Get gratitude quotes and quotes of thankfulness that remind you to have an attitude of gratitude in your daily life. Don’t forget to download your free short gratitude quotes below!

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There are a lot of different theories out there about what can make a person happy.

Some think it’s having the things in life that they want, others believe that it is all a result of the positive relationships you build.

Others don’t believe you can find happiness until you have found your true passion in life.

I’m not about to tell you that I have the answer to happiness figured out myself. Just like everyone else, I have good days and bad days. I’ve got a few good ideas on what is definitely getting you further away from happiness but I am no expert.

However, there is one trait that is common amongst all people who have found even an ounce of happiness in joy in life- they foster an attitude of gratitude.

People with many different gifts, incomes, and life stories can be happier through gratitude. This is one simple fact that I am entirely confident about and I believe that it can help move all of us closer to a happier life overall.

In a previous article, I shared 9 simple ways that you can start to cultivate a heart of gratitude in your own life but today I want to share with you some gratitude quotes to further encourage you to add some daily gratitude into your life right now!

Quotes that define gratitude

Before you can start practicing gratitude in your own life, it’s important to have a better understanding of what it means to be grateful. It does not mean that you are always positive and optimistic and your life doesn’t even need to be remotely put together before you can start practicing it.

Nobody is innately born with this skill and no one lacks the ability to acquire it later in life.

Gratitude is a choice and a habit and it requires effort to maintain.

Check out the quotes below to get a deeper understanding of the meaning of gratitude:

1. “Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” -William Faulkner
2. “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” -Marcus Tullius Cicero
3.  “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” -G.K. Chesterton
4. “Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation.” -John Ortberg
5. “Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.” -Lionel Hampton
6. “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” -Aesop
7. “Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.” -Amy Collette

Quotes that share how gratitude can change your life

Gratitude clearly has the power to change your life for the better but it can be hard to see how this one simple choice can do so much. These gratitude quotes do a wonderful job of explaining how gratitude can change your life on a daily basis:

1. “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. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” -Melody Beattie
2. “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
3. “There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.” -Ralph H. Blum
4. “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” -Thornton Wilder
5. “The more we express thanks, the more gratitude we feel. The more gratitude we feel, the more we express thanks. It’s circular, and it leads to a happier life.” -Steve Goodier
6. “When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” -Anthony Robbins
7. “It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take not of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.” -Germany Kent
8. “The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.” -Henry Ward Beecher
9. “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” -William Arthur Ward
10. “An attitude of gratitude brings great things.” -Yogi Bhajan

Quotes that tell us how gratitude can change your heart

The magic of practicing gratitude is that, in changing your perspective on life, your heart changes for the better, too. It starts to become more naturally aware of the good things in your life, in turn making it even easier to be grateful.

These gratitude quotes all do a great job of explaining the ways that gratitude can actually change YOU in the process:

1. “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” -G.K. Chesterton
2. “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” -Epictetus
3. “Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.” -Henry Ward Beecher
4. “I think gratitude is a big thing. It puts you in a place where you’re humble.” -Andra Day
5. “When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.” -Kristin Armstrong
6. “The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything: the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.” -Hannah Whitall Smith
7. “The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.” -Douglas Wood
8. “It’s not happiness that brings us gratitude. It’s gratitude that brings us happiness.” -Anonymous
9. “A sense of blessedness comes from a change of heart, not from more blessings.” -Mason Cooley

Quotes that give advice on how to be grateful

The next group of gratitude quotes provides some simple tips on how to foster gratefulness daily. It can be a difficult choice at times but completely worth it!

1. “Everything we do should be a result of our gratitude for what God has done for us.” -Lauryn Hill
2. “Give yourself a gift of five minutes of contemplation in awe of everything you see around you. Go outside and turn your attention to the many miracles around you. This five-minute-a-day regimen of appreciation and gratitude will help you to focus your life in awe.” -Wayne Dyer
3.  “When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” -Vietnamese Proverb
4.  “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
5. “Opening your eyes to more of the world around you can deeply enhance your gratitude practice.” -Derrick Carpenter
6. “Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart.” -Roy T. Bennett
7. “Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.” -Rumi
8. “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
9. “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” -Charles Dickens

Quotes that remind us that we have enough

Oftentimes, we make excuses for ourselves when it comes to gratitude. We try to justify our discontent by saying that if we had more, we would have an easier time being thankful. The following quotes of gratitude make it clear that it doesn’t matter how much we have in our lives- there is always a reason to be grateful.

As harsh as it may sound, these quotes are telling us that, if we cannot find reasons to be grateful, it is not due to our circumstances but to our bad attitudes.

