These great thinkers offer a few gratitude quotes to remind you that giving thanks comes in all shapes and sizes
33 Gratitude Quotes That Bring Meaning to the Everyday
Updated on Feb. 12, 2025
Best gratitude quotes
1. “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
2. “The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.” —William James
3. “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
4. “Opening your eyes to more of the world around you can deeply enhance your gratitude practice.” —Derrick Carpenter
5. “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
6. “You can never do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
7. “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
8. “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” —Robert Brault
Inspirational gratitude quotes
9. “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” —Epictetus
10. “When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” —Vietnamese proverb
11. “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.” —Harold S. Kushner
12. “If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” —Meister Eckhart
13. “Reflect upon your present blessings—of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” —Charles Dickens
14. “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” —Karl Barth
15. “I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
16. “We take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” —Cynthia Ozick
17. “Make it a habit to tell people ‘thank you.’ To express your appreciation sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. 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
Meaningful quotes about gratitude
18. “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
19. “We can always find something to be thankful for, and there may be reasons why we ought to be thankful for even those dispensations which appear dark and frowning.” —Albert Barnes
20. “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
21. “This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before.” —Maya Angelou
22. “When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.” —Kristin Armstrong
23. “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
24. “One can never pay in gratitude; one can only pay ‘in kind’ somewhere else in life.” —Anne Morrow Lindbergh
25. “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” —Melody Beattie
26. “When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” —Tony Robbins
27. “Gratitude is the highest, the most elegant form of courtesy.” —Ralph Blum
28. “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” —Aesop
29. “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” —G.K. Chesterton
30. “Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.” —Doris Day
31. “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy.” —Marcel Proust
32. “Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.” —Lionel Hampton
33. “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” —Willie Nelson
Additional reporting by Kelly Kuehn.
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite quotes for over 100 years. The sayings and quips that appear in the magazine’s “Quotable Quotes” (formerly “Remarkable Remarks”) are curated from interviews and essays originally published in the magazine, reprints from trusted titles and other verified sources. For this piece on gratitude quotes, Emma Taubenfeld tapped her experience as a lifestyle editor for Reader’s Digest to ensure that all information is accurate. We’ve gone the extra step and had Ambrose Martose, a fact-checker with 20-plus years of experience researching for national publications including National Geographic Adventure and Popular Mechanics, verify that all quotes are attributed correctly and have credible sourcing. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
