar