Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes. (2024)

When you think of everything you're thankful for, the first thing that probably comes to mind is loved ones. Because while there's much to be grateful for in life, it's friends and family that most people put at the top of the list.

However, there are plenty of other blessings to celebrate as well. Think of the neighbor who grabbed your mail while you were away on vacation, or the coworker that remembered you love pumpkin spice lattes and brought you one to brighten your day.

It's in those moments that expressing your gratitude means everything and to help honor those that make our life special, we've gathered these thankful quotes to help find exactly the right words to say.

Use one of these inspirational sayings to show your appreciation for friends and relatives or use one of these short quotes to post as a caption on Instagram to let your circle know just how much they matter to you.

From luminaries like Maya Angelou and William Shakespeare to presidents and poets, we hope you'll find what you're looking for in the collection of quotes below.

The best part? When you share one of these meaningful messages, chances are you'll be reminded of the many reasons people are thankful for you too.

Thankful quotes for friends and family

  • “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” — Karl Barth
  • “Living in a state of gratitude is the gateway to grace.” — Arianna Huffington
  • “Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” — Margaret Cousins
Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes. (1)
  • “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” — Thomas Aquinas
  • “When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place.” — C.S. Lewis
  • “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” — Walter Winchell
Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes. (2)
  • “When the world is so complicated, the simple gift of friendship is within all of our hands.” — Maria Shriver
  • “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” — A.A. Milne, “Winnie-the-Pooh”
  • “To have friends who will always take you to higher ground is an incalculable blessing.” — John Bytheway
  • I’m just thankful for the people that never left me and equally thankful for those who did.” ― Nitya Prakash
  • “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” ― John F. Kennedy
Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes. (3)
  • “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ― Marcel Proust
  • “Having a place to go is a home. Having someone to love is a family. Having both is a blessing.” — Donna Hedges
  • “If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.” — W. Clement Stone

Thankfulness quotes

  • “Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have.” — Sanchita Pandey
  • "Express gratitude for the greatness of small things." — Richie Norton
  • “The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.” ― Henry Ward Beecher
  • “Great things happen to those who don’t stop believing, trying, learning, and being grateful.” ― Roy T. Bennett, “The Light in the Heart”
Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes. (4)
  • “One way to love yourself and take charge of your life is through the practice of gratitude.Practicing gratitude increases self-awareness.” ― Veronica Smith
  • “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” — William Arthur Ward
  • “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” — Willie Nelson
  • “We are in a wrong state of mind if we are not in a thankful state of mind.” — Charles Spurgeon
  • “Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer ” ― Maya Angelou, “Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer”
  • “If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” ― Meister Eckhart
Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes. (5)
  • “The more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for.” — Norman Vincent Peale
  • “When everything else physical and mental seems to diminish, the appreciation of beauty is on the increase.” ― Bernard Berenson
  • “I can no other answer make, but, thanks, And thanks, and ever thanks.” — William Shakespeare, “Twelfth Night”
  • “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

Short thankful quotes

  • “Always be thankful for the little things... even the smallest mountains can hide the most breathtaking views!”― Nyki Mack
  • “When one has a grateful heart, life is so beautiful.” ― Roy T. Bennett, "The Light in the Heart"
  • “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” ― Voltaire
Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes. (6)
  • “In matters of love: When giving, be generous! When taking, be thankful!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan
  • “No matter how big or small the service is, always express your thanks to the person who served you.” ― Mohith Agadi
  • What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” ― Brené Brown
  • “By writing what I was grateful for, I learned to look for things that made me smile.” ― Ranjani Rao, "Rewriting My Happily Ever After — A Memoir of Divorce and Discovery"
Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes. (7)
  • “When life is sweet, be thankful, and rejoice; but when bitter, be strong, and persevere.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo
  • “Thankfulness creates gratitude which generates contentment that causes peace.” ― Todd Stocker
  • “I may not be where I want to be but I’m thankful for not being where I used to be.” ― Habeeb Akande

Gratitude quotes

  • “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
  • "For my part, I am almost contented just now, and very thankful. Gratitude is a divine emotion: it fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever." — Charlotte Brontë
Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes. (8)
  • "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
  • “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
  • “Life is strange, beautiful, and terrifying … and I am thankful for every minute of it that I have had.” ― Benjamin W. Bass, “Alone In The Light”
  • "We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community”
Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes. (9)
  • “Whatever you appreciate and give thanks for will increase in your life.” ― Sanaya Roman, “Living with Joy: Keys to Personal Power and Spiritual Transformation”
  • “Something so simple, but it’s important to take the time out from living and just appreciate what you’ve got right in front of you.” ― L.A. Fiore, “Collecting the Pieces”
  • “Letting go of expectation allowed me to celebrate even the smallest victories, to be utterly in the winning moment and thankful for my current state.” ― Hillary Allen, “Out and Back: A Runner’s Story of Survival and Recovery Against All Odds”
  • It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.” ― Germany Kent
Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes. (10)
  • “In your darkest hour, give thanks, for in due time, the morning will come. And it will come with a ray of sunshine.”Michael Bassey Johnson, “Song of a Nature Lover”
  • “If you want to find something to be offended about, you will. If you want to find something to be thankful for, you will. You can do both at the same time.” ― Bill Weller
  • “The extent, to which you are happy, is in direct proportion to your recognition of what you have to be thankful.” ― J.S. Felts, “Ageless Wisdom: A Treasury of Quotes to Motivate & Inspire”
Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes. (11)
  • “Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” — Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings”
  • “Lets just be thankful that we get to be on Earth at the same time as everybody we get to meet, OK.”― Jomny Sun, “Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too”

Quotes for just about every occasion

  • Best friend quotes that spell out your special bond
  • Positive quotes to help brighten your day
  • Quotes that celebrate women's strength

Sarah Lemire

Sarah is a lifestyle and entertainment reporter for TODAY who covers holidays, celebrities and everything in between.

