Gratitude is not just an expression but a way of living. When we appreciate everything we have and also what we don’t have, it keeps us grounded and saves us from the vicious cycle of dissatisfaction. Gratitude takes work and needs practice.
Sometimes, seeing a motivational quote while scrolling can brighten our day and move us to take action. For a long time, how gratitude has changed people’s lives has been evident through famous personas. What do quotes actually do? I use quotes as a push. It has happened many times that a random line has changed my thought process towards a particular event or made me take a sudden step I was delaying for no reason. Maybe these quotes will help you do the same or help you feel better on a bad day.
Some collected famous quotes about gratitude:
“Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
1. “If you keep searching for everything beautiful in the world, you will eventually become it.” — Tyler Kent White, author and poet
2. “True forgiveness is when you can say, ‘Thank you for that experience.’” – Oprah Winfrey, talk show host, author
3. “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” — Brené Brown, professor, lecturer, and author
4. “Happiness is letting go of what you think your life is supposed to look like and celebrating it for everything that it is.” — Mandy Hale, author
5. “Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.” — Ernest Hemingway, author
6. “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, author and poet
7. “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” — A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
8. “I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness—it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” — Brené Brown
9. “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” — Melody Beattie
10. “Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
“The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little. They are the whole point of life. Cultivate gratitude for them.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
11. “Gratitude is the realization that we have everything we need, in this moment.” — Tara Brach
12. “Gratitude blocks toxic emotions, such as envy, resentment, regret, and depression, which can destroy our happiness.” — Robert Emmons
13. “When we’re kind to ourselves, we create a reservoir of peace and gratitude that we can draw from in difficult times.” — Kristin Neff
14. “The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little. They are the whole point of life. Cultivate gratitude for them.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn
15. “Gratitude is the antidote to the entitlement, dissatisfaction, and discontent that seem to surround us.” — Shauna Niequist
16. “Gratitude is a powerful process for shifting your energy and bringing more of what you want into your life. Be grateful for what you already have, and you will attract more good things.” — Louise Hay
17. “Gratitude is like a flashlight. It lights up what is already there. You don’t necessarily have anything more or different, but suddenly you can see what truly matters.” — Rick Hanson
18. “Some people grumble that roses have thorns. I am grateful that thorns have roses.” — Alphonse Karr, writer
19. “Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.” — Brené Brown
20. “Have gratitude for the things you’re discarding. By giving gratitude, you’re giving closure to the relationship with that object, and by doing so, it becomes a lot easier to let go.” — Marie Kondo
“Even if you don’t have all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don’t have that you don’t want.” — Bob Dylan on advice he received from his father, “Chronicles, Volume One”
21. “Take one thing with another, and the world is a pretty good sort of a world and ’tis our duty to make the best of it and be thankful.” — Benjamin Franklin
22. “Even if you don’t have all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don’t have that you don’t want.” — Bob Dylan on advice he received from his father, “Chronicles, Volume One”
23. “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ― William Arthur Ward
24. “I may not be where I want to be but I’m thankful for not being where I used to be.” ― Habeeb Akande
25. “Gratitude, warm, sincere, intense, when it takes possession of the bosom, fills the soul to overflowing and scarce leaves room for any other sentiment or thought.” — John Quincy Adams
26. “Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” — Margaret Cousins
27. “Gratitude is a divine emotion. It fills the heart, not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever.” — Charlotte Brontë
28. “The best way to show my gratitude is to accept everything, even my problems, with joy.” — Mother Teresa
29. “Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer
30. “There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.” — John Green
“I’ve found in my life that the easiest way to increase my joy is to religiously practice gratitude until I’m a gratitude machine!” — Rhonda Byrne
31. “Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” — Margaret Cousins
32. “We learned about gratitude and humility – that so many people had a hand in our success.” — Michelle Obama
