Quotations for Thanksgiving
Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.
~Aesop
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
Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the
simple life . . . a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of
the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the
year—and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God.
~ Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson)
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
~ Melodie Beattie
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today
and creates a vision for tomorrow.
~ Melodie Beattie
Remember God’s bounty in the year.
String the pearls of his favor.
Hide the dark parts, except so far as they are breaking out in light!
Give this one day to thanks, to joy, to gratitude!
~ Henry Ward Beecher
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
Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and
laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.
~ Henry Ward Beecher
Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues,
but the parent of all the others.
~ Cicero
If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,”
that would suffice.
~ Meister Eckhart
If you ever start feeling like you have the goofiest, craziest, most dysfunctional
family in the world, all you have to do is go to a state fair.
Because five minutes at the fair, you’ll be going, ya know, we’re alright.
We are dang near royalty.
~ Jeff Foxworthy
Gratitude is the memory of the heart.
~ French Proverb
Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day
of loving.
~ Kahlil Gibran
Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not
our hearts.
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes
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
Forever on Thanksgiving Day,
The heart will find the pathway home.
~ Wilbur D. Nesbit
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;
they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
~ Marcel Proust
Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them,
is the true measure of our thanksgiving.
~ W.T. Purkiser
Giving gratitude—that spirit of thankfulness—expands our
receptivity to receive, strengthens our abundance to share, and
deepens our heart’s desires to give even more.
~ Sheryl Roush
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
“Modeh Ani”
“I am grateful before you.”
These are the first words you are to say in the morning in traditional
Jewish life. When you start the day being grateful, the hectic morning
rush (kids, dog, sandwiches, backpacks) falls into perspective . . .
(if you have a moment to think about it).
~ Linda Kaplan Spitz, M.D.
You don’t choose your family.
They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.
~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received.
Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling.
Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.
~ Henry Van Dyke
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it
is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
~ William Arthur Ward
The more you praise and celebrate your life,
the more there is in life to celebrate.
~ Oprah Winfrey
Published in Heart of the Holidays:
Yuletide Treasures & Traditions, by Sheryl Roush
Original short stories, poems, and quotations honoring
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Yuletide Around the Globe,
Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Ringing in the New Year,
and Military celebrating abroad.