Fadzai Mushayamunda

Fadzai Mushayamunda is a NBC Page and contributing writer for TODAY.com. Her interests lie in news, lifestyle and pop culture content. She holds a bachelor’s degree in humanities from Wofford College.

Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes. (2024)

FAQs

Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving with one of these thankful quotes.? ›

“I started out giving thanks for small things, and the more thankful I became, the more my bounty increased.” “I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” “Good mashed potato is one of the great luxuries in life.”

How do you express gratitude on Thanksgiving quotes? ›

“I started out giving thanks for small things, and the more thankful I became, the more my bounty increased.” “I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” “Good mashed potato is one of the great luxuries in life.”

What are some thankful quotes? ›

  • “In matters of love: When giving, be generous! When taking, be thankful!” ...
  • “No matter how big or small the service is, always express your thanks to the person who served you.” ...
  • “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” ...
  • “By writing what I was grateful for, I learned to look for things that made me smile.”

What is a good Thanksgiving message? ›

15 Thanksgiving messages to friends
  • Happy Thanksgiving! ...
  • I'm so thankful to have you in my life.
  • Thank you for all you do, and for being my friend.
  • Wishing you the best of everything this Thanksgiving—food, friends, feast, and future tidings.
  • We may not be related, but we'll always be family.
Oct 17, 2023

How do you express gratitude in simple words? ›

Other Ways to Say 'Thank You'
  1. This means a lot. Though simple, it is precise. ...
  2. I can't express my gratitude enough. ...
  3. This makes me feel… ...
  4. This reminds me of … ...
  5. Your support means more than you know. ...
  6. I feel honored. ...
  7. I can't wait to return the favor. ...
  8. I'm not sure how to say thank you enough.
Feb 23, 2024

What is a beautiful quote about gratitude? ›

Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings JOY and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you. Give your all to every experience, feel it breathe it appreciate it, nothing lasts forever, when it's gone you'll remember the feeling it once gave you and sometimes that's enough.

What is the best verse on gratitude? ›

Top Gratitude Bible Verses

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." (Psalm 100:4) "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)

How do you write a gratitude message? ›

Professional and Career-Related Thank-Yous
  1. I am so very thankful for your time.
  2. I appreciate the information and advice you have shared.
  3. I sincerely appreciate the assistance.
  4. Many thanks for your assistance.
  5. Many thanks for your time.
  6. Thank you for accepting my connection request.
  7. Thank you for connecting with me.

Are you thankful or grateful on Thanksgiving? ›

Thanksgiving also takes place in November, when people gather with family and friends to thank and appreciate people who have brought them blessings. The thing is, gratitude and thankfulness are often used interchangeably.

Why do we show gratitude on Thanksgiving? ›

Simply put, Arango says: Thanksgiving points us toward a way of life, not just an idea for one day of the year. “Gratitude is a practice, a mindset and an approach,” Arango adds. “[It] has the potential to heal, energize, change our lives and our relationships.”

Why am I thankful for Thanksgiving? ›

Thanksgiving (and all the food, family, and traditions that come with it) gives us the opportunity to pause our lives for a day to reflect on everything we're thankful for, surrounded by the people who matter most.

What is Thanksgiving thanking for? ›

Thanksgiving Day, annual national holiday in the United States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Americans generally believe that their Thanksgiving is modeled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people.

What am I thankful for? ›

List Of Things To Be Thankful For
  • Your family.
  • Close friends.
  • Good health.
  • Your home.
  • Your job.
  • Healthy food.
  • Your education.
  • Your pets.
Oct 23, 2023

What it means to be thankful at Thanksgiving? ›

Acknowledging the good that other people have done for us also takes us out of ourselves and lets us appreciate others. The people who show their love and support for us could be parents, spouses, children, siblings, grandparents, friends, mentors, supervisors — any source of good and joy in our lives.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Merrill Bechtelar CPA

Last Updated:

Views: 6016

Rating: 5 / 5 (50 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Merrill Bechtelar CPA

Birthday: 1996-05-19

Address: Apt. 114 873 White Lodge, Libbyfurt, CA 93006

Phone: +5983010455207

Job: Legacy Representative

Hobby: Blacksmithing, Urban exploration, Sudoku, Slacklining, Creative writing, Community, Letterboxing

Introduction: My name is Merrill Bechtelar CPA, I am a clean, agreeable, glorious, magnificent, witty, enchanting, comfortable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.