Thanksgiving Quotes - 80 Thankful & Inspirational Thanksgiving Messages

Sharing Thanksgiving quotes is a great way to spread holiday cheer! Check out these 88 thankful, inspiring and funny Thanksgiving messages.

In reading through these quotes take a moment to reflect on everything you’re grateful for. There’s so many occasions this fall to embrace gratitude, and Thankgiving gives us the perfect reminder to do so!

It’s fitting that this holiday of giving thanks falls in November, because November is National Gratitude Month! Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday where we can all gather together, and share our gratitude with the world.

If you’re interested in learning more about Thanksgiving, check out our post on the six main symbols of Thanksgiving. And keep reading for our list of quotes about Thanksgiving!

These 88 Thanksgiving quotes and images cover so many holiday sentiments. Some are funny, some inspirational, some grateful – but they’re all worth reading! Happy Thanksgiving and we hope you enjoy these messages.

The quotes below are great to share with friends and family this Thanksgiving. If you’re looking for something else to do this holiday season, make sure to check out our free Thanksgiving word search and word scramble.

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Thanksgiving Day quotes and images

Are you looking for some quotes to celebrate Thanksgiving day? Look no further, we’ve got you covered!

“Forever on Thanksgiving day, the heart will find the pathway home.”

– Wilbur D. Nesbit

“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

“Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year because it reminds us to give thanks and to count our blessings. Suddenly, so many things become so little when we realize how blessed and lucky we are.”

– Joyce Giraud

“Thanksgiving is a joyous invitation to shower the world with love and gratitude.”

– Amy Lee Mercree

If you liked these Thanksgiving day quotes and images, don’t forget to share them with your friends on twitter. I’ve composed a tweet to get you started:

Check out our favorite Thanksgiving day quotes on Always the Holidays. They are inspirational, funny, and filled with gratitude! 🍁 ❤️ 🥐 #ThanksgivingQuotes Share on X

More Thanksgiving Day quotes

Looking for more messages for the holiday? Here are some additional Thanksgiving day quotes for you to enjoy.

“Thanksgiving just gets me all warm and tingly and all kinds of wonderful inside.” – Willard Scott
“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
“Thanksgiving reminds us that no matter what befalls us in life, we can take the charred remnants and we can reconstruct a life unimaginably richer than that from which the shards and pieces fell.” – Craig D. Lounsbrough
“Give thanks not just on Thanksgiving Day, but every day of your life. Appreciate and never take for granted all that you have.” – Catherine Pulsifer
“Thanksgiving Day is a good day to recommit our energies to giving thanks and just giving.” – Amy Grant
“He who thanks but with the lips thanks but in part; the full, the true Thanksgiving comes from the heart.” – J.A. Shedd

Thanksgivioking for a way to jng thankful quotes

Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to be thankful for everything around you! These Thanksgiving thankful quotes serve as a great remind for what the holiday is all about.

“Although Thanksgiving comes but once a year, every day should be a day of Thanks.”

– Monique Hammond

“Thankfulness is the quickest path to joy.”

– Jefferson Bethke

“It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy.”

– Unknown

“Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return.”

– Ralph Marston

“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.”

– Maya Angelou

“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

If you like these thankful quotes for Thanksgiving, make sure to share them with your friends on twitter. Here’s a tweet for you:

Celebrate being thankful, this Thanksgiving, with quotes! Head over to Always the Holidays for a list of #ThanksgivingQuotes 😍 🍁 🥐 Share on X

More thankful quotes for Thanksgiving

Looking for more thankful words? Check out this list of additional grateful Thanksgiving quotes. They really capture the meaning of the holiday.

