257 Thanksgiving Quotes to Fill Every Heart with Gratitude

Below you will find 257 verified thanksgiving quotes across 14 themed sections — timeless lines on gratitude, blessings for the table, funny one-liners for the feast, and words for family, friends, faith, and the harvest season. Every attribution has been checked, so you can share with confidence.

Editor’s Picks

Gratitude Classics

1. Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. — William Arthur Ward
2. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. — Melody Beattie
3. Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. — Melody Beattie
4. 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
5. Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. — Cicero
6. Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse. — Henry van Dyke
7. In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. — Albert Schweitzer
8. Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. — Charles Dickens
9. If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. — Attributed to Meister Eckhart
10. Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. — William Arthur Ward
11. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. — Attributed to Tecumseh
12. No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks. — Attributed to James Allen
13. Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. — W. T. Purkiser
14. I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. — G. K. Chesterton
15. 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
16. Forever on Thanksgiving Day the heart will find the pathway home. — Wilbur D. Nesbit
17. Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude. — E. P. Powell
18. Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: It must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all. — William Faulkner
19. To give thanks in solitude is enough. Thanksgiving has wings and goes where it must go. Your prayer knows much more about it than you do. — Attributed to Victor Hugo
20. O Lord, that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness! — William Shakespeare

Thanksgiving Blessings

1. Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen. — Unknown
2. O Lord, when hunger pinches sore, do thou stand us in stead, and send us from thy bounteous store a tup or wether head! Amen. — Robert Burns
3. Their beer was strong; their wine was port; their meal was large; their grace was short. — Matthew Prior
4. For flowers that bloom about our feet; for tender grass, so fresh, so sweet; for song of bird, and hum of bee; for all things fair we hear or see, Father in heaven, we thank Thee! — Ralph Waldo Emerson
5. You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink. — G. K. Chesterton
6. For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful. Amen. — Unknown
7. Who does not thank for little will not thank for much. — Proverb
8. When eating bamboo shoots, remember the man who planted them. — Proverb
9. Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don’t unravel. — Unknown
10. A grateful heart is a joyful heart. — Unknown
11. The thankful heart opens our eyes to a multitude of blessings that continually surround us. — James E. Faust
12. Dear Lord; we beg but one boon more: Peace in the hearts of all men living, peace in the whole world this Thanksgiving. — Joseph Auslander
13. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness. — Bible, Psalm 65:11
14. Thanksgiving creates abundance. — Ann Voskamp
15. And he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. — Bible, Daniel 6:10
16. The eyes of all wait upon thee, O Lord: and thou givest them their meat in due season. — Bible, Psalm 145:15
17. I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. — Bible, Ephesians 1:16
18. Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves. — Henry Ward Beecher

Thanksgiving Quotes for Family Gatherings

1. Family is not an important thing. It’s everything. — Michael J. Fox
2. At the end of the day, a loving family should find everything forgivable. — Mark V. Olsen
3. Having somewhere to go is home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a blessing. — Donna Hedges
4. In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past and bridge to our future. — Alex Haley
5. The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. — Richard Bach
6. Family and friendships are two of the greatest facilitators of happiness. — John C. Maxwell
7. In time of test, family is best. — Proverb
8. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. — J.R.R. Tolkien
9. The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process to a ritual of family and community. — Michael Pollan
10. Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious. — Ruth Reichl
11. If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him. — Cesar Chavez
12. The family is one of nature’s masterpieces. — George Santayana
13. Happiness has a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city. — George Burns
14. What greater blessing to give thanks for at a family gathering than the family and the gathering. — Robert Breault
15. I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. — Henry David Thoreau
16. The dinner table is a place where stories are shared and memories are made. — Unknown
17. Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness and gratitude. — Nigel Hamilton
18. I love Thanksgiving because it’s a holiday that is centered around food and family, two things that are of utmost importance to me. — Marcus Samuelsson
19. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year because it reminds us to give thanks and to count our blessings. — Joyce Giraud

