Character Quotables: Gratitude
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“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
“Be thankful for what you have, and you will end up having more. But if you concentrate on what you don’t have, you’ll never, ever have enough.”
“A thankful person is thankful under all circumstances. A complaining soul complains even in paradise.”
“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.”
“Gratitude for the present moment and the fullness of life now is the true prosperity.”
“The single greatest thing you can do to change your life today would be to start being grateful for what you have right now.”
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”
“Gratefulness allows us to nurture a keener eye that no longer rushes past the small everyday moments that make up the larger part of our lives.”
“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.”
“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.”
“When you drink from the stream, remember the spring.”
“What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.”
“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.”
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.”
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
“Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.”
“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.”
“Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone.”
“Today I choose to live with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of hope that says all things are possible.”
“In times of turmoil and danger, gratitude helps to steady and ground us. It brings us into presence, and our full presence is perhaps the best offering we can make to our world.”
“If you’re worried, and you can’t sleep;
Just count your blessings, instead of sheep;
And you’ll fall asleep, counting your blessings.”
“A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers.”
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”
“No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.”
“Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.”
“Being unappreciative might mean we are simply not paying attention.”
“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.”
“Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart.”
“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 lit the flame within us.”
“The single greatest thing you can do to change your life today would be to start being grateful for what you have right now.”
“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.”
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”
“Swift gratitude is the sweetest; if it delays, all gratitude is empty and unworthy of the name.”
“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.”
“The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.”
“It is not happiness that makes us grateful. It’s gratefulness that makes us happy.”
“We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count.”
“As I express my gratitude, I become more deeply aware of it. And the greater my awareness, the greater my need to express it.”
“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.”
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”
“Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.”
“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.”
“No amount of regret changes the past. No amount of anxiety changes the future. Any amount of gratitude changes the present.”
“Joy is gratefulness unbound.”
“We’re a nation hungry for more joy: Because we’re starving from a lack of gratitude.”
“There is just as much beauty visible to us in the landscape as we are prepared to appreciate—not a grain more.”
“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
“Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.”
“It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.”
“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”
“Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy.”
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”
“Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.”
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”
“If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more.”
“Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice. I can choose to be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still steeped in hurt and resentment.”
“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
“Appreciation…acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts.”
“Gratitude is the closest thing to beauty manifested in an emotion.”
“Being thankful is not always experienced as a natural state of existence, we must work at it, akin to a type of strength training for the heart.”
How can you use Quotes?
Start a discussion: Quotes can start a discussion about a character trait at the beginning of a meeting or the dinner table. You can ask questions about what it means, how they have seen the trait demonstrated in their own lives, or how they can develop it themselves.
Provide a model: Quotes can provide a model of good character. When you read a quote from a famous person or historical figure, you show that people they admire also value the same character traits.
Use quotes as writing/journal prompts: Ask them to write a short essay about a quote to help them think more deeply about its implications for their lives.
Post quotes: You can post quotes where they will be seen/heard often – classroom, breakroom, lobby, dining room, email signatures, video bulletin boards, morning announcements, social media, etc.
Read quotes aloud: You can read quotes aloud to your children during mealtimes, bedtime, or any other time you spend together.
Make it fun: You can make it even more fun by incorporating games, activities, or crafts. Let children decorate signs with the quotes to hang in the classroom or a bedroom door. Record children saying it and post it on social media.