--- description: Sometimes, a totally different perspective can be found in a few simple words title: 40 Inspiring Motivational Quotes About Gratitude image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75607f53ab10710e/6986845c169ab066d5278218/oprah-1280x720.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Careers & Workplace](/tag/careers-workplace/) ## Careers & Workplace Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 40 Inspiring Motivational Quotes About Gratitude by [Inc.](/author/inc/) ## Inc. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 30, 2014 2:28 PM CUT  by [Inc.](/author/inc/) ## Inc. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 30, 2014 2:28 PM CUT _This post is in partnership with Inc., which offers useful advice, resources and insights to entrepreneurs and business owners. The article below was originally published at_ [_Inc.com_](http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/40-inspiring-motivational-quotes-about-gratitude.html "undefined")_._ _By Jeff Haden_ Whatever your definition of success ([everyone’s definition of success is and should be different](http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-only-definition-of-success-that-matters.html "undefined")), we all want more. That desire for more can blind us to what we already have–and should be grateful for. Here are 40 quotes about gratitude that will not only remind you that what you have is pretty awesome, but will also, I hope, spur you to express that [gratitude](http://www.inc.com/jay-steinfeld/recover-lost-business-art-of-gratitude.html "undefined") to the people who deserve it most. 1. “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”_William Arthur Ward_ 2. “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” _G.K. Chesterton_ 3. “‘Enough’ is a feast. _Buddhist proverb_ 4. “If you count all your assets, you always show a profit.” _Robert Quillen_ 5. “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” _Robert Brault_ 6. “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_ 7. “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” _Charles Dickens_ 8. “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” _Eckhart Tolle_ 9. “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_ 10. “If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” _Gerald Good_ 11. “Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” _Melody Beattie_ 12. “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_ 13. “Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.” _Fred De Witt Van Amburgh_ 14. “The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.” _Charles Schwab_ 15. “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” _Epictetus_ 16. “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_ 17. “The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.” _William James_ 18. “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_ 19. “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_ 20. “Silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone.” _Gertrude Stein_ 21. “Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” _Henri Frederic Amiel_ 22. “You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.” _Ralph Waldo Emerson_ 23. “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” _Willie Nelson_ 24. “It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.” _Naomi Williams_ 25. “One can never pay in gratitude; one can only pay ‘in kind’ somewhere else in life.”_Anne Morrow Lindbergh_ 26. “Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out.” _John Wooden_ 27. “No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.” _Alfred North Whitehead_ 28. “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” _A.A. Milne_ 29. “Forget yesterday–it has already forgotten you. Don’t sweat tomorrow–you haven’t even met. Instead, open your eyes and your heart to a truly precious gift–today.”_Steve Maraboli_ 30. “We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count.” _Neal A. Maxwell_ 31. “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_ 32. “The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.” _John E. Southard_ 33. “I truly believe we can either see the connections, celebrate them, and express gratitude for our blessings, or we can see life as a string of coincidences that have no meaning or connection. For me, I’m going to believe in miracles, celebrate life, rejoice in the views of eternity, and hope my choices will create a positive ripple effect in the lives of others. This is my choice.” _Mike Ericksen_ 34. “Gratitude also opens your eyes to the limitless potential of the universe, while dissatisfaction closes your eyes to it.” _Stephen Richards_ 35. “Gratitude and attitude are not challenges; they are choices.” _Robert Braathe_ 36. “They both seemed to understand that describing it was beyond their powers, the gratitude that spreads through your body when a burden gets lifted, and the sense of homecoming that follows, when you suddenly remember what it feels like to be yourself.” _Tom Perrotta_ 37. “Gratitude is more of a compliment to yourself than someone else.” _Raheel Farooq_ 38. “Keep your eyes open and try to catch people in your company doing something right, then praise them for it.” _Tom Hopkins_ 39. “In life, one has a choice to take one of two paths: to wait for some special day–or to celebrate each special day.” _Rasheed Ogunlaru_ 40. “This a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.” _Maya Angelou_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3449533/gratitude-quotes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3449533/gratitude-quotes/"},"headline":"40 Inspiring Motivational Quotes About Gratitude","datePublished":"2014-09-30T14:28:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:29:22.341Z","description":"Sometimes, a totally different perspective can be found in a few simple words","url":"https://time.com/3449533/gratitude-quotes/","keywords":["Careers & Workplace","Careers","Self-Improvement","Leadership","inspiration"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75607f53ab10710e/6986845c169ab066d5278218/oprah-1280x720.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Inc.","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/inc/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75607f53ab10710e/6986845c169ab066d5278218/oprah-1280x720.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Oprah 1280X720","caption":"","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/careers-workplace/","name":"Careers & Workplace"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3449533/gratitude-quotes/","name":"40 Inspiring Motivational Quotes About Gratitude"}}]}] ```