Thankfulness Quotes to Live By
Have you had the time to reflect on everything that’s happening in your life recently? With all the stress and anxiety the pandemic has given us, we seldom consider taking a moment to breathe and think about how thankful we are to be where we are today. Are we thankful for the life we have or are we specifically thankful to a person who may have assisted us in some way? The beauty of saying thank you is lost on some people so we thought these beautiful quotes are a great reminder to be thankful, even for the smallest thing.
There are plenty of places that a little thank you can go a long way. For example, say your friends have just let you crash at their place for a couple of nights, and now you’re going home. Give them a note or call them to tell them how much it meant to have somewhere comfy to rest your head. A little kindness goes a long way and to some it’s a very religious experience. Or if someone lets you go in front of them in line or hold open a door when there is no one else around, tell them thank you. When someone holds the elevator door open for us when we’re rushing down four flights of stairs late to work (seriously), I always take just enough time out of my day to say Thank you. This small act shows people that they made an impact on our day in some way and it’s not always black and white.
Here are 20 of the most meaningful quotes about thankfulness to hopefully inspire you to thank a family member, a friend, a loved one or even yourself.
“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
“Reflect upon your present blessings—of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” –Charles Dickens
“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
“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.” –Maya Angelou
“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
“Take full account of the excellencies which you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them if you had them not.” –Marcus Aurelius
“Don’t let the sun go down without saying thank you to someone, and without admitting to yourself that absolutely no one gets this far alone.” –Stephen King
“The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.” –Douglas Wood
“When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree.” -Vietnamese Proverb
“Life’s under no obligation to give us what we expect. We take what we get and are thankful it’s no worse than it is.” –Margaret Mitchell
“When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.” –Kristin Armstrong
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” –William Arthur Ward
“Change your expectation for appreciation and the world changes instantly.” –Tony Robbins
“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
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” –G.K. Chesterton
“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: It must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” –William Faulkner
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” –Marcel Proust – Wikipedia
“Keep your eyes open to your mercies. The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.” –Robert Louis Stevenson
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” –Thornton Wilder
“Thankfulness is the quickest path to joy.” –Jefferson Bethke
The impact of a simple “thank you” can indeed go a long way. Every day calls for a bit of gratitude in your life. All Free Thank You Notes are here to help you show thanks to anyone and every one with our free thank-you GIFs and thank-you cards for all occasions.
Who Should Be Saying Thank You
Everyone should be saying thank you—no matter who they are, what company they work for, or how busy their schedule is. Research shows that thanking people makes them feel good about themselves and even encourages them to work harder (because if they aren’t working hard enough for someone else, why should they do it at all?).
When we don’t say thank you, we show a lack of manners; more importantly, we risk making those around us feel taken for granted and less appreciated. So whether you’re running your own business or just responding to an email from your boss, remember to take time out of your day to thank others. They may just remember it next time around!