“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” – James Allen
“I started out giving thanks for small things, and the more thankful I became, the more my bounty increased.” – Oprah Winfrey
“Thanksgiving is the holiday that encompasses all others. All of them, from Martin Luther King Day to Arbor Day to Christmas to Valentine’s Day, are in one way or another about being thankful.” – Jonathan Safran Foer
“Let me encourage you to get up every day and focus on what you do have in life. Be thankful for the blessings of the little things, even when you don’t get what you expect.” – Victoria Osteen
“If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.” – W. Clement Stone
“The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.” – William Blake
“If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” – Gerald Good
“If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.” – Frank A. Clark
“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

Do you express your gratitude with baked goods? If you do, check out this recipe for colorful autumn leaf cookies. Anyone who receives this treat would appreciate them!

Funny Thanksgiving quotes and images

Everyone loves a good laugh! Here’s some funny Thanksgiving quotes for you to read, enjoy and share!

“I come from a family where gravy is considered a beverage.”

– Erma Bombeck

“Real ballplayers pass the stuffing by rolling it up in a ball and batting it across the table with a turkey leg.”

– Tom Swyers

“It’s not too much food. This is what we’ve been training for our whole lives. This is our destiny, this is our finest hour.”

– Lorelai Gilmore

“Coexistence: what the farmer does with the turkey — until Thanksgiving.”

– Mike Connolly

“Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.”

– Robert Caspar Lintner

If one of these Thanksgiving quotes and images made you smile, don’t forget to pass them along to your friends on twitter. Why not tweet this one?

Looking for a laugh this Thanksgiving? Check out one of these funny Thanksgiving quotes on Always the Holidays. 🤪 🍷 😂 #FunnyThanksgivingQuotes Share on X

More funny Thanksgiving sayings

Want a little more Thanksgiving humor? Check out these additional funny Thanksgiving sayings. They’re a good laugh!

“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
“Thanksgiving, man! Not a good day to be my pants.” – Kevin James, The King of Queens
“That’s one of the great things about Thanksgiving: Football’s on!” – Michael Strahan
“An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.” – Irv Kupcinet
“Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.” – Erma Bombeck

If you love to smile, check out these 20 DIY fall decor ideas – they’re sure to make you happy this Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving quotes inspirational

Looking for a way to inspire your friends and family during thanksgiving? Here is a list of inspirational Thanksgiving quotes specifically for that purpose!

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

– Albert Einstein

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”

– Anne Frank

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”

– Charles Dickens

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

– Fredrick Keonig

“Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.”

– W.J. Cameron

Don’t forget to share these inspirational Thanksgiving quotes and images with your friends on twitter. Here’s a tweet to get you started:

Thanksgiving is a holiday filled with good food and gratitude. Check out some of our favorite inspirational Thanksgiving quotes on Always the Holidays! 🍂 🦃 🥐 #InspirationalThanksgivingQuotes Share on X

More inspirational Thanksgiving quotes

These quotes will inspire gratitude and thankfulness all day long. We hope you enjoy these Thanksgiving messages!

“Give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” – Brian Tracy
“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving.” – W.T. Purkister
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” – Omar Khayyam
“Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.” – Benjamin Carson
“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Appreciation can change a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” – Margaret Cousins
“What if, today, we were grateful for everything?” – Charlie Brown
“We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count.” – Neal A. Maxwell
“Thanksgiving isn’t just a day. It’s a way we can live our lives every day.” – Katrina Mayer

If you want more Thanksgiving inspiration, check out these turkey cookie place card holders. They’re a fun addition to any thanksgiving tablescape. You can even write one of the inspirational thanksgiving sayings, listed above, on them!

Thanksgiving quotes for friends

Some people spend Thanksgiving with family, and others spend it with friends. These Thanksgiving quotes for friends are the perfect representation of Friendsgiving!

“Drink and be thankful to the host! What seems insignificant when you have it, is important when you need it.”

– Franz Grillparzer

“I’m so thankful for friendship. It beautifies life so much.”

– L.M. Montgomery

“What I love about Thanksgiving is that it’s purely about getting together with friends or family and enjoying food. It’s really for everybody, and it doesn’t matter where you’re from.”

