35 Blessed and Thankful Quotes to Truly Count Your Blessings

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Ever get that feeling? You land the new job, get the new phone, or finally go on that vacation, and you feel a rush of happiness. But within a few weeks, or even days, that “new” feeling fades, and you’re already looking at the next thing.

This is a universal human experience. Psychologists call it the Hedonic Treadmill (a tendency to return to a baseline level of happiness, no matter what good or bad things happen). It’s our brain’s default setting, and it’s exhausting. We’re so busy chasing the next blessing, we forget to count the ones we already have.

Being “blessed” or “thankful” isn’t just a passive feeling that hits you when something good happens. It’s an active choice. It’s a practice, a skill, and, frankly, a superpower. It’s the only way to step off that treadmill.

Think of gratitude as a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. This guide isn’t just a list of quotes. It’s a workout plan. We’ll use these 35 quotes as a starting point to explore why gratitude is so powerful, and then I’ll give you a practical, no-fluff guide on how to build that muscle every single day.

Key Takeaways

• Gratitude is a Practice, Not a Feeling: You can’t wait to feel thankful. You have to choose to be thankful, which in turn creates the feeling.
• It’s Not About Denying the Bad: True gratitude isn’t “toxic positivity.” It’s about acknowledging that even on hard days, there are still things to be grateful for.
• Gratitude Rewires Your Brain: The simple act of counting your blessings can, over time, change your default-set-point for happiness.
• Start Small: You don’t need a grand gesture. The most powerful gratitude practices take less than two minutes a day.

Part 1: Quotes on Recognizing the ‘Everyday’ Blessings

This is where it all starts. We’re trained to look for big, “firework” moments, but a truly blessed life is built from a million tiny, overlooked moments. It’s the hot cup of coffee. The text from a friend. The fact that your car started. When you start to see these as blessings, your entire world changes.

1. “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.”
   • — Marcus Aurelius
2. “The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!”
   • — Henry Ward Beecher
3. “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
4. “Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more.”
   • — Melody Beattie
5. “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
   • — Robert Brault
6. “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”
   • — Willie Nelson
7. “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
   • — Eckhart Tolle

Part 2: Quotes on Gratitude for People: Family, Friends & Love

It’s a cliché because it’s true: the greatest blessings in our lives aren’t things, they’re people. But it’s so easy to take them for granted. We get annoyed, we get busy, and we forget that this connection is the prize. Gratitude for people is the ultimate relationship glue.

8. “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
   • — Marcel Proust
9. “In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it’s wiser to think about the people who sustain our lives as gifts. As blessings.”
   • — SARK
10. “The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege.”
    • — Charles Kuralt
11. “Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.”
    • — Michael J. Fox
12. “A true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and that which we take the least care of all others to acquire.”
    • — Francois de La Rochefoucauld
13. “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”
    • — William Arthur Ward
14. “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”
    • — Thornton Wilder

Part 3: Quotes on Finding Blessings in Hard Times & Adversity

This is the advanced-level practice. It’s easy to be thankful when you’re on the beach. It’s world-changing to be thankful when you’re in the storm.

Let’s be clear, this is not about toxic positivity. We are not “grateful for” the tragedy, the loss, or the pain. That would be denying reality. Instead, we are grateful in it. We look for the helpers, the lessons, the strength we didn’t know we had, the single ray of light in the darkness. That’s Post-Traumatic Growth (the idea that humans can experience positive psychological change after a life crisis), and it’s fueled by gratitude.

15. “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.”
    • — Brené Brown
16. “We are all broken, that’s how the light gets in.”
    • — Ernest Hemingway
17. “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
    • — Rumi
18. “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.”
    • — Marcus Tullius Cicero
19. “When it comes to life: a critical factor is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”
    • — G.K. Chesterton
20. “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
    • — Melody Beattie
21. “Sometimes we are blessed with being able to choose the path we take. Other times, we are blessed by the paths we are given.”
    • — Unknown

Part 4: Quotes on Humility, Spirituality & Abundance

This theme is about connecting to something larger than yourself. Whether you call it God, the Universe, or just “life,” it’s the profound, humbling feeling that you are part of a bigger picture. This perspective is the antidote to a Scarcity Mindset (the belief that there’s never enough). A thankful heart operates from an Abundance Mindset (the belief that there is more than enough for everyone).

22. “Every good and perfect gift is from above.”
    • — James 1:17 (The Bible)
23. “Alhamdulillah.”
    • (Arabic for “Praise be to God.” It’s used by Muslims to express gratitude in all situations, good or bad, recognizing that everything comes from a divine source.)
24. “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.”
    • — Aesop
25. “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘thank you,’ it will be enough.”
    • — Meister Eckhart
26. “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”
    • — Epictetus
27. “Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.”
    • — Fred De Witt Van Amburgh
28. “When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”
    • — Tony Robbins

Part 5: Short & Powerful Quotes for Reflection or Social Media

Sometimes you just need a quick-hit reminder. These are the perfect anchors for your day. Stick one on a Post-it note, use it as an Instagram caption, or just repeat one in your head when you’re stuck in traffic.

29. “Count your blessings.”
    • —Proverb
30. “Thankful. Grateful. Blessed.”
    • —Unknown
31. “Be present. Be grateful.”
    • —Unknown
32. “Choose gratitude.”
    • —Unknown
33. “It’s a good day to be grateful.”
    • —Unknown
34. “A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.”
    • —Unknown
35. “Blessed beyond measure.”
    • —Unknown

Beyond the Quotes: How to Actually Count Your Blessings (A Practical Guide)

Quotes are inspiring. But inspiration without action is just entertainment. This is the part where we build the muscle. Here are three simple, proven techniques to make gratitude a non-negotiable part of your life.

