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151 Quotes about Gratitude in 9 Categories

Gratitude means showing more appreciation for the little joys in life as well as the big. Below, we’ve gathered some quotes and words of wisdom around the topic of gratitude that will help you to be more grateful and appreciate life more.

In this stressful age, we often forget to say “thank you.” And there is so much to be thankful for. People who learn to also appreciate the little things in life are automatically happier.

“I Am Grateful”: Quotes for More Gratitude in Your Life

“I Am Grateful”: Quotes for More Gratitude in Your Life

Saying thank you to others, showing gratitude, or simply appreciating your health and life can sometimes be hard. This is because we take too much for granted and have forgotten how to say thank you.

The quotes below will help you to be more open to the little joys that life can bring you each day.

  1. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food and the joy of living, If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself.
    (Tecumseh, Native American Chief, 1768–1813)
  2. Start each day by giving thanks for the previous. Because there is no day that doesn’t offer something to be grateful for.
    (Unknown)
  3. Gratitude is one of the most sacred virtues; he who has done good to you, honor him! Thank him not only with words that show him the warmth of your gratitude, but also search for every opportunity in which you can serve him again and be useful to him.
    (Adolph Knigge, German writer, 1752–1796)
  4. Saying “thank you” for this moment is the only way of seizing the flash of eternity.
    (Unknown)
    He who cannot be grateful for the little things in life will forever search for the joy in the big things. (Unknown)
  5. There is only one way to feel comfortable: One must learn to be satisfied with what one has and not always long for what is missing.
    (Theodor Fontane, German writer, 1819–1898)
  6. Gratitude means falling in love with what you already have.
    (Unknown)
  7. Simple gratitude, without a trace of love, is the only gift a noble mind can give in return for past good deeds.
    (Oliver Goldsmith, Irish writer, 1728–1774)
  8. A thousandfold is given to him
    a thousandfold luck again,
    who every day in life is
    grateful for his gifts.
    (Julius Lohmeyer, German writer, 1834–1903)
  9. In the life of a Native American, there are no bad days. Even when times are more difficult. Every day is good. Because you are alive, every day is good!
    (Native American proverb)

Sayings and Quotes about Appreciation and Gratitude

Sayings and Quotes about Appreciation and Gratitude

Appreciation is a part of gratitude: if you can be appreciative, you are automatically grateful. We have many positive quotes and words of wisdom about the topic of gratitude below.

  1. The holy man, though it may cost him his life,
    Will not desist from what is good.
    The color of fine gold will not change,
    Though it be burnt and broken.
    (Sakya Pandita, Buddhist leader, 1181–1251)
  2. Do good deeds unto everyone as though you are blind, and receive every good deed as though you are sighted.
    (Georg Philipp Harsdörffer, German poet, 1607–1658)
  3. Think of the weaver’s toil when dressing, of the farmer’s hardship when eating. (Chinese proverb)
  4. Each day, I strive to give thanks for that which I have received, for what I enjoy before thousands; to become ever more grateful, that shall be my first endeavor! (Johann Caspar Lavater, Swiss pastor, 1741–1801)
  5. Receiving a good deed pleases a grateful person always, an ungrateful person only once.
    (Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman philosopher, 4 B.C.–65 A.D.)
  6. Give thanks for every gift, – so each becomes a blessing unto you!
    (Johann Caspar Lavater, Swiss pastor, 1741–1801)
  7. Giving thanks is joy in the gift and greater joy in the giver.
    (Johann Caspar Lavater, Swiss pastor, 1741–1801)
  8. Then when between three hundred and sixty-five rainy days of suffering only one sunny day of serene joy and courage shines forth, I will forget all those rainy days and only fix my grateful eyes on this sunny day of joy and praise the Lord that he at least gave me this one.
    (Gottfried Keller, Swiss poet, 1819–1890)
  9. It is better to be thankful for what you already have; wait for the rest and be happy you don’t already have everything.
    (Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman philosopher, 4. B.C.–65 A.D.)
  10. You should be grateful for the smallest, and you will become worthy to receive the greatest. (Thomas von Kempen, German writer, 1380–1471)
  11. Do not dream of possession of what you do not have: rather reflect on the greatest blessings in what you do have, and on their account remind yourself how much they would have been missed if they were not there.
    (Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor, 121–180 A.D.)
  12. Gratitude is a duty that should be fulfilled, but which no one has the right to expect.
    (Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss writer, 1712–1778)
  13. Happy days – don’t cry because they’re over, smile because they happened.
    (Unknown)
  14. Think of the source when you drink.
    (Chinese proverb)
  15. Appreciation is a sure path to fair evaluation.
    (Unknown)

