10 Quotes on Thankfulness for Thanksgiving and Beyond

Thanksgiving is a time to get together with our closest friends and family, reflect on our blessings, and enjoy conversation over a delicious communal meal. It’s a time to thank God for every little thing he’s given us—and, hopefully, a time to remember how important it is to be thankful year-round.

Here are 10 quotes that remind us of the importance of giving thanks:

1. “If anyone would tell you the shortest, surest way to all happiness and all perfection, he must tell you to make a rule to yourself to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you.” —William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life

2. “The Christian’s life should be one of thankfulness to God.” —Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, vol. 5

3. “We do not always know what is right. It is not always clear whether or not we should move. What we should say is not known in every situation. But there is one word which should never be far from our lips. It is ‘thanks’ (1 Thess. 5:18).” —Wayne Detzler, Living Words in Philippians

4. “Gratitude has a big job to do in us and our hearts. It is one of the chief ways that God infuses joy and resilience into the daily struggle of life.” —Nancy Leigh DeMoss, The Quiet Place

5. “It’s hard to give thanks for the consequences of evil. Gratitude in bad circumstances goes counter to our natural inclinations. But we are told to give thanks under every circumstance of life (Eph. 5:20).” —Al Detter, Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook

6. “The verbal utterances concerning Thanksgiving Day are mostly focused on visiting friends and loved ones, and of course, eating a bountiful turkey dinner. Yet without the biblical precedent of God’s people giving thanks, along with the example of the Pilgrims, we would not have this noteworthy holiday.” —Alvin J. Schmidt, How Christianity Changed the World

7. “Truly, we have much to thank God for, but if we would be thankful, we must set our hearts to do it with a will. We grumble and complain without thought, but we must think to give thanks.” —Samuel Logan Brengle, Take Time to be Holy

8. “Don’t complain when you’re in bad circumstances; cultivate a heart of thankfulness instead. If you’re not a thankful person, it’s because you think you deserve better circumstances than those you currently have. But if you got what you deserved, you’d be in hell. That goes for all of us. So be thankful for whatever God gives you. That will take all the sourness out of your life.” —John MacArthur, The Master’s Plan for the Church

9. “Thanklessness is a terrible disregard of God’s goodness.” —Lynn Garder, What the Bible Says about Suffering

10. “As we walk by the seashore, gaze in wonder at the stars, or smell the fragrance of a flower, we are to sense God speaking to us through His creation. And, seeing Him, we are to worship and give thanks.” —Larry Richards, The 365-Day Devotional Commentary

Spend today thanking God, but don’t let it stop there. Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday; it’s an ongoing state of praise and thankfulness for the many blessings in our lives.