135 Gratitude Quotes to Shift Your Perspective and Brighten Your Day

Practicing gratitude can be a game-changer for yourself and those around you. Here are 135 of the best quotes to champion its benefits and if you’re not hunting for something to be grateful for by the end of this read, we’ve failed.

Gratitude involves recognizing, acknowledging, and appreciating the positive aspects of your life. It’s a thankful mindset focused on the blessings, experiences, things, and relationships that bring joy, fulfillment, self-improvement, and abundance, amongst many other things.

Practicing gratitude can transform your mindset, enhance your well-being, and create a positive ripple effect in your life and relationships. The best thing is that anyone can use it to foster a greater sense of contentment, appreciation, and happiness in their daily lives.

Some of the benefits include…

Changes Perspective:

Gratitude helps shift one’s perspective from a focus on what is lacking or negative to what is abundant and positive. It reframes the way we interpret situations and brings attention to the good that exists.

Increased Happiness and Contentment:

Regularly acknowledging and appreciating the positive aspects of life can lead to increased feelings of happiness, contentment, and overall life satisfaction. It helps foster a sense of fulfillment and joy.

Improves Mental Health:

It promotes a more positive and optimistic mindset, enhancing emotional well-being.Gratitude has been linked to improved mental health outcomes, such as reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.

Enhances Relationships:

Expressing gratitude toward others strengthens relationships and deepens connections. It communicates appreciation and fosters a sense of validation and support. Gratitude can also improve empathy and compassion toward others.

Builds Resilience:

Cultivating gratitude helps individuals develop resilience by focusing on the positive aspects even during challenging times. It can provide a sense of hope, perspective, and inner strength to navigate difficulties.

It goes beyond a simple “thank you” or polite gesture. It is a deeper sense of appreciation and recognition for the goodness in one’s life, regardless of the circumstances. It involves being present and mindful of the positive aspects, big or small, and expressing genuine appreciation for them.

Practicing gratitude can take various forms, including…

Gratitude Journaling:

Writing down three to five things each day that one is grateful for. This helps reinforce positive experiences and develop a habit of recognizing the good in life.

Expressing Appreciation:

Verbally or in writing, expressing gratitude to others for their kindness, support, or positive impact. It can be as simple as saying “thank you” or sending a heartfelt note.

Mindful Gratitude:

Taking a moment to consciously reflect on the present moment and express gratitude for what is being experienced right now, such as the beauty of nature, the taste of food, or the company of loved ones.

Gratitude Rituals:

Incorporating gratitude into daily routines, such as starting or ending the day with a brief gratitude meditation or prayer.

Positive Gratitude Quotes

  1. “Gratitude is not just good medicine, though, a nice sentiment, a warm fuzzy feeling, or a strategy or tactic for being happier or healthier. It is also the truest approach to life. We did not create or fashion ourselves, and we did not get to where we are in life by ourselves. So living in gratitude is living in truth. It is the most accurate and honest approach to life.” – Dr. Robert A. Emmons, PhD
  2. “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
  3. “Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart.” – Roy T. Bennett
  4. “Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart.” – Zig Ziglar
  5. “The grateful mind is constantly fixed upon the best. Therefore it tends to become the best. It takes the form or character of the best, and will receive the best.” – Wallace D. Wattles
  6. “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” – William Arthur Ward
  7. “Gratitude is the gateway to a positive life.” – A.D. Posey
  8. “If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” – Harold S. Kushner
  9. “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It turns problems into gifts, failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. It can turn an existence into a real life, and disconnected situations into important and beneficial lessons. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie
  10. “Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation.” – John Ortberg
  11. “Gratitude is a divine emotion: It fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever.” – Charlotte Brontë
  12. “Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.” – Henry Ward Beecher
  13. “There’s no doubt about it. Being thankful for what you have is the best way to allow more abundance, love, joy, and fulfillment into your life.” – Bob Baker
  14. “In all things we should try to make ourselves be as grateful as possible. For gratitude is a good thing for ourselves, in a manner in which justice, commonly held to belong to others, is not. Gratitude pays itself back in large measure.” – Seneca
  15. “Finding gratitude is a great way to shift your perspective towards all things positive. Finding gratitude means to find things to be grateful for, and you can’t be grateful without being positive. This essentially raises your own vibration energetically. When this happens, it allows you to tap into a very powerful Universal Energy.” – Jennifer O’Neill
  16. “Developing a sense of gratitude is one of the most powerful ways you can use to change yourself in a positive, lasting way, and it is a way of attracting into your life the very things that will enable you to become happy and fulfilled.” – Mike Pettigrew

