LDS Quotes on Thanksgiving & Gratitude
“The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life…Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!”
| Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. (1939), 263.
“Christ asks us to show faith in Him, repent, make and keep covenants, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. By complying, we are not paying the demands of justice—not even the smallest part. Instead, we are showing appreciation for what Jesus Christ did by using it to live a life like His.”
| "His Grace is Sufficient"
“In some quiet way, the expression and feelings of gratitude have a wonderful cleansing or healing nature. Gratitude brings warmth to the giver and the receiver alike.”
| "Gratitude for the Goodness of God"
It is a relatively simple thing to pour out gratitude to God when the cup is full, the harvest plenteous, the peace secure; but it is much more challenging to have the faith to believe that even in adversity and persecution, even in times of darkness and devastation, the Lord’s hand is in it for the benefit of his children.
| LDS Church News, June 10, 1989
“Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.”
| Aldous Huxley, Themes and Variations (1954), 66.
“The habit of saying thank you is the mark of a cultivated mind.”
| Way to Be!: 9 Rules For Living the Good Life
“The Prophet Joseph said at one time that one of the greatest sins of which the Latter-day Saints would be guilty is the sin of ingratitude. I presume most of us have not thought of that as a great sin. There is a great tendency for us in our prayers and in our pleadings with the Lord to ask for additional blessings. But sometimes I feel we need to devote more of our prayers to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for blessings already received. We enjoy so much.”
| “Remembrance and Gratitude,” Ensign, November 1989, pp. 12-13
“The most meaningful and spiritual prayers I have experienced contained many expressions of thanks and few, if any, requests.”
| "Pray Always"
“An old Chinese proverb reads, ‘When you drink the water, don’t forget the well from whence it sprung.’ “
| "The True Path to Happiness"
“We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.”
| "An Attitude of Gratitude"