“Be Grateful” Quotes

“Be Grateful” Quotes

Below are some quotes to inspire your gratitude and thankfulness. Making a collection of your favorite quotes about gratitude can help you to remember all the things you have to be grateful for when you are feeling down.

  1. Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.
    (Voltaire, French writer, 1694–1778)
  2. When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.
    (Vietnamese proverb)
  3. No duty is more urgent than giving thanks.
    (James Allen, British writer, 1864–1912)
  4. I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
    (G. K. Chesterton, English writer, 1874–1936)
  5. Enough is a feast.
    (Buddhist proverb)
  6. He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.
    (Epictetus, Greek philosopher, 55–135 A.D.)
  7. 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, German theologian, 1906–1945)
  8. Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.
    (Rumi, Persian poet and Sufi mystic, 1207–1273)
  9. Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
    (Marcel Proust, French novelist, 1871–1922)
  10. 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, Greek philosopher, 341–270 B.C.)
  11. 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, American essayist, 1803–1882)
  12. If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough. (Meister Eckhart, German theologian, circa 1260–1328)
  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, English writer, 1812–1870)
  14. Be grateful in your own hearts. That suffices. Thanksgiving has wings, and flies to its right destination.
    (Victor Hugo, French writer, 1802–1885)
  15. The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.
    (Henry Ward Beecher, American minister, 1813–1887)

Bible Verses about Gratitude

Gratitude Quotes from Bible Verses 

Bible quotes and verses about gratitude and giving thanks can provide strength during harder times to those who practice Christianity. They will strengthen your faith and remind you to be grateful for God’s presence in your life.

  1. Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20)
  2. But be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.
    (1 Samuel 12:24)
  3. But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
    (Matthew 13:16)
  4. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.
    (Psalms 136:1)
  5. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
    (Colossians 3:15)
  6. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
    (Psalm 118:24)
  7. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!
    (Psalm 107:1)
  8. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.
    (Psalms 100:4)
  9. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
    (2 Corinthians 4:15)
  10. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
    (Matthew 6:21)
  11. But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere.
    (2 Corinthians 2:14)
  12. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this in the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
    (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)

“I Am Thankful for You”: Quotes of Gratitude in Friendships

“I Am Thankful for You”: Quotes of Gratitude in Friendships

True friendship is rare and a truly great thing. So you should particularly treasure your true friends. With the quotes below, you can show your closest friends how grateful you are for their friendship. On the other hand, a few of the other quotes show how valuable friendship is.

  1. Be sure to count on friendship,
    When gratitude gives you friends.
    (Heinrich Martin, German writer, 1818–1872)
  2. I want to thank you for your great friendship, so that it is not taken for granted. You are a great person.
    (Unknown)
  3. I’m grateful you exist. You make life wonderful.
    (Unknown)
  4. Gaining a friend through gratitude,
    Means: spinning ropes from summer threads.
    (Heinrich Martin, German writer, 1818–1872)
  5. Thank you for your time, for your shoulder to lean on, and for your ears that always listen to me. You give me so much, that I don’t have the words to describe it. Thank you for everything.
    (Unknown)
  6. Thank you for your friendship, for all the beautiful memories we have shared; for the funny moments; for your acceptance and appreciation; but also for your open arms in the bad times. You are a great friend!
    (Unknown)
  7. If you expect a certain gratitude with every service of friendship, you do not give, you sell. (Unknown)
  8. You have always been there for me and constantly been a good friend, thank you for everything! (Unknown)
  9. I am grateful for the people in my life who I can call friends.
    (Unknown)
  10. You are a gift sent from heaven, many spend a long time in vain, searching for a friend as good as you. I am so unbelievably grateful that you are a part of my life. Thank you for your friendship. (Unknown)

Grateful for You: Sayings about Gratitude for the Family

Grateful for You: Sayings about Gratitude for the Family

A healthy family that makes you feel comfortable offers many reasons to be grateful. The family quotes below will let you show your family how thankful you are for them.