Thought Provoking Gratitude Quotes

  1. “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” – Brené Brown
  2. “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Aesop
  3. “Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.” – Doris Day
  4. “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” – Thornton Wilder
  5. “Gratitude for the present moment and the fullness of life now is the true prosperity.” – Eckhart Tolle
  6. “Two kinds of gratitude: The sudden kind we feel for what we take; the larger kind we feel for what we give.” – Edwin Arlington Robinson
  7. “Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.” – Fred De Witt Van Amburgh
  8. “The struggle ends when gratitude begins.” – Neale Donald Walsch
  9. “Gratitude is what you feel when you want what you already have.” – James Clear
  10. “Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.” – Lionel Hampton
  11. “I am thankful for my struggle because without it, I wouldn’t have stumbled upon my strength.” – Alexandra Elle
  12. “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
  13. “We don’t need more to be thankful for, we just need to be more thankful.” – Carlos Castaneda
  14. “You need to spend time crawling alone through shadows to truly appreciate what it is to stand in the sun.” – Shaun Hick
  15. “The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.” – Hannah Whitall Smith
  16. “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
  17. “Act with kindness, but do not expect gratitude.” – Confucius

Quotes on Expressing Gratitude

  1. “Silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone.” – Gertrude Stein
  2. “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward
  3. “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
  4. “Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.” – Randy Pausch
  5. “Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy.” – Jacques Maritain
  6. “Develop an attitude of gratitude. Say thank you to everyone you meet for everything they do for you.” – Brian Tracy
  7. “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” – John F. Kennedy
  8. “Encourage one another. Many times a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept people on their feet.” – Charles R. Swindoll
  9. “Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” – Margaret Cousins
  10. “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” – Maya Angelou

Gratitude Quotes on Mindset, Thought, and Perception

  1. “The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts your perception to such an extent that it changes the world you see.” – Dr. Robert Holden
  2. “Those with a grateful mindset tend to see the message in the mess. And even though life may knock them down, the grateful find reasons, if even small ones, to get up.” – Steve Maraboli
  3. “When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.” – Kristin Armstrong
  4. “Embrace your life journey with gratitude, so that how you travel your path is more important than reaching your ultimate destination.” – Rosalene Glickman
  5. “By cultivating gratitude you eventually expand your internal sense of what is possible, regardless of seeming obstacles and challenges you go through.” – Veronica Smith
  6. “Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture.” – Kak Sri
  7. “When you develop gratitude and think positively toward everything in your life, you won’t be easily stopped by any thoughts that cloud you mind. It may take a lot of effort to switch the way you think, but it will be worth it once you notice a change for the better.” – Mari Silva
  8. “Life’s under no obligation to give us what we expect. We take what we get and are thankful it’s no worse than it is.” – Margaret Mitchell
  9. “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – G.K. Chesterton
  10. “Many of us live in what some psychologists call the ‘deficit’ mind-set, not the ‘surplus’ mind-set. We spend far too much time fretting about what we’re missing instead of focusing on what we have.” – A.J. Jacobs

Gratitude Quotes on Joy and Happiness

  1. “Gratitude is one of the sweet shortcuts to finding peace of mind and happiness inside. No matter what is going on outside of us, there’s always something we could be grateful for.” – Barry Neil Kaufman
  2. “Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more.” – Roy T. Bennett
  3. “Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.” – Amy Collette
  4. “I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” – Brené Brown
  5. “In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us happy.” – Albert Clarke
  6. “Appreciating all you have in life puts out a positive energy and karma that rewards you in return. Expressing gratitude for what you possess today brings more to be thankful for in the future. Hence, being grateful for your current state is essential for achieving higher levels of joy.” – Ingrid Clarke
  7. “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley
  8. “Gratitude unlocks all that’s blocking us from really feeling truthful, really feeling authentic and vulnerable and happy.” – Gabrielle Bernstein
  9. “If you want to find happiness, find gratitude.” – Steve Maraboli
  10. “The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.” – Douglas Wood
  11. “Thankfulness is the quickest path to joy.” – Jefferson Bethke
  12. “We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” – Fredrick Koeing
  13. “Gratitude is one of the most medicinal emotions we can feel. It elevates our moods and fills us with joy.” – Sara Avant Stover
  14. “By just spending a few minutes in gratitude each day, you’ll notice your thoughts start to shift in a remarkably short period of time. Most of us aren’t used to practicing gratitude, so the effects are noticeable immediately since you’re using a part of your brain that probably hasn’t been used much before, at all. As you notice your thoughts shifting, you’ll also notice your mood shifting. You’ll feel better. Joyous, even. And when you’re in that joyous, happy place-that’s when the miracles start happening.” – Josie Robinson

Gratitude Attitude Quotes

  1. “Gratitude is an attitude that hooks us up to our source of supply. And the more grateful you are, the closer you become to your maker, to the architect of the universe, to the spiritual core of your being. It’s a phenomenal lesson.” – Bob Proctor
  2. “When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude.” – Elie Wiesel
  3. “A moment of gratitude makes a difference in your attitude.” – Bruce Wilkinson
  4. “Always have an attitude of gratitude.” – Sterling K. Brown
  5. “Gratitude and attitude are not challenges; they are choices.” – Robert Braathe
  6. “Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” – Brian Tracy

Gratitude Quotes on Relationships and People

  1. “To be grateful in our relationships, we must pay attention to the good parts of our exchanges and consider what we like about the people in our lives. By letting them know we appreciate the good things they do for us and telling them so, we build a positive feedback loop of gratitude and respect.” – Gabrielle Townsend
  2. “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust
  3. “To make a relationship work, focus on what you appreciate about the other person and not your complaints. When you focus on strengths, you will get more of them.” – Rhonda Byrne
  4. “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
  5. “Even if you’re having a hard time in a relationship–things aren’t working, you’re not getting along, someone’s in your face–you can still turn that relationship around. Take a piece of paper, and for the next thirty days sit down and write all the things that you appreciate about that person. Think about all the reasons that you love them. You appreciate their sense of humor, you appreciate how supportive they are. And what you’ll find is that when you focus on appreciating and acknowledging their strengths, that’s what you’ll get more of, and the problems will fade away.” – Marci Shimoff
  6. “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Voltaire

Gratitude Quotes on Taking Things for Granted

  1. “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” – Cynthia Ozick
  2. “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” – G.K. Chesterton
  3. “So often we fail to acknowledge what we have because we’re so concerned about what we want. We fail to give real thanks for the many blessings for which we did nothing: our life itself, the flowers, the trees, our family and friends.” – John Wooden
  4. “To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.” – Albert Schweitzer
  5. “Gratitude is an antidote to negative emotions, a neutralizer of envy, hostility, worry, and irritation. It is savoring; it is not taking things for granted; it is present-oriented.” – Sonja Lyubomirsky

Practical Quotes on Gratitude

  1. “If the only thing you did every day was feel grateful more often than you felt any negative emotion at all, everything in your life would improve. Your health, your finances, your relationships – everything!.” – Andrew Kap
  2. “It is necessary, then, to cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” – Wallace D. Wattles
  3. “Affirmations take our thoughts to a more protective and powerful place. By affirming good, by affirming daily gratitude, you, yourself will find more peace from giving your thoughts a break from the worry cycle.” – Machel Shull
  4. “A gratitude journal can fit into even the busiest of lives; if you only have time to write down one sentence or a few bullet points every 2-3 days, you’re still deliberately becoming more mindful and conscious of the things that inspire appreciation.” – Katherine Hurst
  5. “Use journaling or diaries according to what you like and what works in your situation. If you’re battling low mood and find your anxiety is general and seems to affect everything, you might find a gratitude journal helpful. Simply list five things daily that you are thankful for, even if it’s nothing more exciting than your morning cup of coffee or the fact that you have a nice new pair of socks. This can subtly shift your focus onto your resources and possibilities and reframe your experience.” – Nick Trenton
  6. “Researchers have found that people who write down three things they’re grateful for every night (or even a few times a week) improve their overall well-being and lower their risk of depression. The results have been repeated over and over. Keeping a gratitude diary can even dramatically improve your ability to get a good night’s sleep.” – Janice Kaplan
  7. “The trick is to be grateful when your mood is high and graceful when it is low.” – Richard Carlson
  8. “Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can – there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.” – Sarah Caldwell
  9. “Be grateful for what you have and stop complaining – it bores everybody else, does you no good, and doesn’t solve any problems.” – Zig Ziglar
  10. “If you are noticing what you appreciate and noticing what you are grateful for, you can’t be noticing what you don’t like.” – Michael Losier
  11. “Gratitude, like faith, is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it grows, and the more power you have to use it on your behalf.” – Alan Cohen
  12. “If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” – Gerald Good
  13. “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
  14. “Strive to find things to be thankful for, and just look for the good in who you are.” – Bethany Hamilton
  15. “You cannot feel fear or anger while feeling gratitude at the same time.” – Tony Robbins
  16. “When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. When life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” – Shauna Niequist
  17. “Mistakes are part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way.” – Al Franken
  18. “I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me. It’s because of them I’m doing it myself.” – Albert Einstein
  19. “Thankfulness and gratitude are the foundation of character and being able to serve others.” – Jim Loehr
  20. “Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want.” – Jim Rohn

