21 Inspiring Ancient Quotes About Gratitude

Get inspired and be more grateful with these meaningful quotes about gratitude.
Whether you struggle with being grateful, or it comes naturally to you, sometimes we all need a little extra reminder to be grateful in our lives. That’s what makes this time of year so awesome–it’s a built-in reminder on the calendar. And there’s no better time to share your attitude of gratitude with your family and friends than around a bountiful meal–and no better way to do that than with quotes about gratitude.
If you need a little inspiration, here are some quotes about gratitude from ancient wisdom to get you realigned and back in a graceful space.
Quotes About Gratitude
- “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. – Buddha
- “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” – Epictetus
- “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice. – Meister Eckhart
- “Happiness depends upon ourselves. – Aristotle
- “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, Shawnee Chief
- “Enough is as good as a feast.” – Sir Thomas Malory
- “A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things.’ – Plato
- “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
- “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. – Marcus Tullius Cicero
- “If you cannot be grateful for what you have received, then be thankful for what you have been spared.” – Yiddish Proverb
- “If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the world belongs to you.” – Lao-Tzu
- “Do not tell the man that is carrying you that he stinks.” – African Proverb
- “Whatever I am offered in devotion with a pure heart — a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water — I accept with joy.” – Bhagavad Gita
- “Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not, but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess, and then thankfully remember how you would crave for them if they were not yours.” – Marcus Aurelius
- “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus
- “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop
- “Nothing more detestable does the earth produce than an ungrateful man.” – Decimus Magnus Ausonius
- “When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.” – Chinese Proverb
- “He that is hard to please, may get nothing in the end.” – Aesop
- “Forget injuries, never forget kindness.” – Confucius
- “He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” – Socrates
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