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A simple thank you goes a long way.
By Isabella Pacinelli — Written on Nov 17, 2020
Saying thank you is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves and others, which why it’s helpful to know some of the best thankful quotes to put your appreciation into words.
Not only does being thankful help us appreciate all that we have, but it shows the person you’re grateful for them and the important role they play in making your life better.
Saying "Thank you" is a beautiful cycle of happiness and love.
Here are 78 thankful quotes to help you say thank you and express your appreciation.
Thankful Quotes For Loved Ones
1. “You go through life wondering what it is all about, but at the end of the day it’s all about family.” — Rod Stewart
2. "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
3. “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
4. “When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.” — Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation
5. "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
6. "Make it a habit to tell people, ‘thank you.’ To express your appreciation sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.” — Ralph Marston
7. “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
8. “My family is my life and everything else comes second as far as what’s important to me.” — Michael Imperioli
9. “Everyone needs a house to live in, but a supportive family is what builds a home.” — Anthony Liccione
10. "Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life." — Lisa Weed
11. "The informality of family life is a blessed condition that allows us all to become our best while looking our worst." — Marge Kennedy
12. "Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life." — Albert Einstein
13. "It didn’t matter how big our house was; it mattered that there was love in it." — Peter Buffett
Thankful Quotes For Your Significant Other
14. “I want to thank you for the profound joy I’ve had in the thought of you.” — Rosie Alison
15. “To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” ― Mark Twain
16. “You changed my life without even trying, and I don’t think I could ever tell you how much you mean to me. I can’t imagine what things would be like if I hadn’t met you.” — Steve Mara
17. “I’m glad I have you for the rest of my life as a best friend, lover, and fellow adventurer. Thank you for constantly supporting me, forgiving me, loving me, making me laugh, and challenging me to be a better person.” — Raquel Martin
18. “Thank you for accepting me as I am, with my virtues and defects.” — Jenni Rivera
19. “Some people arrive and make such a beautiful impact on your life, you can barely remember what life was like without them.” — Anna Taylor
20. “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” — Voltaire
21. “You could’ve had anyone in the world, but you chose me. Thank you.” — Anthony T. Hincks
22. “When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.” — Kristin Armstrong
23. “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
Thankful Quotes For Friends
24. “The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it.” — Hubert H. Humphrey
25. “But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine.” — Thomas Jefferson
26. “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” — Marcel Proust
27. “There’s no possible way, I could ever repay, How I wish, there were more I could do, But, I thank you my friend, my friend to the end.” — Jim Thistle
28. “I'm so thankful for friendship. It beautifies life so much.” — L.M. Montgomery
29. “I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
30. “A friend is what the heart needs all the time. Be thankful for having them.” — Henry Van Dyke
31. “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” — Thomas Aquinas
32. “Friends like you make life’s challenging moments more bearable. Thanks for being you.” — Catherine Pulsifer
33. “Imagine when you die and get to heaven, you will encounter friends who say, “Thank you for investing in me. I’m in heaven because of you! I’m not your friend for life; I’m your friend for eternity.” — David Jeremiah
Thankful Quotes For Special Occasions
34. “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” — William Arthur Ward
35. “This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.” — Maya Angelou
36. “I'm grateful for always this moment, the now, no matter what form it takes.” — Eckhart Tolle
37. “Forget yesterday — it has already forgotten you. Don’t sweat tomorrow — you haven’t even met. Instead, open your eyes and your heart to a truly precious gift — today.” ― Steve Maraboli
38. “Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr.
39. “A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another day, another time that traumatized them and caused them to spiritually stutter so they miss out on this day.” ― Steve Maraboli
40. “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” — Oscar Wilde
41. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” — Leo Buscaglia
42. “You gave me your time, the most thoughtful gift of all.” — Dan Zadra
43. “I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks.” — William Shakespeare
Thankful Quotes For Coworkers and Business Partners
44. "Silent gratitude isn't very much to anyone." — Gertrude Stein
45. "People want to be understood and respected as individuals. Years ago, an executive editor of mine said, 'You should count the number of times you praise somebody and then double that.' Even the toughest, steeliest writer or editor often really wants to be told, 'Hey, that was a great piece.' Early in my career as a manager, it probably took me a while to realize that everyone wants that. It's just a human need." — Cindi Leive
46. “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” — William Arthur Ward
47. "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
48. "One can never pay in gratitude; one can only pay 'in kind' somewhere else in life." — Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Thankful Quotes For God
49. "Thank you, dear God, for this good life, and forgive us if we do not love it enough." — Garrison Keillor
50. "God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say, 'thank you?'" — William Arthur Ward
51. "We give thanks to God not because of how we feel but because of who He is." — Ann Voskamp
52. "What I have done is worthy of nothing but silence and forgetfulness, but what God has done for me is worthy of everlasting and thankful memory." — Joseph Hall
53. "The more I look at the times 'thanks' is mentioned in God's Word, the more I notice this giving of thanks has nothing to do with my circumstances and everything to do with my God." — Jenni Hunt
54. "Anybody can thank God for things. But when you can thank God even in the bad things, your faith grows and your spiritual roots go deeper." — Rick Warren
55. "I have lived to thank God that not all my prayers have been answered." — Jean Ingelow
56. "Don't complain about it, pray about it! Thank God for what you have and let it go. Give it to God." — Joanna C. Smith
57. "Your past may be painful, yet you must forgive, move on, and thank God for it." — Martin Henderson
58. "Some may say that I am 'religious,' but I prefer to describe that as having a relationship with God that causes me to be able to express thanks, love, gratitude, distress, pain, and all the other emotive things that come as part of our human experience." — Vernette John-Joiles
Thankful Quotes for Kids
59. "We learned about gratitude and humility — that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean...and we were taught to value everyone's contribution and treat everyone with respect." — Michelle Obama
60. "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"
61. "The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see." — Mary Davis
62. "We get these lives for free. I didn't do anything to get this life, and no matter what the hardships are, it is free, and, in a way, it's an extraordinary bargain." — Junot Diaz
63. "Gratitude and attitude are not challenges, they are choices." — Robert Braathe
Thankful Quotes About Life
64. “For the yesterdays and todays, and the tomorrows I can hardly wait for — Thank you.” ― Cecelia Ahern
65. “Thankfulness is the quickest path to joy.” — Jefferson Bethke
66. “When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” — Shauna Niequist
67. "The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works is the family.” — Lee Iacocca
68. “The world has enough beautiful mountains and meadows, spectacular skies and serene lakes. It has enough lush forests, flowered fields, and sandy beaches. It has plenty of stars and the promise of a new sunrise and sunset every day. What the world needs more of is people to appreciate and enjoy it.” — Michael Josephson
69. “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love — then make that day count!” ― Steve Maraboli
70. “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” — Robert Brault
71. “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
72. “Every time we remember to say “thank you”, we experience nothing less than heaven on earth.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach
73. “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” — Meister Eckhart
74. “Family is a unique gift that needs to be appreciated and treasured, even when they’re driving you crazy. As much as they make you mad, interrupt you, annoy you, curse at you, try to control you, these are the people who know you the best and who love you.” — Jenna Morasca
75. "Strive to find things to be thankful for, and just look for the good in who you are." — Bethany Hamilton
76. "I have a lot to be thankful for. I am healthy, happy, and I am loved." — Reba McEntire
77. "Whatever we are waiting for — peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance — it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart." — Sarah Ban Breathnach
78. "Words will never be enough to express my gratitude." — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
A handwritten quote is an unexpected way to show your gratitude for the special people in your life. Use these whenever you want to put a charming, original spin on your appreciation.
Always remember the value of a ‘thank you’ and continue to live each day with gratitude in your heart.
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Isabella Pacinelli is a writer who covers relationship, self-love, spirituality, and entertainment topics.