20 Best Thanksgiving Quotes

20 Thanksgiving Quotes to Work Into Your Holiday Toast

These poignant phrases embody the spirit of the holiday, so consider sharing one or two with your guests during your annual party.

Blythe Copeland

Published on August 18, 2022

thanksgiving table with quote — Photo: Alpha Smoot

When you ask your guests to raise their glasses this Thanksgiving, be ready with wise words that encourage a spirit of gratitude all year long—not just on the last Thursday of November. Whether you feel pulled toward deep thoughts from iconic poets, sincere lines from timeless works of literature and theater, or spirited thoughts on the power of gratitude from modern cultural figures (including our founder!), appreciate the power of these well-spoken phrases. We know your loved ones will, too.

01 of 20

Maya Angelou

"Be present in all things and thankful for all things."

02 of 20

Willie Nelson

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

03 of 20

Martha Stewart

"So the pie isn't perfect? Cut it into wedges. Stay in control, and never panic."

04 of 20

Melody Beattie

"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. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. Say thank you until you mean it. If you say it long enough, you will believe it."

05 of 20

Marcus Tullius Cicero

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

06 of 20

Henry David Thoreau

"I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual."

07 of 20

Charles Dickens

"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."

08 of 20

John F. Kennedy

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them."

09 of 20

Oprah

"No gesture is too small when done with gratitude."

10 of 20

William Shakespeare

"I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks."

11 of 20

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"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."

12 of 20

Epictetus

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."

13 of 20

William Wordsworth

"All that we behold is full of blessings."

14 of 20

Rumi

"Be grateful for your life, every detail of it, and your face will come to shine like a sun, and everyone who sees it will be made glad and peaceful."

15 of 20

Barack Obama

"Let's be grateful for what we have. Let's be mindful of those who have less. Let's appreciate those who hold a special place in our lives, and make sure that they know it."

16 of 20

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

"And we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together."

17 of 20

Oscar Wilde

"After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations."

18 of 20

Alice Walker

"'Thank you' is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding."

19 of 20

Charlotte Brontë

"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."

20 of 20