Gratitude Quotes to Help You Feel Grateful

“The root of joy is gratefulness…It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” — David Steindl-Rast

Did you know that you can’t feel fear or anger when you feel grateful?

When you truly feel grateful, you can’t feel fear or anger at the same time.

The challenge is to genuinely feel grateful.

Some people focus on what they “should” be grateful for but fail to “feel” it. They try to “think” it.

And forgiveness can be the gateway to gratitude.

Sometimes you need to start with forgiveness. You might need to forgive someone, or you might need to forgive yourself.

This is my hand-crafted collection of gratitude quotes to help you feel grateful and to help you practice an attitude of gratitude.

If you want to get your thanks on, or flex your attitude of gratitude, these quotes should help you out.

With these gratitude quotes, you have a collection of wisdom at your fingertips.

This collection includes words of wisdom from a variety of sources including Aesop, Cicero, Paige, Oprah, and more.

What Gratitude Quotes Teach Us

While the quote may vary, they teach us a few key things about gratitude.

They teach us that appreciation is a deep need within us.

They teach us that a little thanks can go a long way.

They also teach us that there is always something to be grateful for, or, on the flip side, that things can always be worse.

They teach us that gratitude can be tough to express, as we struggle to find the right words.

Perhaps the most important lesson of all, is that they teach us that gratitude is the key to our own joy and happiness.

If you don’t have enough joy or happiness in your life, just maybe, gratitude is the missing ingredient.

Top 10 Gratitude Quotes

Here are my top ten favorite gratitude quotes:

“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
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” — William Arthur Ward
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” – Cicero
“Gratitude is one of the least articulate of the emotions, especially when it is deep.” — Felix Frankfurter
“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
“Gratitude is one of the sweet shortcuts to finding peace of mind and happiness inside. No matter what is going on outside of us, there’s always something we could be grateful for.” — Barry Neil Kaufman
“One regret dear world, that I am determined not to have when I am lying on my deathbed is that I did not kiss you enough.” — Hafiz of Persia
“Silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone.” — Gertrude Stein
“Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.” — Kahlil Gibran
“What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life.” — Oprah Winfrey

Gratitude Quotes on Thankfulness for Relationships

Here are gratitude quotes focusing on gratitude for family, friends, mentors, and meaningful relationships.

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

“The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it.”
– Hubert H. Humphrey

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

“Next to ingratitude the most painful thing to bear is gratitude.”
— Henry Ward Beecher

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

“Gratitude is the memory of the heart.”
– Jean Baptiste Massieu

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

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

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

“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.”
– Oprah Winfrey

“There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family.”
– Unknown

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
– Melody Beattie

“The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche

“The debt of gratitude we owe our mother and father goes forward, not backward.
What we owe our parents is the bill presented to us by our children.”
— Nancy Friday

“Next to ingratitude the most painful thing to bear is gratitude.”
— Henry Ward Beecher

“Friendship based solely upon gratitude is like a photograph; with time it fades.”
— Carmen Sylva

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

“One of the surest evidences of friendship that one individual can display to another is telling him gently of a fault.
If any other can excel it, it is listening to such a disclosure with gratitude, and amending the error.”
— Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

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

“We are told that people stay in love because of chemistry, or because they remain intrigued with each other, because of many kindnesses, because of luck.
But part of it has got to be forgiveness and gratefulness.”
— Ellen Goodman

Gratitude Quotes on Appreciation of Nature

Here are gratitude quotes expressing gratitude for the beauty and serenity of the natural world.

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.”
– John Burroughs

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”
– John Muir

“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The earth has music for those who listen.”
– George Santayana

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
– Albert Einstein

“To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon the verdant green hills is the most perfect refreshment.”
– Jane Austen

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Those who find beauty in all of nature will find themselves at one with the secrets of life itself.”
– L. Wolfe Gilbert

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
– Lao Tzu

“The poetry of the earth is never dead.”
– John Keats

Gratitude Quotes on Overcoming Adversity

Here are gratitude quotes that emphasize being thankful for life’s challenges and the growth they bring.

“The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.”
– Chinese Proverb

“I am thankful for my struggle because without it, I wouldn’t have stumbled upon my strength.”
– Alexandra Elle

“What does not kill us makes us stronger.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche

“Turn your wounds into wisdom.”
– Oprah Winfrey

“Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.”
– Horace

“The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.”
– Robert Tew

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
– Albert Einstein

“Sometimes the things we can’t change end up changing us.”
– Unknown

“It is through the most difficult times we grow the most.”
– Unknown

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”
– Henry Ford

Gratitude Quotes for Work and Achievement

Here are gratitude quotes for professional opportunities, career growth, and achievements in the workplace.

“I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”
– Thomas Jefferson

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

“The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
– Steve Jobs

“Every professional athlete owes a debt of gratitude to the fans and management and pays an installment every time he plays.
He should never miss a payment.”
— Bobby Hull

“Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.”
– George Herbert

“Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it.”
– Katherine Whitehorn

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
– Confucius

“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.”
– Ann Landers

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”
– Pelé

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

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

“Ambition breaks the ties of blood and forgets the obligations of gratitude.”
– Sallust

Gratitude Quotes for Health and Well-being

Here are gratitude quotes expressing thankfulness for good health, wellness, and the journey towards it.

“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”
– Buddha

“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.”
– Buddha

“Gratitude isn’t a burdening emotion.”
— Loretta Young

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

“The first wealth is health.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Health and cheerfulness naturally beget each other.”
– Joseph Addison

“I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health.”
– Voltaire

“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.”
– Irish Proverb

“Happiness is the highest form of health.”
– Dalai Lama

“He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything.”
– Arabian Proverb

“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.”
– Joseph Pilates

Gratitude Quotes on Mindfulness and Present Moment

Here are gratitude quotes that encourage gratitude for the present moment and the practice of mindfulness.

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”
– Omar Khayyam

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
— Melody Beattie

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

“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh

“Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it.”
– Sharon Salzberg

“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.”
– Jon Kabat-Zinn

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
– Buddha

“Life is a dance. Mindfulness is witnessing that dance.”
– Amit Ray

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.”
– Eckhart Tolle

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.”
– Amit Ray

“In today’s rush, we all think too much — seek too much — want too much — and forget about the joy of just being.”
– Eckhart Tolle

“The only time you ever have in which to learn anything or see anything or feel anything, or express any feeling or emotion, or respond to an event, or grow, or heal, is this moment, because this is the only moment any of us ever gets.
You’re only here now; you’re only alive in this moment.”
– Jon Kabat-Zinn

Gratitude Quotes on Generosity and Kindness of Others

Here are gratitude quotes acknowledging and appreciating acts of kindness and generosity received from others:

“There is as much greatness of mind in acknowledging a good turn, as in doing it.”
– Seneca

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

“Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.”
– Khalil Gibran

“Kindness trumps greed: it asks for sharing.
Kindness trumps fear: it calls forth gratefulness and love.
Kindness trumps even stupidity, for with sharing and love, one learns.”
— Marc Estrin

“Act with kindness, but do not expect gratitude.”
– Proverb

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
– Mark Twain

“Maybe the only thing worse than having to give gratitude constantly is having to accept it.”
— William Faulkner

“Gratitude to gratitude always gives birth.”
– Sophocles

“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received.
Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling.
Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.”
— Henry Van Dyke

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
– Aesop

“We rise by lifting others.”
– Robert Ingersoll

“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”
– Amy Carmichael

“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.”
– Albert Pike

“A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.”
– Steve Maraboli

“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

“The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”
– Scott Adams

“Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference.”
– Kathy Calvin

“A man’s indebtedness is not virtue; his repayment is.
Virtue begins when he dedicates himself actively to the job of gratitude.”
— Ruth Benedict

“To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action.
Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course.
Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you.
Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.”
— Albert Schweitzer

Gratitude Quotes on Personal Growth and Learning

Here are gratitude quotes expressing gratitude for learning opportunities, personal development, and self-discovery.

“It’s a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation.”
— Roberto Benigni

“One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings.
The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.”
— Carl Jung

“The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“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

“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.”
– Anthony J. D’Angelo

“Every day is a new opportunity to learn and grow. Embrace it with joy and gratitude.”
– Unknown

“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.”
– Chinese Proverb

“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.”
– Phil Collins

“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

“Growth is the only evidence of life.”
– John Henry Newman

“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”
– B.B. King

“Be thankful for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow.”
– Unknown

“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.”
– Bernice Johnson Reagon

“Personal growth is not a matter of learning new information but of unlearning old limits.”
– Alan Cohen

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”
— John Milton

Gratitude Quotes on Joy and Happiness

Here are gratitude quotes that reflect thankfulness for moments of joy, happiness, and contentment in life.

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
– Oprah Winfrey

“Joy is a heart full and a mind purified by gratitude.”
—Marietta McCarty

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

“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

“When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears.”
— Tony Robbins

“Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy.”
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy — because we will always want to have something else or something more.”
— David Steindl-Rast

“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.”
– Marianne Williamson

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.”
– Melody Beattie

“The essence of all beautiful art is gratitude.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche

“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.”
– Dalai Lama

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

“Happiness is itself a kind of gratitude.”
— Joseph Wood Krutch

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

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

“Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.”
– Emily Dickinson

“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

“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

Gratitude Quotes on Spiritual Gratitude

Here are gratitude quotes that convey gratitude within a spiritual or religious context, expressing thankfulness for faith, spiritual experiences, or divine blessings.

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

“Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.”
— Satchell Paige

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

“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.”
— Eric Hoffer

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

“The more you recognize the immense good within you, the more you magnetize immense good around you.”
– Alan Cohen

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

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

“In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us happy.”
– Albert Clarke

“Gratitude opens the door to the power, the wisdom, the creativity of the universe. You open the door through gratitude.”
– Deepak Chopra

“Gratitude is the heart’s memory.”
– French Proverb

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

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

“A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things.”
– Plato

“To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.”
– Johannes A. Gaertner

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

“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

“You say grace before meals.
All right.
But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.”
— G. K. Chesterton

Embrace Gratitude to Shift from Scarcity to Abundance

Reflecting on these powerful words, let’s recognize the profound impact of gratitude in our lives.

These quotes inspire us to appreciate our blessings more deeply and highlight the transformative effect of a grateful heart.

By embracing gratitude, we shift our focus from scarcity to abundance, nurturing a sense of contentment and joy.

Let these words be a constant reminder to actively cultivate thankfulness daily.

In practicing gratitude, we discover the true essence of happiness and fulfillment.

Please feel free to share your favorite quote, insight, or action on gratitude.

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