If that’s a message you need to hear, these gratitude quotes will be perfect:

1. “The world has enough beautiful mountains and meadows, spectacular skies and serene lakes. It has enough lush forests, flowered fields, and sandy beaches. It has plenty of stars and the promise of a new sunrise and sunset every day. What the world needs more of is people to appreciate and enjoy it.” -Michael Josephson
2. “My Thanksgiving is perpetual. It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite- only a sense of existence.” -Henry David Thoreau
3. “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
4. “When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup.” -Sam Lefkowitz
5. “We can always find something to be thankful for, no matter what may be the burden of our wants, or the special subject of our petitions.” -Albert Barnes
6. “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
7. “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” -Alphonse Karr
8. “There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” -Henri Matisse
9. “I was complaining that I had no shoes till I met a man who had no feet.” -Confucious
10. “If you have food on your table, clothes on your back, a roof on your head, and a dream in your heart, you have everything you need in life.” -Matshona Dhiliwayo
11. “We can choose to be grateful no matter what.” -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Gratitude quotes about the importance of actively giving thanks

It’s a good thing to be grateful in your heart but it’s also important that you express that gratefulness at times. These quotes are all about the importance of expressing your thankfulness aloud to fully reap the benefits of an attitude of gratitude.

1. “Appreciation can change a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” -Margaret Cousins
2. “We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.” -Harry A. Ironside
3. “Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.” -Albert Schweitzer
4. “Some days are better than others, but every day can be the best day of your life by giving thanks.” -Richie Norton
5. “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” -Voltaire
6. “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” -William Arthur Ward
7. “Recognition is a reward in itself. Any form of appreciation, even a small word, is important.” -Vikrant Massey
8. “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
9. “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

Short quotes to remind us to prioritize gratitude

These gratitude quotes are all short and sweet. They are great to use as daily affirmations to remind yourself to be grateful for everything you have.

1. “Today I focus my thoughts on the wonderful things that are. I focus my heart on the full-filling things that will be… and I give thanks.” -Angie Karan
2. When gratitude becomes your default setting, life changes
3.  “‘Enough’ is a feast.” -Buddhist Proverb
4. “No duty is more urgent than giving thanks.” -James Allen
5. “Silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone.” -Gertrude Stein
6. “The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.” -Dalai Lama
7. “Gratitude is riches. Complain is poverty.” -Doris Day
8. “If you count all your assets, you always show a profit.” -Robert Quillen
9. “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” -Karl Barth
10. “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” -Brene Brown
11. “Thankfulness is the quickest path to joy.” -Jefferson Bethke

Random gratitude quotes

These last quotes of thankfulness are just some nice reminders and pleasant thoughts centred around gratitude.

1. “Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out.” -John Wooden
2. “Always have an attitude of gratitude.” -Sterling K. Brown
3. “If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.” -Frank A. Clark
4. “The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.” -Mary Davis
5. “This is a wonderful day I have never seen this one before.” -Maya Angelou
6. “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
7. “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” -Robert Brault
8. “Rest and be thankful.” -William Wordsworth
9. “Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.” -Paulo Coelho

How can I be grateful during hard times?

Though it is certainly more challenging to be grateful during hard times, it is definitely not impossible. Like some of the gratitude quotes mentioned, your thankfulness does not depend on what you have but on what you choose to be thankful for.

If you look hard enough, even the worst days are full of things to be grateful for.

This doesn’t mean that you have to ignore the bad things in your life. It’s okay to feel sad and upset during hard times.

But there is a difference between feeling sad and feeling ungrateful.

In difficult times, you will need to actively choose to search out the good things in your life. Not only will it help you develop an attitude of gratitude but it will make those difficult times easier.

What are 10 benefits of gratitude?

There are so many reasons to practice gratitude on a daily basis. Here are ten of them now:

1. You will get better at noticing the good things in your life which will actually make your life more enjoyable
2. Other people will appreciate your thankfulness and will be more inclined to help you in the future
3. Your overall mood and mental health will greatly improve
4. Your physical health might improve as a whole
5. You will see an increase in your self-esteem
6. Materialism will be less of a priority so you will likely save some money
7. Sleeping will be easier and better quality
8. Deeper relationships with friends, family, and significant others will be formed
9. Your decision-making skills will improve
10. Focusing and being productive will be a lot easier

One important thing to make clear here is that these benefits are not immediate. You will only experience these benefits after weeks and months of practice.

Don’t start your gratitude practice expecting everything to instantly change for you. It will take time and effort.

How can I improve my gratitude?

Gratitude is not something that you can just decide to have one day and instantly acquire it. A thankful heart takes time and practice to cultivate.

If you want tips on how to develop this skill for yourself, check out my other post on how to cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

You can also download these great gratitude quotes to decorate your home below- they’re totally free!

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How do you show gratitude?

If these quotes were enough to convince you to practice gratitude on a daily basis, here are some simple ways that you can try expressing that gratitude and thankfulness:

• Verbally say the things you are thankful for
• Write thank you letters to people your are thankful for
• Take pictures of the things you are happy to have in your life and share them on social media
• Do things to help other people- generosity is a form of expressing gratitude for what you have
• Keep a gratitude journal

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I hope that these gratitude quotes and ideas were able to encourage you to start practicing thanksgiving and gratitude in your own life today. It will not solve all of life’s problems but it certainly helps to make life more enjoyable overall.

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