Technique 1: The ‘Gratitude Habit Stack’

The hardest part of any new habit isn’t doing it; it’s remembering to do it. The solution is to “stack” it onto a habit you already have.

Pick something you already do every single day, like brushing your teeth, making coffee, or getting into bed. Then, you link your new gratitude habit to that existing one.

The formula, from B.J. Fogg at Stanford, is: “After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].” Your brain loves this because it doesn’t feel like starting something new; it just feels like adding one small step to a routine it already knows.

Make It a Habit:

• The Coffee Stack: “After I take my first sip of coffee, I will think of one person I’m grateful for.”
• The Toothbrush Stack: “While I’m brushing my teeth, I will look in the mirror and think of one thing I like about myself or my life.”
• The Bed Stack: “After I get into bed, I will say one specific ‘thank you’ for something that happened today.”

Pro-Tip: Start ridiculously small. Don’t try to list 10 things. Just list one. Consistency is infinitely more important than quantity. You can’t run a marathon on day one. Just put your running shoes on. That’s what this is.

This one-minute habit is fantastic for anchoring your morning or evening. But what if you want to go deeper and track your progress?

Technique 2: The ‘Three Good Things’ Journal

Our brains are hard-wired with a “negativity bias.” We naturally pay more attention to the bad things that happen. This technique, developed by Dr. Martin Seligman (a founder of Positive Psychology), is the most effective way to fight back.

Every night before bed, take two minutes to write down three things that went well that day and why they went well.

The “why” part is critical. It’s the difference between a grocery list and a gratitude practice.

• Bad Entry: “1. Ate a good sandwich. 2. Nice weather. 3. Finished work.”
• Good Entry: “1. Finished my big project because I managed my time well this week. 2. Had a great laugh with Sarah at lunch because I made the effort to call her. 3. The sunset was amazing; I’m grateful I took a 5-minute walk to see it.”

In Seligman’s research, participants who did this for just one week reported higher levels of happiness and lower levels of depression, with the positive effects lasting for six months. You are literally rewiring your brain to scan for the positive.

Make It a Habit: Keep the journal on your nightstand. Set a “Gratitude Alarm” on your phone for 9 PM. It doesn’t have to be a fancy leather-bound book; the notes app on your phone works perfectly.

Pro-Tip: On hard days, this is more important. Don’t skip it. If you’re struggling, the “good things” can be basic: “1. I had a roof over my head. 2. I ate a hot meal. 3. I am breathing.” It grounds you in what’s real and what’s left, not just what’s wrong and what’s lost.

Journaling is a powerful private practice. But you can also use external cues to trigger gratitude throughout your day.

Technique 3: The ‘Gratitude Cues’ Method

How many times a day do you hit a “pause” point? A red light, a loading screen, a line at the grocery store. We usually fill this “micro-time” with frustrated sighs or scrolling on our phones. This method turns those moments of “wasted time” into powerful gratitude triggers.

You are going to pre-program your brain to use these common annoyances as a reminder to be thankful.

• The Cue: A red light. The Gratitude Practice: Think of one place you’re grateful to have visited or one place you’re grateful to be going (like “home”).
• The Cue: A slow-loading webpage. The Gratitude Practice: Think of one way technology has blessed your life (e.g., “I’m grateful I can talk to my cousin across the country for free”).
• The Cue: Waiting in line. The Gratitude Practice: Think of one thing you’re grateful to be able to buy (e.g., “I’m grateful I have food for dinner”).

Make It a Habit: Pick one cue to start. My personal favorite is the red light. For the next week, make a deal with yourself: Every red light is a gratitude reminder. You’ll be amazed at how many opportunities you suddenly have to practice.

Pro-Tip: Don’t just think it, feel it. When you think of the thing you’re grateful for, take one deep breath and try to genuinely feel the warmth of that blessing for just a few seconds. This connects the mental exercise to an emotional, physical response, which makes it 10x more powerful.

What’s Next: The Compounding Effect of a Thankful Life

The “future” of your gratitude practice isn’t some new, undiscovered secret. It’s the compounding interest of the simple habits you start today.

At first, it feels like an exercise. You’re “doing gratitude.” But after a while, you stop doing it, and you start being it. That’s neuroplasticity (your brain’s ability to reorganize itself). You’re not just finding the good; you’re rewiring your brain to see the good first.

The future of a life built on gratitude is one of deeper relationships (because people feel seen and appreciated by you), more resilience (because you know how to find the light in the dark), and a profound, quiet sense of “enough-ness.” You’ve finally stepped off the treadmill.

Your First Step to a More Blessed Life

Don’t try to do all of this at once. That’s a recipe for burnout. The goal is not to be a perfect, gratitude-gushing guru tomorrow. The goal is to be 1% more thankful than you were yesterday.

Your first step is simple: Choose ONE quote from this list that speaks to you. Just one. Then, choose ONE technique from the guide.

Maybe you’ll put Quote #29 (“Be present. Be grateful.”) on a Post-it note on your coffee machine, and that will be your “Habit Stack” (Technique 1).

That’s it. You’ve begun. You are no longer just feeling blessed by chance. You are counting your blessings on purpose.

Further Reading:

• “Gratitude Works!: A 21-Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity” by Robert A. Emmons
• Research papers from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center on gratitude.
• “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brené Brown
• “Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life” by Martin E.P. Seligman
• “Atomic Habits” by James Clear
• Philosophical texts like “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius.