Gratitude and Appreciation: Quotations for Reflection and Discussion
published September 12, 2025
photo by Kelly from Pexels.com
by Catharine Hannay, founder of MindfulTeachers.org
Continuing the series of Quotations for Teaching Mindfulness and Compassion, here are a variety of perspectives on focusing on our blessings without minimizing our challenges.
Teachers, please note:
I don’t necessarily recommend giving this whole list to your students—I like to provide a lot of options so you can choose what’s most appropriate for your particular context.
I’ve included links to book titles just so you can see more information about the sources of these quotes. (I don’t accept any paid links or advertising.)
Scroll to the bottom of the post for questions that can be used for personal reflection or as prompts for discussion and writing.
Making the Ordinary Extraordinary
“I think wonder is the cousin of gratitude: to marvel at something is to deeply appreciate it.”
Maggie Smith, Dear Writer, p. 25
“Starting here, what do you want to remember?
How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?
What scent of old wood hovers, what softened
sound from outside fills the air?
[…] What can anyone give you greater than now,
starting here, right in this room, when you turn around?”
William Stafford, from the poem “You Reading This, Be Ready”
“Honey, the power works! […]
Ah, shoes. [happy sigh] […]
This is great!”
from the ‘Christmas Presents’ by Forest Hills Church (1 1/2 minute video; available on youtube; I’ve also included it on the gratitude video playlist here at MindfulTeachers.org)
“In my family, the presents we gave one another were almost always homemade. I thought that was the definition of a gift: something you made for someone else. We made all our Christmas gifts: piggy banks from old Clorox bottles, hot pads from broken clothespins, and puppets from retired socks. My mother says it’s because we had no money for store-bought presents. It didn’t seem like a hardship to me; it was something special.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, p. 24
Gratitude in the Midst of Suffering
“I don’t have to tell you that the world is a complicated place, full of both beauty and horror. You know this as well as I do. But even when the world lets me down, even when it isn’t what I want it to be, I find things to love and to be grateful for.”
Maggie Smith, Dear Writer, p. 2
“I would never sign onto the idea that everything happens for the best. The tragic, sad, unexpected, and irritating do take place, and our lives are not necessarily the better for them. But our only choice is how to respond. Instead of being masterful at misery, we can become experts at gratitude. After a year of focusing on the bright side, I knew it was a lot more satisfying to be grateful than wrapped up in your own pain.”
Janice Kaplan, The Gratitude Diaries
“I have sometimes struggled with the guilt I feel for my great fortune. However, I also try to remember that recognizing and appreciating my many gifts is also honoring those who go without.
For example, I could take for granted the running water and indoor plumbing in my home […] Or, I can remember that having drinkable water is a luxury. […] This is a much more humble perspective that also pays homage to others less fortunate.”
Brandi Lust, “More Than Saying Thank You” gratitude practice here at MindfulTeachers.org, adapted from her book Myths of Being Human: Four Paths to Connect with What Matters.
“Remember, it’s a gift to have your eyes opened. Meet awakenings with gratitude.”
Nanea Hoffman, Affirmations for Anxiety Blobs
“Thank you, disillusionment
Thank you, frailty
Thank you, consequence
[…] Thank you, clarity
Thank you, thank you, silence.”
Alanis Morissette, from the song “Thank U”
“Be thankful for your wounds, as strange as that sounds; the ways you’ve been hurt and the ways you’ve faltered make you useful to other people. Empathy is a kind of fellowship; be thankful that your wounds make this possible.”
Maggie Smith, Keep Moving, p. 70
Appreciating Each Other
“I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, essay on “Friendship”
“I thought I had no one in my life to take care of me [when I had surgery…] but you showed me I was wrong. […] You sent me flowers to my door. You fixed my meals and did my chores. But most importantly, you showed me how many people care.”
from the song “You Showed Me Kindness,” by Bob Nordquist (available on youtube; I’ve also included it on the song playlist on kindness, compassion, and service.)
“I cannot thank you enough,
so I will thank you insufficiently.”
Billy Collins, from the poem ‘Margins’ in Water, Water, p. 108
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
As always with personal topics, please respect your students’/clients’/trainees’ wishes about how much they choose to share with you or with the group.
Which of these is your favorite quote? Why?
Which of these quotes do you find most challenging? Why?
In your current life, what (or who) do you feel most grateful for?
Are there any ways you could feel grateful for situations you find challenging?
In your opinion, what’s the difference between gratitude and ‘toxic positivity’?
Do you have a favorite way to practice gratitude, or is there a gratitude practice you’d like to try?
Related Posts
There are many more quotations and resources for practicing and teaching gratitude here at MindfulTeachers.org, including the following posts: