Appreciation Quotes: 101 of the Best Ways to Say Thanks

Saying "thank you" is a uniquely human behavior. No other species expresses gratitude for favors done by others, at least not with words. That's a lot of pressure! If you're someone whose heart is full of thanks but whose brain isn't sure how best to express it, the following list of appreciation quotes should help. 

 We've compiled a master list of some of the most poignant sayings to help you express appreciation to those people in your life that deserve it. Some are quotes from famous individuals through history, while others are more general phrases that perfectly capture gratitude from every angle. Whether your thanking a close friend or thanking your boss, we have you covered. Let's get started!

Wonderfully Poignant Appreciation Quotes for Everyone

We're kicking things off with some appreciation quotes that let recipients know just what a wonderful thing it is to have people in our lives that care about us. 

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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 

 "I will forever remain humble because I know I could have less. I will always be grateful because I know I’ve had less." — Unknown 

"Reflect upon your present blessings—of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." — Charles Dickens 

 "Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." — Voltaire 

 "Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." — William Arthur Ward 

 “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” — Willie Nelson 

 “If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” — Gerald Good 

 “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” — Thornton Wilder 

 “Silent gratitude isn't very much to anyone.” — Gertrude Stein 

 "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 

 "Once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack." — Germany Kent 

 “Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” — Gilbert K. Chesterton 

 “I can no other answer make, but, thanks, And thanks, and ever thanks.” — William Shakespeare 

 “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” — John F. Kennedy

"I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate." — Elbert

Spiritual Appreciation Quotes

If you or your recipient counts religion as an important part of your life, then you might consider choosing something with a spiritual angle. 

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 “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” — Meister Eckhart 

 "The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings." — Henry Ward Beecher 

 “Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” — John Milton 

 "Gratitude is the sign of noble souls." — Aesop 

 “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.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

 “Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts.” — Alan Cohen 

 “In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” — Albert Schweitzer 

 "Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” — Karl Barth 

 “Find time to thank God for all the blessings you receive on a day to day basis.” — Steven Johnson 

 “Whatever we are waiting for— peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance—it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach 

 “When I pray, I always thank Mother Nature for all the beauty in the world. It's about having an attitude of gratitude.” — Miranda Kerr 

 “Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” — Maya Angelou 

 “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” — Eckhart Tolle 

 “Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.” — Northrup Christiane 

 “Thank you for being you and for touching my life in ways you never know. My riches do not lie in material wealth but in having friends like you.” — Anonymous 

 "We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.” — Harry A. Ironside 

 "If your life turned out better than you expected, give praise and thanks to all the people that helped bring you there." — Unknown 

 "The highest appreciation you can pay someone is an honest 'thank you' spoken without expectation of return. This is the highest form of gratitude." — Anonymous 

 "What I started counting my blessings I discovered that I had far more to be thankful for than I ever could have imagined. Now I see blessings my whole life can appreciate." — Unknown

Appreciation Quotes With a Dose of Comedy

Sometimes the best way to show how much you appreciate someone is to give their funny bone a smack. Here's are a handful of humorous thankfulness sayings, because often the funny thing is the heartwarming thing. 

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 “I feel a very unusual sensation. If it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude.” — Benjamin Disraeli 

 “Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel.” — Unknown 

 “Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.” — A.A. Milne   

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” — William Arthur Ward 

 “I think we're having roast beef tonight, so I am grateful for that.” — Doug Larson 

 "A wise man once said, 'be thankful in all things'. We thank him for his contribution." — Anonymous 

 "When someone does you a favor, bring to them a thankful heart, a big smile, and a wide-open wallet." — Anonymous 

 "Appreciation is a wonderful thing. Cash is even more wonderous." — Unknown

Appreciation Quotes for Close Family Members

Family relationships are often the most fulfilling, and simultaneously the most stressful in our lives. These close personal bonds deserve their own category of quotes. 

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 “Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.” — Marion C. Garretty 

 “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.” — Abraham Lincoln 

 “I look back on my childhood and thank the stars above. For everything you gave me, but mostly for your love.” — Wayne F. Winters 

 "In your whole life, there's no one else like family. Be grateful for all they do for you and the chances you have to do things for them." — Unknown 

 "Don't utter words in anger when family is concerned. Simply be grateful that you have a family to be angry with in the first place." — Unknown 

 "When we're conscious of our treasures we're alive in those moments. Our families sit at the top of the heap." — Unknown 

 "Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there anymore." — Toni Morrison 

 "You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." — Desmond Tutu 

 "My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me." — Jim Valvano 

 "My mother used to tell me that paradise is not a place, it's a state of mind." — Frank Sinatra 

 "To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow." — Maya Angelou 

 "The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." — Honore de Balzac 

 "A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." — Tenneva Jordan 

 "My mom is my best friend, my shoulder to cry on and the biggest blessing in my life." — Unknown 

 "The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." — Theodore Hesburgh 

 "My father used to say that it's never too late to do anything you wanted to do. And he said, 'You never know what you can accomplish until you try.'" — Michael Jordan 

 "There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying." — Francis Bacon 

 "I can imagine no heroism greater than motherhood." — Lance Conrad

"The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation." — James E. Faust 

 "A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world." — Agatha Christie 

 "My mother is my root, my foundation. She planted the seed that I base my life on, and that is the belief that the ability to achieve starts in your mind." — Michael Jordan

Appreciation Quotes for Friends

Friends are the family we choose. Here's to celebrating them with some words of wisdom about friendship and being thankful for their place in our lives. 

