Article image

11 Quotes on Gratitude, the 'Parent of All Virtues'

In our busy and stressful modern world, it can be easy to forget to slow down and acknowledge the bounties that many of us already possess, such as shelter, food, and love. In our efforts to achieve and progress, we may, at times, succumb to pessimism, and lose sight of these simpler and more essential gifts.

Practicing grateful thinking helps us turn our attention away from negativity and towards what is working in our lives, and how far we have come on our journey. This approach can lighten and brighten our outlook, releasing the pressure of constant worry and effort.

While setting goals is natural, gratitude balances this urge with the inherent message that we have and are enough. Gratitude allows us to rest and feel contentment and joy in the present.

We can develop our capacity for appreciation by starting a gratitude journal or simply taking a few minutes each day to reflect on all the good in our life. We may feel grateful for a sunny afternoon, steady employment, a loved one’s help, or a game of fetch with our dog. Focusing on these gifts can have a powerful and even transformative effect on our lives. Here are 11 quotes on the importance of giving thanks.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.
Cicero

Share Quote

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melody Beattie

Share Quote

Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer.
Maya Angelou

Share Quote

Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.
Eckhart Tolle

Share Quote

Nine-tenths of wisdom is appreciation. Go find somebody's hand and squeeze it, while there's time.
Dale Dauten

Share Quote

Your bounty is beyond my speaking. But though my mouth be dumb, my heart shall thank you.
Nicholas Rowe

Share Quote

Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
Karl Barth

Share Quote

O Lord that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!
William Shakespeare

Share Quote

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.
Willie Nelson

Share Quote

I know for sure that appreciating whatever shows up for you in life changes your personal vibration. You radiate and generate more goodness for yourself when you're aware of all you have and not focusing on your have-nots.
Oprah Winfrey

Share Quote

I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.
Henry David Thoreau

Share Quote

Featured image credit: sofia lyu/ Unsplash

Author image
About the Author
Joyce Chen
Joyce Chen is a writer, editor, and community builder based in Seattle, Washington.
Play more header background
Play more icon
Daily Question
Who said, "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today"?

More Inspiration

happiness theme icon

Failure is a greater teacher than success. Listen, learn, go on.

separator icon
Clarissa Pinkola Estés
motivation theme icon

I felt it shelter to speak to you.

separator icon
Emily Dickinson
hope theme icon

Don’t be afraid to be confused. Try to remain permanently confused. Anything is possible.

separator icon
George Saunders
love theme icon

Everything that truly makes us happy is quite simple: love, sex, and food!

separator icon
Meryl Streep
wisdom theme icon

The chief prevention against getting old is to remain astonished.

separator icon
Kevin Kelly
happiness theme icon

The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone.

separator icon
Mitch Albom
motivation theme icon

April, dressed in all his trim, hath put a spirit of youth in everything.

separator icon
William Shakespeare
hope theme icon

Act as if someone just said there’s no reason to be afraid.

separator icon
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
love theme icon

To go wrong in one's own way is better than to go right in someone else's.

separator icon
Fyodor Dostoevsky
wisdom theme icon

Some things are best mended by a break.

separator icon
Edith Wharton
happiness theme icon

What you think about day and night forms your character and personality.

separator icon
Masami Saionji