Gratitude Quotes on Abundance

  1. “Abundance is not the result of unlimited opportunities or resources. It is manifested by limitless thinking, a courageous spirit, and a grateful, receptive heart.” – Anthon St. Maarten
  2. “Grateful souls focus on the happiness and abundance present in their lives and this in turn attracts more abundance and joy towards them.” – Stephen Richards
  3. “When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” – Tony Robbins
  4. “Abundance and prosperity begin with gratitude and appreciation.” – Anthon St. Maarten
  5. “Gratitude is the root of all transformation and abundance.” – Carol Starr Taylor
  6. “Gratitude is one of the strongest and most transformative states of being. It shifts your perspective from lack to abundance and allows you to focus on the good in your life, which in turn pulls more goodness into your reality.” – Jen Sincero
  7. “Gratitude builds a bridge to abundance.” – Roy Bennett
  8. “Giving thanks for abundance is sweeter than the abundance itself.” – Rumi
  9. “You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life.” – Sarah Ban Breathnach
  10. “We need to reclaim our ability to appreciate and enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Many of us in the industrialized world need to cultivate a simpler, more natural lifestyle. We need to realize that after our basic need are met, the experience of abundance has more to do with expressing our creative gifts in satisfying ways, and learning to give and receive in a balanced way, that it does with extravagant consumerism.” – Shakti Gawain
  11. “Back when my transformation was starting, to confirm to myself just how much abundance I already had in my life, I spent ten minutes every morning in gratitude-choosing ten things to be grateful for that did not cost money.” – Lisa Nichols

Looking for more? Read our article… 99 Abundance Quotes for a More Plentiful Year

Gratitude Quotes on Manifesting, the Law of Attraction, and the Universe

  1. “As soon as you start to feel differently about what you already have, you will start to attract more of the good things, more of the things you can be grateful for.” – Dr. Joe Vitale
  2. “The enlightened give thanks for what most people take for granted…. As you begin to be grateful for what most people take for granted, the vibration of gratitude makes you more receptive to good in your life.” – Michael Beckwith
  3. “The single greatest thing you can do to change your life today would be to start being grateful for what you have right now. And the more grateful you are, the more you get.” – Oprah Winfrey
  4. “A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things.” – Plato
  5. “When you are grateful – when you can see what you have – you unlock blessings to flow in your life.” – Suze Orman
  6. “Gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency, and you will attract much better things.” – Rhonda Byrne
  7. “When you express gratitude for the blessings that come into your life, it not only encourages the universe to send you more, it also sees to it that those blessings remain.” – Stephen Richards
  8. “Appreciation is the purest vibration that exists on the planet today.” – Abraham-Hicks
  9. “Being thankful for and celebrating what is attracts more of what can and will be.” – T.F. Hodge
  10. “Gratitude is one of the highest vibrations we can have. It has been known to improve our overall state of happiness, improve sleep, and create hope for the future. You can feel grateful for your loved ones, for nature, or even life itself. As soon as you bring your awareness to what you are grateful for, you begin to create an energy that will attract more reasons to be grateful.” – Kyle Gray
  11. “The universe provides abundantly when you’re in a state of gratefulness.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer
  12. “I have noticed that the Universe loves gratitude. The more grateful you are, the more goodies you get. When I say ‘goodies,’ I don’t mean only material things. I mean all the people, places and experiences that make life so wonderfully worth living.” – Louise Hay
  13. “Focus on being grateful for what you have already .. enjoy it!! Then release into the universe. The universe will manifest it.” – Rhonda Byrne
  14. “The thankful heart is always close to the creative forces of the universe.” – Joseph Murphy
  15. “Let’s start with what we can be thankful for, and get our mind into that vibration, and then watch the good that starts to come, because one thought leads to another thought..” – Bob Proctor
  16. “Gratitude is a powerful emotion to use for manifesting because normally we feel gratitude after we receive something. So the emotional signature of gratitude means it has already happened. When you are thankful or you feel appreciation, you are in the ultimate state to receive. When you embrace gratitude, your body as the unconscious mind will begin to believe it is in that future reality in the present moment.” – Dr. Joe Dispenza
  17. “Appreciation list. Make a list of everything you can think of that you are especially thankful for, or that you especially appreciate having in your life. Making and adding to this list can really open up your heart, and your awareness of the many riches we all have in our lives that we often take for granted. It increases your realization of prosperity and abundance on every level, and thus your ability to manifest.” – Shakti Gawain
  18. “Gratitude is the key to manifestation, for gratitude connects you directly to the source.” – Abhishek Kumar
  19. “The shortest route to manifesting a better life is to be in a state of mindful appreciation of the present, acceptance of the past and excitement for the future.” – Anthon St. Maarten
  20. “The more you appreciate the miracles in your life, the more miracles will manifest in your life. This is simply how the manifestation process works.” – Kenneth Wong

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