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 “If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.” — Winnie the Pooh 

 "A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you." — Elbert Hubbard 

 "Friends are the siblings God forgot to give us." — Mencius 

 "My friends are the weirdest, most maniacal people I know but I'm thankful for them every day." — Unknown 

 "I don't need a therapist. I just need my friends. I appreciate them more than anything." — Anonymous 

 "True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island... to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing." — Baltasar Gracian 

 "I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light." — Helen Keller 

 "A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world." — Leo Buscaglia 

 "The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it." — Hubert H. Humphrey

Appreciation Quotes for Co-Workers

Working together can sometimes be trying, but at the end of the day we all need to pay the bills. These quotes are perfect for showing some office appreciation. 

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 "The key to a successful working relationship is appreciation. You show appreciation for co-workers' input, time, and effort." — Deborah Mills-Scofield 

 "I have learned that simply saying 'thank you for your work on this' can go a long way in building relationships and morale in the workplace." — David D. Burns 

 "I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home…. I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby." — Nancie J. Carmody 

 "I'm thankful for my struggle because without it I wouldn't have stumbled across my strength." — Unknown 

 "I'm thankful for my challenges because they've opened my eyes to my blessings." — Anonymous 

 "I am thankful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual." — Henry David Thoreau 

 "Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." — Melody Beattie 

 "Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They're absolutely free and worth a fortune." — Sam Walton 

 "I'm thankful for every moment." — Al Green 

 "Let us be grateful for those that help us in our daily work. These others belong to us as we do to them. We break bread and we toil and then we congratulate each other, as we should." — Unknown

Creative Ideas that Don't Fit Other Categories

Some appreciation quotes resist being categorized. Here's a final grab bag of quotes we very much appreciate. ------- 

 “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” — Walter Winchell 

 “The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.” — William James 

 "The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness." — Dalai Lama

 "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." — Henry Adams   

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." — Melody Beattie  

 "For all you do, for who you are, I will be forever grateful you are in my life." — Unknown 

 “Flattery is from the teeth out. Sincere appreciation is from the heart out.” — Dale Carnegie 

 "Forget yesterday—it has already forgotten you. Don't sweat tomorrow—you haven't even met. Instead, open your eyes and your heart to a truly precious gift—today." — Steve Maraboli 

 "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all the other virtues." — Marcus Tullius Cicero 

 "Being thankful not only shows good manners, but a simple expression of thankfulness can go a long way in relationships and communication with others. It not only enhances our own lives but makes other people feel appreciated." — Daniella Whyte 

 "When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself." — Tecumseh 

 "I think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession." — John Wooden 

 "Saying thank you, or offering other words of appreciation, along with sincere compliments and other grateful or kind words are the best way to fortify relationships." — Chris Johnston 

 “When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” — Vietnamese Proverb 

 “For my part, I am almost contented just now, and very thankful. Gratitude is a divine emotion: it fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever.” — Charlotte Brontë 

 “Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.” — Rumi Getty 

 “I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you my heart has no bottom.” — Unknown 

 "For one minute, walk outside, stand there, in silence. Look up at the sky and contemplate how amazing life is. Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life." — Northrup Christiane 

 “If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your heart, transform your dreams and reorder your priorities. It's just like magic.” — Ann Voskamp

Tips for Making Your Thank You Messages Really Pop

If you want your thank you messages to really stand out and make an impact, here are some things to keep in mind: 

 Handwrite your message. This point can't be stressed enough. A handwritten thank you note has a much stronger emotional appeal than an email or a text message. Digital communications like these are a dime a dozen. They take almost no effort to produce and make about that much impact on your recipients. Handwritten notes, by contrast, are crafted by hand, pen to paper, word by word. There's love that goes into a handwritten thank you note that can't be replicated any other way. 

 Be specific. Saying "thank you for your help" is fine, but if you can mention a specific instance where the person's help made a difference, it will be even more meaningful. A generic "thank you" is the bare minimum you can do, and that's what it feels like. Mention specifically what you're thankful for and the impact it made on you and your recipients will feel as if you're speaking directly to them. 

 Keep it short and sweet. There's no need to go on and on - a few well-chosen words will do. Don't obscure your message by going off on tangents. Keep your thank you focused and brief. 

 Be sincere. Thanking someone just because you feel like you should is not going to have the same effect as truly being grateful for what they did. Your recipients will know if you're just blowing smoke. Be honest and genuine or you'll rob your thank you of its power. 

 Express your gratitude in different ways. Sometimes a simple "thank you" is enough, but you can also show your appreciation with a hug, a handwritten note, or even just a smile. 

 Say it often. Don't wait for a special occasion to tell someone how much you appreciate them - let them know as often as possible! Even if you have nothing to thank them for, just thank them for being in your life! 

 Automate your gratitude. Just because you should handwrite your thank you messages doesn't mean you have to write them by hand. Simply Noted's fleet of advanced handwriting machines produces stunning handwritten cards and letters using real ballpoint pens. Our proprietary "Infinity" handwriting fonts recreate the subtle details that, when absent, ruin the illusion of real handwriting. With Simply Noted, you can get thank you notes in any volume quickly and reliably, with a convincing final product that will blow your recipients away. 

 If you represent a business that sends a lot of handwritten mail, let us automate your load. We offer several convenient integrations so that you can include in your marketing mix handwritten thank you notes, welcome letters, birthday and holiday cards, and more. There's no better way to send handwritten mail than sending it with Simply Noted.