Funny Thanksgiving Quotes

1. Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. — Erma Bombeck
2. I come from a family where gravy is considered a beverage. — Erma Bombeck
3. What we’re really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving? — Erma Bombeck
4. An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day. — Erma Bombeck
5. After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations. — Oscar Wilde
6. Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants. — Kevin James
7. You can tell you ate too much for Thanksgiving when you have to let your bathrobe out. — Jay Leno
8. I like football. It’s a great way to avoid conversation with your family at Thanksgiving. — Craig Ferguson
9. Thanksgiving is so called because we are all so thankful that it only comes once a year. — P. J. O’Rourke
10. Thanksgiving Day. Let all give humble, hearty, and sincere thanks, now, but the turkeys. In the island of Fiji they do not use turkeys; they use plumbers. It does not become you and me to sneer at Fiji. — Mark Twain
11. I love Thanksgiving traditions: watching football, making pumpkin pie and saying the magic phrase that sends your aunt storming out of the dining room to sit in her car. — Stephen Colbert
12. My cooking is so bad my kids thought Thanksgiving was to commemorate Pearl Harbor. — Phyllis Diller
13. Thanksgiving is a time to count your blessings, one by one, as each relative goes home. — Melanie White
14. I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land. — Jon Stewart
15. Thanksgiving just gets me all warm and tingly and all kinds of wonderful inside. — Willard Scott
16. Thanksgiving, the day where there’s never enough food. You can’t just have a turkey. No, there has to be a roast beef or a ham too. Or both. — Lewis Black
17. A lot of Thanksgiving days have been ruined by not carving the turkey in the kitchen. — Kin Hubbard
18. Thanksgiving is the only holiday where you can’t get in trouble for having your mouth full. — Unknown

Short Thanksgiving One-Liners

1. Thankful. Grateful. Blessed. — Unknown
2. Eat, drink, and be thankful. — Unknown
3. Count blessings, not calories. — Unknown
4. Choose gratitude every day. — Unknown
5. Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. — Karl Barth
6. Thanksgiving is not a day — it is a state of mind. — Peggy Toney Horton
7. The struggle ends when gratitude begins. — Neale Donald Walsch
8. If you want to find happiness, find gratitude. — Steve Maraboli
9. Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. — Robert Brault
10. A thankful heart is a beginning of greatness. — James E. Faust
11. Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. — Zig Ziglar
12. Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot. — Proverb
13. Thank you is a complete sentence. — Unknown
14. It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up. — Eckhart Tolle
15. Gratitude is the memory of the heart. — Jean-Baptiste Massieu
16. No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has emerged from the kingdom of night. — Elie Wiesel
17. When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. — Elie Wiesel
18. Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul. — Henry Ward Beecher

Thanksgiving Quotes for Cards and Messages

1. Be present in all things and thankful for all things. — Maya Angelou
2. Gratitude turns what we have into enough. — Anonymous
3. Give thanks not only on Thanksgiving Day, but every day of your life. — Catherine Pulsifer
4. When I count my blessings, I count you twice. — Unknown
5. When one has a grateful heart, life is so beautiful. — Roy T. Bennett
6. I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks. — William Shakespeare
7. Appreciation is like salt — a little goes a long way to bring out the best in us. — Unknown
8. Thanksgiving is gratitude in action. — Anonymous
9. Give thanks with a grateful heart. — Anonymous
10. Don’t wait until Thanksgiving to say thanks. Say it every day. — Anonymous
11. Gratitude is riches. — Doris Day
12. Gratitude turns ordinary moments into blessings. — Unknown
13. Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. — Henri Frederic Amiel
14. Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone. — Gertrude Stein
15. The more you practice gratitude, the more you see what there is to be grateful for. — Oprah Winfrey
16. Happy Thanksgiving! May your day be filled with love, laughter, and gratitude. — Unknown
17. Wishing you a harvest of blessings this Thanksgiving. — Unknown
18. May your heart be glad and your home be happy at this joyful time. — Unknown

Faith and Grace Quotes for Thanksgiving

1. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. — Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:18
2. O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. — Bible, Psalm 107:1
3. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. — Bible, Psalm 100:4
4. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. — Bible, Philippians 4:6
5. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. — Bible, James 1:17
6. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. — Bible, Colossians 3:17
7. I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. — Bible, Psalm 9:1
8. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. — Bible, Psalm 118:24
9. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. — Bible, Ephesians 5:20
10. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. — Bible, 2 Corinthians 9:15
11. When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. — Bible, Deuteronomy 8:10
12. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! — Bible, Psalm 107:8
13. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. — Bible, Psalm 95:2
14. Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy. — Dietrich Bonhoeffer
15. We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if not with thanksgiving? — Ann Voskamp
16. Grace isn’t a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It’s a way to live. — Jackie Windspear
17. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances. — Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
18. Gratitude begins where my sense of entitlement ends. — Steven Furtick

Harvest and Autumn Quotes

1. Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. — John Keats
2. Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. — Attributed to Albert Camus
3. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it. — George Eliot
4. No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face. — John Donne
5. For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad. — Edwin Way Teale
6. Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits. — Samuel Butler
7. I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. — Henry David Thoreau
8. Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall. — F. Scott Fitzgerald
9. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. — Bible, Genesis 8:22
10. The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. — Bible, Psalm 67:6
11. The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest. — William Blake
12. Of the great harvest I myself desired. — Robert Frost
13. Apples I didn’t pick upon some bough. But I am done with apple-picking now. — Robert Frost
14. Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree. — Emily Brontë
15. I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. — L. M. Montgomery
16. I notice that autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature. — Friedrich Nietzsche
17. The melancholy days have come, the saddest of the year, of wailing winds, and naked woods, and meadows brown and sear. — William Cullen Bryant
18. Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile. — William Cullen Bryant
19. Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons. — Jim Bishop
20. After the summer’s yield, Lord, it is time to let your shadow lengthen on the sundials. — Rainer Maria Rilke