  1. The people who you love,
    and who love you again,
    God save you from poverty and from envy;
    To practice the hardest virtue
    Is gratitude!
    (Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet, 1719–1803)
  2. Showing thanks is a true test of love; where one loves, one happily shows thanks.
    (Helene Gräfin von Waldersee, German writer, 1850–1917)
  3. You cannot choose your family, that’s why I am all the luckier to have you as my family. I feel very comfortable in your presence and am thankful for all of you!
    (Unknown)
  4. I am grateful for the family ties that join us together.
    (Unknown)
  5. How happy and grateful I am to have a family as great as you around me. You give me room to grow and learn. Thanks for that!
    (Unknown)

Quotes about Gratitude for More Happiness and Satisfaction

Quotes about Gratitude for More Happiness and Satisfaction

Being grateful makes you happy. When you learn to take joy in the little things in life, it will have an effect on your wellbeing and you will be more satisfied and therefore happier in the long term. The quotes below also convey this message.

  1. It is not the happy people who are grateful. It is the grateful people who are happy.
    (Francis Bacon, English philosopher, 1561–1626)
  2. Grateful people are happy people.
    (Unknown)
  3. Only free men are thoroughly grateful to one another.
    (Baruch Spinoza, Dutch philosopher, 1632–1677)
  4. There shall be eternal summer in a grateful heart.
    (Celia Thaxter, American poet, 1835–1894)
  5. The most beautiful thing in life is thanking others.
    (Unknown)
  6. No person can make something completely right for another, but they can be grateful. And gratitude is a road on which joy thrives.
    (Berthold Auerbach, German writer, 1812–1882)
  7. Gratitude is a divine emotion: it fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever. (Charlotte Bronte, English writer, 1816–1855)
  8. The wages of a good deed is to have done it. I am grateful, not in order that my neighbor, provoked by the earlier act of kindness, may be more ready to benefit me, but simply in order that I may perform a most pleasant and beautiful act; I feel grateful, not because it profits me, but because it pleases me.
    (Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman philosopher, 4 B.C.–65 A.D)
  9. The person will live in peace who repays a good deed with another good deed and, as far as is up to him, does not wish to harm anyone.
    (Juan de la Cruz, Spanish monk, 1542–1591)
  10. There will be brightness in our life where one learned to be grateful for the little things.
    (Friedrich von Bodelschwingh, German theologian, 1831–1910)
  11. Heavens! How cheap life is when one only wants to be happy, and not seem so!
    (Jean Paul, German writer, 1763–1825)
  12. The happiest person, the most untroubled possessor of himself, is the one who awaits the morrow without anxiety.
    (Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman philosopher, 4 B.C.–65 A.D.)
  13. Every happy moment deserves gratitude.
    (Unknown)
  14. Gratitude is a feeling that purifies and improves the heart, beneficent to he who receives as well as he who gives.
    (Adolph Knigge, German writer, 1752–1796)
  15. Grateful people are like fertile fields; they give back what they have received tenfold.
    (August von Kotzebue, German lawyer and dramatist, 1761–1819)
  16. Everyone has walked easily through this world,
    Who knows how to thank well and ask well.
    (Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Moravian-Austrian writer, 1830–1916)
  17. The eye may look with joy at a small present, just as you should be thankful to the sun for the shade.
    (German proverb)
  18. He who learned to give thanks has become healthy.
    (Friedrich von Bodelschwingh, German theologian, 1831–1910)
  19. Gratitude makes life rich.
    (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lutheran theologian, 1906–1945)
  20. Accustom yourself, since death always threatens you, to accept gratefully what life offers.
    (Friedrich von Bodenstedt, German writer, 1819–1892)

Wisdom about Being Grateful

Wisdom about Being Grateful

Below you will find many words of wisdom and quotes from old poets and thinkers that revolve around the topic of gratitude. Some of these quotes will also give you advice on when the right time to give thanks is. Others urge you to be thankful more often and show the consequences of being ungrateful.