33. “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, Shawnee Chief and warrior
34. “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” — Voltaire, philosopher
35. “I’ve found in my life that the easiest way to increase my joy is to religiously practice gratitude until I’m a gratitude machine!” — Rhonda Byrne, writer
36. “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, and confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” — Melody Beattie, author
37. “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
38. “Being grateful does not mean that everything is necessarily good. It just means that you can accept it as a gift.” — Roy T. Bennett
39. “Gratitude is the delicious scent of the soul, the elixir that heals the wounds of loneliness.” — Victor Hugo
40. “Better to lose count while naming your blessings than to lose your blessings to counting your troubles.” — Maltbie Babcock
“Mastery without gratitude is like a tree without roots—eventually, it falls.” – Robert Greene (Mastery)
41. “Gratitude enriches human life. It elevates, energizes, inspires and transforms, and those who practice it will experience significant improvements in several areas of life including relationships, academics, energy level and even dealing with tragedy and crisis.” – Dr. Robert Emmons
42. “A thankful expert is a lifelong learner; an entitled one is a relic of the past.” – Angela Duckworth (Author, Grit)
43. “The most advanced minds never stop being grateful for the basics.” – Daniel Kahneman (Thinking, Fast and Slow)
44. “Great skill is the sum of small learnings—each deserving gratitude.” – Peter Drucker (Management Guru)
45. “Every expert was once a beginner; the wise ones never forget to be grateful for that journey.” – Steven Pinker (Cognitive Psychologist)
46. “The deeper your knowledge, the greater your gratitude for those who contributed to it.” – Noam Chomsky (Linguist, Philosopher)
47. “Mastery without gratitude is like a tree without roots—eventually, it falls.” – Robert Greene (Mastery)
48. “The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.” ― Henry Ward Beecher
49. “Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.” — Amy Collette
50. “Got no checkbooks, got no banks. Still, I’d like to express my thanks — I’ve got the sun in the mornin’ and the moon at night.” ― Irving Berlin
“For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.” — Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and author
51. “The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely.” – Louisa May Alcott
52. “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, religious leader
53. “For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.” — Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and author
54. “Gratitude is not a limited resource, nor is it costly. It is abundant as air. We breathe it in but forget to exhale.” — Marshall Goldsmith, executive leadership coach and author
55. “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust
56. “Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.” – Henry Ward Beecher
57. “Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness and gratitude.” – Nigel Hamilton
58. “Coming close to death you begin to know what life means, and what it means is gratitude.” – Roger Scruton
59. “At the age of 18, I made up my mind to never have another bad day in my life. I dove into an endless sea of gratitude from which I’ve never emerged.” – Patch Adams
60. “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
At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes enough. You don’t need to photograph, paint or even remember it. It is enough.-Toni Morrison
61. “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
62. “At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets.” – Steve Maraboli
63. “You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.” – Kahill Gibran (The Prophet)
64. “Enough is a feast.” – Buddhist Proverb
65. “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
66. “What a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” – Marcus Aurelius
67. “Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get drunk.” – Rumi
68. “God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’” – William Arthur Ward
69. “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
70. “At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes enough. You don’t need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough.” – Toni Morrison
Does not the gratitude of the dog put to shame any man who is ungrateful to his benefactors? -Saint Basil
71. “Does not the gratitude of the dog put to shame any man who is ungrateful to his benefactors?” – Saint Basil
72. “I’m thankful for the incredible advances in medicine that have taken place during my lifetime. I almost certainly wouldn’t still be here if it weren’t for them.” – Billy Graham
73. “I wouldn’t change anything. I’ve made mistakes, but thanks to those mistakes, I’ve learned.” – Enrique Iglesias
74. “I was successful materially, but I know life is much more than worldly success. I saw all these blessings God had given me. The way to give thanks is obedience to God.” – Hakeem Olajuwon
75. “Thank God we’re living in a country where the sky’s the limit, the stores are open late and you can shop in bed thanks to television.” – Joan Rivers