Quotes About Giving Thanks

1. No one has ever become poor by giving. — Anne Frank
2. Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need. — Khalil Gibran
3. If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share. — W. Clement Stone
4. For it is in giving that we receive. — Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi
5. I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver. — Maya Angelou
6. Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege. — John D. Rockefeller Jr.
7. The best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them away. — Dorothy Day
8. You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you. — John Bunyan
9. Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference. — Kathy Calvin
10. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. — Aesop
11. The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. — Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi
12. The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away. — Attributed to Pablo Picasso
13. We rise by lifting others. — Attributed to Robert Ingersoll
14. Blessed are those who give without remembering and take without forgetting. — Bernard Meltzer
15. Thanksgiving, to be truly thanksgiving, is first thanks, then giving. — Unknown
16. Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. — Mark Twain
17. Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. — Theodore Roosevelt
18. One can never pay in gratitude; one can only pay ‘in kind’ somewhere else in life. — Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Togetherness Quotes for Thanksgiving

1. Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. — Helen Keller
2. No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it. — H. E. Luccock
3. The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team. — Phil Jackson
4. Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. — Henry Ford
5. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. — Proverb
6. Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. — Andrew Carnegie
7. If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. — Henry Ford
8. We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately. — Benjamin Franklin
9. In union there is strength. — Aesop
10. I think togetherness is a very important ingredient to family life. — Barbara Bush
11. The best thing to hold onto in life is each other. — Audrey Hepburn
12. Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do… but how much love we put in that action. — Mother Teresa
13. What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family. — Mother Teresa
14. Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved. — Mattie Stepanek
15. Thanksgiving reminds us that the best things in life are not things — they’re people. — Unknown
16. It’s not the meal that matters — it’s the company. — Unknown
17. We live by each other and for each other. — Helen Keller
18. The family is the first essential cell of human society. — Pope John XXIII

Thanksgiving History and Heritage Quotes

1. The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. — Abraham Lincoln
2. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God. — Abraham Lincoln
3. As a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. — Abraham Lincoln
4. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. — Abraham Lincoln
5. Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor. — George Washington
6. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks. — George Washington
7. Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us; and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds. — Theodore Roosevelt
8. We can best prove our thankfulness to the Almighty by the way in which on this earth and at this time each of us does his duty to his fellow men. — Theodore Roosevelt
9. 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
10. On that day let us gather in sanctuaries dedicated to worship and in homes blessed by family affection to express our gratitude for the glorious gifts of God. — John F. Kennedy
11. Over three centuries ago, our forefathers in Virginia and in Massachusetts, far from home in a lonely wilderness, set aside a time of thanksgiving. — John F. Kennedy
12. Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that we might after a more special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors. — Edward Winslow
13. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty. — Edward Winslow
14. They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. — William Bradford
15. This subject is to have the day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival. — Sarah Josepha Hale
16. For the last fifteen years I have set forth this idea in the ‘Lady’s Book,’ and placed the papers before the Governors of all the States and Territories. — Sarah Josepha Hale
17. Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow. — Edward Sandford Martin
18. Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. — Attributed to W. J. Cameron

Inspirational Thanksgiving Quotes

1. The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. — Oprah Winfrey
2. We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives. — John F. Kennedy
3. When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears. — Tony Robbins
4. Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance. — Eckhart Tolle
5. This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before. — Maya Angelou
6. When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around. — Willie Nelson
7. We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count. — Neal A. Maxwell
8. We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. — Thornton Wilder
9. The root of joy is gratefulness. — David Steindl-Rast
10. It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful. — David Steindl-Rast
11. Every time we remember to say ‘thank you’, we experience nothing less than heaven on earth. — Sarah Ban Breathnach
12. To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch heaven. — Johannes A. Gaertner
13. Trade your expectations for appreciation and your whole world changes in an instant. — Tony Robbins
14. Gratitude is a state of being in which we feel connected to everything in the universe. — Deepak Chopra
15. Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
16. Before I get out of bed, I am saying thank you. I know how important it is to be thankful. — Al Jarreau
17. I find that the more willing I am to be grateful for the small things in life, the bigger stuff just seems to show up from unexpected sources. — Louise Hay
18. Don’t let the sun go down without saying thank you to someone, and without admitting to yourself that absolutely no one gets this far alone. — Stephen King