  1. The plea is always hot, the thanks cold.
    (German proverb)
  2. People are never so grateful for even the smallest act of kindness than when it comes from the hand that has every power to harm them, from which they only expect pride, neglect, and hardship. (Wilhelm von Humboldt, Prussian scholar, 1767–1835)
  3. He who evades thanks entirely debases the gifted friend by elevating himself.
    (Franz Grillparzer, Austrian writer, 1791–1872)
  4. The feeling of owed gratitude is a burden that only strong souls are capable of bearing.
    (Marie Ebner-Eschenbach, Moravian-Asutrian writer, 1830–1916)
  5. If human gratitude were sustenance, every good and great deed would have to starve.
    (Margarate Seemann, Austrian writer, 1893–1949)
  6. The gratitude shown to others by people led by blind desire is usually more of a bargain or a lure, than it is gratitude.
    (Baruch de Spinoza, Dutch philosopher, 1632–1677)
  7. Unfortunately, true gratitude cannot be expressed in words, nor should it expect immediate retribution.
    (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet, 1749–1832)
  8. Few there are whose gratitude survives longer than the object given; there are more who keep gifts in mind only so long as they are in use.
    (Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman philosopher, 4 B.C.–65 A.D.)
  9. Lawfulness and gratitude are indispensable virtues, without which people would be worse than wild animals.
    (Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, 1712–1786)
  10. Thanks are a rare gift of seldom benevolent fate; but on the steep heights of business life, in its swamps and solitudes, one must never botanize after it, otherwise you bring home only sore feet and fruitless sweat.
    (Karl Christian Ernst von Bentzel-Sternau, German writer, 1767–1849)
  11. In general, I have noticed that one must thank people as little as possible, because gratitude shown to them brings them to believe they have done too much! More than once I have seen people who were about to do a good deed refrain from doing so, because those they wanted to advocate, out of grateful excitement, attached too much importance to what they were offering.
    (Benjamin Constant, Franco-Swiss writer, 1767–1830)
  12. People feel it to be such a heavy burden to be thankful for good deeds they receive that, in order to shift such an obligation away from themselves, they have made the assertion: Benevolence bears interest!
    (Daniel Spitzer, Austrian author, 1835–1893)
  13. Gratitude should be one of the hardest virtues. An even harder one might be not to exaggerate the claims to thanks.
    (Christian Friedrich Hebbel, German dramatist, 1813–1863)
  14. Gratitude is heaven itself; there could be no heaven without gratitude.
    (William Blake, English poet, 1757–1827)
  15. Among the people there are only a few who, without thinking of themselves, take pure joy in what God has created so beautifully even in the smallest detail.
    (Adalbert Stifter, Austrian writer, 1805–1868)
  16. The good deed is a considerable plant, its rarest bloom is gratitude.
    (Persian proverb)
  17. Thanks is for small souls a heavy burden, for pure hearts a requirement.
    (Georg Christoph Lichetnberg, German biologist, 1742–1799)
  18. Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.
    (Cicero, Roman statesman, 106–43 B.C.)
  19. You must not be indebted to anyone, even the best, if you want to be happy with yourself.
    (Caroline von Wolzogen, German author, 1763–1847)
  20. A beneficent thanks is much rarer than a beneficent deed.
    (Helene Gräfin von Waldersee, German writer, 1850–1917)
  21. And as among the virtues, gratitude is, in my judgment, most especially to be commended. (Giovanni Boccaccio, Italian writer, 1313–1375)
  22. Gratitude is commonly understood to mean a lifetime’s willingness to smear ointment for once having had lice.
    (Karl Kraus, Austrian writer, 1874–1936)
  23. Nothing is less to be counted on than gratitude. But love does not work for the sake of thanks. (Albertine Necker de Saussure, Swiss writer, 1766–1842)
  24. Therefore, those who rid themselves of the duties of gratitude need not flatter themselves that they are grateful.
    (Francois de la Rouchfoucauld, French aristocrat, 1613–1680)
  25. How warm the world could be if every thanks were as hot as the request!
    (Margarete Seemann, Austrian writer, 1893–1949)
  26. When it comes to gratitude, however, the one who has an obligation is one step lower than his benefactor.
    (Immanuel Kant, German philosopher, 1724–1804)
  27. A grateful man – he carries the fertile germ of every virtue in his bosom.
    (August von Kotzebue, German lawyer and dramatist, 1761–1819)
  28. We never thank with greater intimacy than when we are expecting a new favor.
    (Mariano José Pereira da Fonseca, Brazilian writer, 1773–1848)
  29. We owe gratitude to those who save us from enemies.
    (Erasmus Roterodamus, universal scholar, 1466–1536)

