Thanksgiving is the perfect time to share your gratitude with the people who matter most.
Appreciation Thanksgiving quotes help you express those warm feelings in meaningful ways, making your celebration even more special.
From heartfelt messages about family and friends to funny one-liners that bring smiles to everyone’s faces, the right words can set the tone for your entire gathering.
These carefully selected quotes work perfectly for toasts, prayers, thank-you cards, or posts. They capture the spirit of the season and help you show appreciation to those who make your life brighter.
Why Use Appreciation & Thanksgiving Quotes at Your Gathering
Words have a special way of expressing feelings that we sometimes struggle to express ourselves.
A well-chosen quote can break the ice at your dinner table, create a warm atmosphere, and honor the people you care about. It makes thanking your hosts or guests feel more meaningful and heartfelt.
These Thanksgiving quotes are perfect to share around the table or on social media, helping you capture the true spirit of gratitude.
They remind everyone why we gather – to celebrate our blessings and the relationships that make life special.
Gratitude & Thankfulness Quotes
Gratitude is at the heart of Thanksgiving. These quotes remind us to appreciate what we have and to show our thanks through both words and actions. Share these messages to inspire a spirit of thankfulness at your gathering.
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“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey
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“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy
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“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Melody Beattie
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“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
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“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: It must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” – William Faulkner
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“If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” – Gerald Good
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“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” – Epictetus
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“The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.” – William James
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“Silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone.” – Gertrude Stein
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“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” – Thornton Wilder
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“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer.” – Maya Angelou
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“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.” – Mary Davis
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“Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.” – Doris Day
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“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” – Anthony Robbins
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“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust
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“No duty is more urgent than giving thanks.” – James Allen
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“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.” – Eileen Caddy
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“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” – Eckhart Tolle
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“For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.” – Elie Wiesel
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“When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.” – Kristin Armstrong
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“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.” – Henry Ward Beecher
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“When you eat fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” – Vietnamese Proverb
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“Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” – Karl Barth
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“The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.” – Hannah Whitall Smith
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“The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.”
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“We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count.” – Neal A. Maxwell
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“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘Thank you,’ that would suffice.” – Meister Eckhart
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“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward
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“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop
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“The more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for.” – Norman Vincent Peale
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“What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” – Brené Brown
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“Gratitude opens the door to the power, the wisdom, the creativity of the universe.” – Deepak Chopra
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“The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love.” – Henri Nouwen
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“Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.” – Rumi
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“Gratitude is not about getting more; it’s about giving more.” – Anonymous
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“Blessed are those who give without remembering and receive without forgetting.” – Elizabeth Bibesco
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“Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.” – Hausa Proverb
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“No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.” – Alfred North Whitehead
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“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” – Alphonse Karr
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“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling.” – Henry Van Dyke
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“To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.” – Kahlil Gibran
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“Gratitude is a fruit of great cultivation; you do not find it among gross people.” – Samuel Johnson
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“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things.” – Robert Brault
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“The real gift of gratitude is that the more grateful you are, the more present you become.” – Robert Holden
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“The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing.”
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“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.” – Michael J. Fox
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“Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.” – Anthony Brandt
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“In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.” – Alex Haley
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“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.” – Richard Bach
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“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” – Jane Howard
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“Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life.” – Albert Einstein
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“To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.” – Barbara Bush
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“The family is one of nature’s masterpieces.” – George Santayana
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“Family is the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.” – Brad Henry
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“In time of test, family is best.” – Burmese Proverb
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“A happy family is but an earlier heaven.” – George Bernard Shaw
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“The informality of family life is a blessed condition that allows us all to become our best while looking our worst.” – Marge Kennedy
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“Family and friends are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches.” – Wanda Hope Carter
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“Family is a little world created by love.”
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“Home is where you are loved the most and act the worst.” – Marjorie Pay Hinckley
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“The memories we make with our family are everything.” – Candace Cameron Bure
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“Families are the compass that guide us, the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.” – Brad Henry
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“Family is a life jacket in the stormy sea of life.” – J.K. Rowling
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“Having somewhere to go is home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a blessing.”
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“Family is the most important thing in the world.” – Princess Diana
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“The family is the first essential cell of human society.” – Pope John XXIII
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“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” – Mother Teresa
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“Family gives you the roots to stand tall and strong.”
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“Family isn’t defined only by last names or by blood; it’s defined by commitment and by love.” – Dave Willis
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“The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.” – Confucius
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“Family is where life begins and love never ends.”
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“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” – George Moore
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“Families are like branches on a tree. We grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one.”
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“When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching-they are your family.” – Jim Butcher
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“Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” – David Ogden Stiers
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“The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works, is the family.” – Lee Iacocca
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“A family doesn’t have to be perfect; it just needs to be united.”
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“Family is the heart of a home.”
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“The love in our family flows strong and deep, leaving us memories to treasure and keep.”
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“The most important thing in the world is family and love.” – John Wooden
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“Families are like fudge-mostly sweet with a few nuts.”
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“Family ties mean that no matter how much you might want to run from your family, you can’t.”
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“The family is both the fundamental unit of society and the root of culture.” – Marianne E. Neifert
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“Family is a gift that lasts forever.”
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“The only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.” – Gordon B. Hinckley
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“Cherish your human connections-your relationships with friends and family.” – Barbara Bush
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“The love in a family is life’s greatest blessing.”
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“Family is the anchor during rough waters.”
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“Friends are the family we choose to be thankful for every day.”
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“A true friend is the greatest of all blessings.” – François de La Rochefoucauld
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“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.’” – C.S. Lewis
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“Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there.”
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“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” – Thomas Aquinas
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“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” – William Shakespeare
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“Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer.” – Ed Cunningham
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“A friend is someone who makes it easy to believe in yourself.” – Heidi Wills
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“Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
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“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.” – Khalil Gibran
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“A friend is a gift you give yourself.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
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“Friends are the siblings God never gave us.” – Mencius
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“There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met.” – William Butler Yeats
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“A single rose can be my garden… a single friend, my world.” – Leo Buscaglia
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“Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.” – Woodrow Wilson
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“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” – Walter Winchell
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“Friends are like walls. Sometimes you lean on them, and sometimes it’s good just knowing they are there.”
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“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive.” – Anaïs Nin
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“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” – C.S. Lewis
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“Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.” – Khalil Gibran
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“Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends.” – Virginia Woolf
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“True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart.” – Helen Keller
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“Friendship multiplies the good of life and divides the evil.” – Baltasar Gracián
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“Friends are like wine; they get better with age.”
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“A good friend knows all your stories. A best friend helped you write them.”
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“Friends are medicine for a wounded heart, and vitamins for a hopeful soul.” – Steve Maraboli
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“Friends are the bacon bits in the salad bowl of life.”
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“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.” – Linda Grayson
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“Friendship is the comfort of knowing that even when you feel alone, you are not.”
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“Friends are the sunshine of life.” – John Hay
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“Life was meant for good friends and great adventures.”
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“A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.” – Proverbs 27:9 (adapted)
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“Friends are the family we create along the way.”
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“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city… but friends nearby.” – George Burns (adapted)
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“A best friend is someone who makes you laugh even when you feel like crying.”
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“The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.” – Elisabeth Foley
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“The best mirror is an old friend.” – George Herbert
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“Friends are the people who make you smile brighter, laugh louder, and live better.”
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“A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they’re not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they’re not so bad.” – Arnold H. Glasow
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“Friends are the chocolate chips in the cookie of life.”
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“A friend is what the heart needs all the time.” – Henry Van Dyke
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“The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
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“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends.” – Jane Austen
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“Friendship is a sheltering tree.” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Anonymous
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“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” – Oscar Wilde
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“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Voltaire
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“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust
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“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward
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“Thank you for making this house a home with warmth, laughter, and love.”
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“A heart filled with gratitude opens doors to joy.”
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“The true way to thank someone is to share their generosity forward.”
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“For all you do, for all you are, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
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“Thanks isn’t just a word, it’s a reflection of the love and effort you put in.”
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“A simple ‘thank you’ can mean the world to someone who has given their all.”
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“To the ones who set the table, cook the meal, and light up the room – you are appreciated more than you know.”
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“Hospitality is making others feel at home, even if you wish you were.”
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“We often take for granted the very people who deserve our deepest gratitude.” – Cynthia Ozick
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“No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
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“Acknowledging the effort of others is the highest form of appreciation.”
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“Gratitude is the memory of the heart.” – Jean Baptiste Massieu
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“A family gathered around a table is a blessing; those who make it happen are treasures.”
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“Thank you for filling this day with laughter, warmth, and care.”
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“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting others up.” – John Holmes
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“The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for others.” – Dalai Lama
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“It takes a big heart to make small gestures of love look effortless.”
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“Sometimes the smallest gestures require the biggest effort – thank you.”
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“The magic of today exists because of the generosity and kindness of people like you.”
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“A host’s joy is found in the happiness of their guests; thank you for your generosity.”
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“The hands that cook, clean, and organize do more than tasks – they create memories.”
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“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.” – Cicero
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“Thank you for making effort look effortless and love look simple.”
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“Recognition is a way of saying, ‘Your work and heart matter.’”
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“Those who bring joy to others also bring joy to themselves.” – Dale Carnegie
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“Appreciation is the highest form of kindness.”
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“Thank you for giving your time, talent, and heart so freely.”
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“The best way to thank someone is to honor their effort and kindness.”
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“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop
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“To those who travel near and far to be with loved ones – your presence is the greatest gift.”
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“A table set with love nourishes more than just the body.”
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“The work of your hands has fed our hearts as well as our stomachs.”
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“In appreciating others, we discover our own blessings.”
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“A word of thanks can turn a meal into a memory, a guest into family, and effort into love.”
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“To the ones who help behind the scenes, your care does not go unnoticed.”
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“Gratitude is the bridge between effort and appreciation.”
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“Thank you for adding your heart to this celebration.”
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“Even the smallest act of helping or hosting is a reflection of a big heart.”
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“Those who give without expecting anything in return are the truest treasures.”
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“Your generosity makes ordinary days extraordinary.”
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“I come from a family where gravy is considered a beverage.” – Erma Bombeck
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“Thanksgiving-bringing out the best in family dysfunction since 1621.”
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“You can tell you ate too much for Thanksgiving when you have to let your bathrobe out.” – Jay Leno
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“Thanksgiving is America’s national day of pure carbohydrate indulgence.” – Dan Barber
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“It’s not the minutes spent at the table that put on weight, it’s the seconds.”
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“My favorite exercise is a cross between a lunge and a crunch… I call it lunch.”
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“Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.” – Erma Bombeck
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“Coexistence: what the turkey and the farmer both wish for.”
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“Thanksgiving-because you can’t live on pumpkin spice alone.”
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“The only thing I’m stuffing this Thanksgiving is my face.”
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“Keep calm and gobble on.”
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“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” – Jim Davis
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“The turkey is calling, and I must go.”
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“You know you’re a real adult when you bring a side dish instead of Tupperware to take leftovers home.”
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“After eating Thanksgiving dinner, I’m in a food coma so deep I could audition for The Walking Dead.”
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“May your stuffing be tasty, your turkey be plump, and your pants have an elastic waistband.”
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“Thanksgiving: the day we pause to give thanks for the food before we go shopping for more.”
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“I can’t cook a Thanksgiving dinner. All I can make is cold cereal and maybe toast.” – Charlie Brown (Peanuts)
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“Why did the turkey join the band? Because it had the drumsticks!”
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“Gratitude turns what we have into leftovers.”
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“I’m grateful for elastic waistbands.”
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“If you think about it, Thanksgiving is really about celebrating carbs.”
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“Leftovers are for quitters.”
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“Pumpkin pie calories don’t count if you eat them standing up.”
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“I only have pies for you this Thanksgiving.”
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“I came in like a Butterball!”
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“When turkey calls, stuffing answers.”
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“I’m just here for the mashed potatoes.”
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“There’s always room for seconds… and regrets.”
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“Thanksgiving: the annual reminder that family is like fudge-mostly sweet, but with a few nuts.”
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“Let’s get basted!”
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“Eat, drink, and cranberry!”
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“Keep your friends close and your gravy closer.”
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“If you didn’t unbutton your pants, you didn’t do Thanksgiving right.”
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“Thanksgiving: when your favorite side dish is wine.”
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“You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy pie, and that’s kind of the same thing.”
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“I’m thankful for wine. Without it, Thanksgiving would just be awkward dinner.”
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“I can’t wait to talk politics with my family-said no one ever.”
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“Calories don’t count on holidays. That’s the law.”
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“Every Thanksgiving I bring something to the table-mostly my appetite.”
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“Stop, drop, and pass the rolls.”
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“May your turkey be moist and your relatives be out of town.”
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“If the only thing you make for Thanksgiving is reservations, you’re my kind of cook.”
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“What do you call a running turkey? Fast food.”
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“There’s no such thing as too much gravy.”
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“Thankful. Grateful. Blessed.”
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“Gather together and give thanks.”
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“Gratitude turns ordinary moments into blessings.”
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“Full hearts, full plates, full lives.”
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“Eat, drink, and be thankful.”
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“Count blessings, not calories.”
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“Pumpkin spice and everything nice.”
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“There’s always something to be thankful for.”
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“Choose gratitude every day.”
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“Blessed beyond measure.”
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“Home, heart, and harvest.”
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“Thankful for this beautiful chaos.”
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“Small moments, big gratitude.”
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“Thankfulness is the best attitude.”
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“Grateful hearts gather here.”
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“Feast mode: activated.”
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“Giving thanks and making memories.”
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“Life is better with pie.”
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“Eat pie, give thanks.”
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“Gather. Give. Grow.”
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“Family, food, and gratitude.”
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“Pass the gravy and the love.”
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“Harvest blessings to you and yours.”
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“Love and laughter make the best leftovers.”
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“Grateful today and every day.”
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“Blessed to have each other.”
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“Gather with a grateful heart.”
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“Savor the moment. Share the joy.”
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“Gratitude is always in season.”
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“Gobble till you wobble.”
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“So thankful for today.”
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“Together is a wonderful place to be.”
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“Wishing you a plate full of happiness.”
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“Keep calm and eat turkey.”
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“Thankfulness makes the feast sweeter.”
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“Gratitude is the heart’s memory.” – Jean-Baptiste Massieu
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“Give thanks with all your heart.”
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“May your blessings be as plentiful as the feast.”
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“Thankful hearts make happy homes.”
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“Faith, family, and a full table.”
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“Simply thankful, forever grateful.”
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“Turkey, pie, and thankful vibes.”
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“Grateful today, blessed tomorrow.”
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“A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.”
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“Always better when we’re together.” – Jack Johnson
Family & Togetherness Quotes
Thanksgiving brings families together to celebrate the bonds that matter most. These quotes honor the love and connection we share with those closest to us.
Use them to express how much your family means to you during this special time.
Friends & Friendsgiving Quotes
Friendsgiving celebrates the chosen family we gather around us. These quotes recognize the friends who support us, make us laugh, and stand by our side.
Share these words to show your friends how grateful you are for their presence in your life.
Appreciation for Hosts, Helpers & Loved Ones
Taking time to thank those who work hard to make your celebration special shows true gratitude. These quotes help you recognize the hosts who open their homes and the helpers who make everything run smoothly.
Funny & Light-Hearted Thanksgiving Quotes
Sometimes laughter is the best way to bring everyone together. These funny quotes add humor to your celebration and keep the mood light and enjoyable.
Share them to get a few chuckles and remind everyone not to take things too seriously.
Short & Sweet One-Liners for Cards, Texts & Social
Sometimes the simplest words carry the most meaning. These short quotes are perfect for quick messages, cards, or social media posts. Use them when you want to share gratitude without a lengthy message.
How to Use These Quotes at Your Thanksgiving Event?
Choose quotes that match your audience and the mood you want to create. Funny quotes work great for casual gatherings, while serious or reflective ones suit formal dinners or heartfelt moments.
Feel free to adjust the wording slightly to match your personal style, but remember to credit the original author when possible.
You’ll find both short quotes that are easy to share in a toast or social media post, and longer ones that work perfectly for speeches or dinner prayers.
The key is picking messages that feel genuine to you and resonate with your guests, making your Thanksgiving celebration more memorable and meaningful.
Final Thoughts
These appreciation thanksgiving quotes give you the perfect words to express your gratitude this holiday season.
From serious and reflective to funny and light-hearted, you now have options for every moment and every person at your table.
Remember, the most important part isn’t just saying the words – it’s showing genuine thankfulness through your actions too.
Use these quotes to create memorable moments, honor your loved ones, and spread joy throughout your celebration. Which quote resonates most with you?
Share your favorite in the comments below and tell me how you plan to use it at your Thanksgiving gathering!