Turkey and Feast Humor

1. Turkey: A large bird whose flesh, when eaten on certain religious anniversaries has the peculiar property of attesting piety and gratitude. Incidentally, it is pretty good eating. — Ambrose Bierce
2. Turkey for the girls and turkey for the boys. Gobble gobble goo and gobble gobble gickel. — Adam Sandler
3. Thanksgiving dinner’s sad and thankless. Christmas dinner’s dark and blue. When you stop and try to see it from the turkey’s point of view. — Shel Silverstein
4. There is no sincerer love than the love of food. — George Bernard Shaw
5. People who love to eat are always the best people. — Julia Child
6. ‘So what do we do?’ We do what all families do. Grin, bear it, and pass the mashed potatoes. — Heather Brewer
7. If you stand in the meat section at the grocery store long enough, you start to get mad at turkeys. There is turkey ham, turkey bologna, turkey pastrami. Someone needs to tell the turkey, man, just be yourself. — Mitch Hedberg
8. Detente — isn’t that what a farmer has with his turkey — until Thanksgiving? — Ronald Reagan
9. The turkey that every day greedily approaches the farmer who tosses him grain is not wrong. It is just that no one ever told him about Thanksgiving. — Harry Golden
10. What did the turkey say to the turkey hunter? ‘Quack! Quack!’ — Unknown
11. The turkey. The sweet potatoes. The stuffing. The pumpkin pie. Is there anything else we all can agree so vehemently about? I don’t think so. — Nora Ephron
12. Michelle will tell you that when we get together for Christmas or Thanksgiving, it’s like a little mini-United Nations. I’ve got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and I’ve got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher. We’ve got it all. — Barack Obama
13. Overeating at Thanksgiving is a case in point. It’s a national tradition. — Eric Samuel Timm
14. Thanksgiving: A time to count blessings, not carbs. — Unknown
15. Winner, winner, turkey dinner. — Unknown
16. Gobble till you wobble. — Unknown
17. My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the turkey. I love making it, cooking it, and especially eating it. And then, when it’s all done, I love taking a big nap. — Unknown
18. I’m mostly thankful for things that come with gravy. — Unknown

Thanksgiving Quotes for Friends

1. Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. — Marcel Proust
2. I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
3. I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul remembering my good friends. — William Shakespeare
4. A friend is a single soul dwelling in two bodies. — Aristotle
5. Of all the things which wisdom provides to make us entirely happy, much the greatest is the possession of friendship. — Epicurus
6. Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together. — Woodrow Wilson
7. There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship. — Thomas Aquinas
8. A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. — Walter Winchell
9. My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me. — Henry Ford
10. The greatest gift of life is friendship. — Hubert H. Humphrey
11. A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you. — Elbert Hubbard
12. Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. — Oprah Winfrey
13. A single rose can be my garden… a single friend, my world. — Leo Buscaglia
14. The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. — Elisabeth Foley
15. 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
16. A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails. — Donna Roberts
17. In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. — Khalil Gibran
18. I would rather walk with a friend in the dark than walk alone in the light. — Helen Keller

How to Use These Thanksgiving Quotes

• Cards and notes: Pair a short one-liner with a handwritten message for hosts, teachers, or faraway family.
• The toast: Open with a gratitude classic, then add one personal sentence about your own year.
• Social posts: Match a harvest or blessing quote with your table photo — keep the caption short.
• The table: Print a few favorites as place cards to spark conversation between courses.
• After dinner: Go around the table and have everyone read one line that fits their year.

More Thanksgiving Quotes to Explore

• Gratitude Quotes to Stay Thankful All Year
• 400 Thanksgiving Wishes to Send with a Full Heart
• Thanksgiving Captions for Instagram
• Family Quotes for Every Gathering
• Faith Quotes for Grace and Quiet Reflection
• Kindness Quotes to Share Around the Table
• Funny Quotes for Light Holiday Moments
• Inspirational Quotes for Life’s Big and Small Moments
• Wisdom Quotes Worth Savoring Slowly
• Love Quotes for the People at Your Table
• Friendship Quotes for Friendsgiving
• Positive Quotes for Hard Times
• Positive Vibes Quotes to Brighten the Season

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Thanksgiving in 2026?

Thanksgiving 2026 is on Thursday, November 26 — the fourth Thursday of November, as set by President Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation and fixed by Congress in 1941.

What is the origin of Thanksgiving?

The holiday traces to the 1621 harvest feast shared by the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag people. It became a yearly national holiday through Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation, issued at the urging of writer Sarah Josepha Hale. You can read more about the early history at Plimoth Patuxet Museums.

What is the most famous Thanksgiving quote?

One of the most quoted lines of the season comes from Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation itself, calling Americans to give thanks with “humble penitence” and “fervent” gratitude — a reminder that the holiday was born in a difficult year.

How can I use these quotes?

Use them in cards, toasts, place cards, social captions, or a round-the-table reading after dinner. Short one-liners suit captions; blessings and gratitude classics suit toasts and notes.