Short Quotes on Gratitude

Short Quotes on Gratitude

If you are looking for a particularly short quote or saying on the topic of gratitude, you’ve found yourself at the right place in this chapter. Thanks to their concise nature, they are great for sending to others or using as your status – especially on WhatsApp.

  1. He who gives thanks for the ear of corn shall receive a sheaf.
    (German proverb).
  2. Give thanks for your own life!
    (Gerhard von Mutius, German diplomat, 1872–1934)
  3. All being is intertwined in thanks.
    (Christian Morgenstern, German poet, 1871–1914)
  4. The greatest force in life is thanks.
    (Hermann von Bezzel, German Lutheran theologian, 1861–1917)
  5. Gratitude and love are siblings.
    (Christian Morgenstern, German poet, 1871–1914)
  6. Gratitude is the memory of the heart.
    (Jean-Baptise Massieu, French bishop, 1743–1818)
  7. Thanks ages quickly.
    (German proverb)
  8. Good advice is rare, gratitude for it even rarer.
    (Turkish proverb)
  9. Gratitude is a flower that only grows in few gardens.
    (Unknown)
  10. You can’t put “thank you” in your pocket.
    (Yiddish proverb)
  11. He who stops being grateful has never really been grateful.
    (Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, 1657–1713)
  12. Thanks are few and far between.
    (German proverb)
  13. Thanking costs nothing and pleases both God and man.
    (German proverb)
  14. Being thankful never broke anyone’s leg.
    (German proverb)
  15. If you are not grateful immediately, you never will be.
    (Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman philosopher, 4 B.C.–65 A.D.)
  16. He who is owed thanks by others has a beautiful treasure.
    (German proverb)
  17. We are grateful for nothing as much as for gratitude.
    (Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Moravian-Austrian writer, 1830–1916)
  18. Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.
    (Aesop, Greek poet, circa 550 B.C.)
  19. He who can confuse thanks with a reward deserves only the latter.
    (August von Kotzebue, German lawyer and dramatist, 1761–1819)
  20. There is hardly a more beautiful excess in the world than that of gratitude.
    (Jean de La Bruyère, French writer, 1645–1696)
  21. Gratitude is a keen sense for pending favors.
    (Francois de La Rochefoucauld, French aristocrat, 1613–1680)
  22. What is more forgetful than gratitude?
    (Friedrich von Schiller, German dramatist, 1759–1805)
  23. Gratitude is a vice to be endured!
    (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet, 1749–1832)
  24. No one thanks us for what lies beneath.
    (Honoré de Balzac, French writer, 1799–1850)
  25. Where I ate and did not drink,
    I know no thanks.
    (German proverb)
  26. He who gives thanks receive ever more to thank for.
    (Hermann von Bezzel, German Lutheran theologian and school principal, 1861–1917)
  27. Thanks is more of a state than an utterance.
    (Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian lyricist, 1875–1926)
  28. Only free people are truly thankful to one another.
    (Baruch de Spinoza, Dutch philosopher, 1632–1677)
  29. The Lord’s wine is the cupbearer’s gratitude.
    (Gaius Petronius Arbiter, Roman poet, 10 A.D.–66 A.D.)
  30. Gratitude is the virtue of the world to come.
    (Ernst Kuno Bethold Fischer, German philosopher, 1824–1907)
  31. A feeling of gratitude is mixed with every great joy.
    (Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Moravian-Austrian writer, 1830–1916)
  32. Those who do not know how to give thanks, those are the poorest.
    (Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Moravian-Austrian writer, 1830–1916)
  33. He who counts on gratitude is a merchant, but no philanthropist.
    (Unknown)
  34. Gratitude is the measure of the heart’s culture.
    (German proverb)
  35. Gratitude: one gives more than one has received.
    (Honoré de Balzac, French writer, 1799–1850)
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