– Daniel Humm

“Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness and gratitude.”

– Nigel Hamilton

Looking for a great recipe to take to your Friendsgiving gathering? Check out some of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes!

Or if you’re short on time and don’t feel like cooking, this turkey veggie tray is a quick and easy plate to bring to a friend’s Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving quotes for family

Thanksgiving and family go together like turkey and mashed potatoes! Here’s some quotes that sum up all the sides of Thanksgiving dinner with family.

“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

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the eons, it’s that you can’t give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it.”

– Rick Riordan

“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.”

– Oscar Wilde

“It’s like being at the kids’ table at Thanksgiving – you can put your elbows on it, you don’t have to talk politics… no matter how old I get, there’s always a part of me that’s sitting there.”

– John Hughes

Don’t forget to share these Thanksgiving images and quotes with your family and friends on twitter! Here’s a tweet you might want to share:

Looking for some Thanksgiving inspo? Head over to Always the Holidays for some of our favorite Thanksgiving quotes! 🥧 🦃 🍁 #ThanksgivingSayings Share on X

More Thanksgiving messages about family

No matter what Thanksgiving looks like with your family, there’s a quote to describe it. Here are some more Thanksgiving quotes for family.

“My parents are the coolest of the cool on every single level, and it’s because they have a deep appreciation for every moment of their lives.” – Rashida Jones
“Love doesn’t make the world go ’round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” – Franklin P. Jones
“Thanksgiving is a time to count your blessings, one by one, as each relative goes home.” – Melanie White
“Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often.” – Johnny Carson

Looking for something fun to do with your family on Thanksgiving? Try making one of these Thanksgiving cookie trains – it is a fun project for adults and kids too!

Thanksgiving food quotes

Food is a central part of the Thanksgiving celebration, so it’s only fitting that we share some fun Thanksgiving messages about food!

“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.”

– Norah Ephron

“A great meal is an experience that nourishes more than your body.”

– Ruth Reichl

“When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup.”

– Sam Lefkowitz

“Thanksgiving is the meal we aspire for other meals to resemble.”

– Jonathan Safran Foer

Don’t forget to share these Thanksgiving images and quotes with your friends and family on social media! Here’s another tweet for you:

Nothing says Thanksgiving more than good food and gratitude. Check out some of our favorite Thanksgiving food quotes on Always the Holidays! 🥧 🍷 🥔 #ThanksgivingQuotes Share on X

More Thanksgiving sayings about food

Still looking for more Thanksgiving food quotes? You’re in luck, here’s some more quotes about Thanksgiving food!

“Cooking Tip: Wrap turkey leftovers in aluminum foil and throw them out.” – Nicole Hollander
“If you think about a Thanksgiving dinner, it’s really like making a large chicken.” – Ina Garten
“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” – Jim Davis
“Good mashed potato is one of the great luxuries of life.” – Lindsey Bareham
“Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.” – William Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors

Need a savory dish for your Thanksgiving spread? Look no further than these pilgrim hat appetizers or this edible baked cornucopia.

Do you prefer sweet treats to savory dishes? Then we’ve got you covered with this Indian Corn Cake or these turkey candy corn turkey cupcakes for a great Thanksgiving dessert.

Religious Thanksgiving quotes

Looking for a spiritual Thanksgiving quote to share with your friends? Here are some beautiful faith-based Thanksgiving messages.

“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

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

– Meister Eckhart

“‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.”

– Alice Walker

“Gratitude is a divine emotion: It fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever.”

– Charlotte Brontë

Don’t forget to share these spiritual Thanksgiving quotes with your friends and family. Here is one of my favorite tweets:

Looking for a quote to express the real meaning of Thanksgiving? Head over to Always the Holidays for some beautiful #ThanksgivingQuotes 🍁 🍂 Share on X

More spiritual Thanksgiving quotes

Looking for more spiritual and religious thanksgiving quotes? You’re in luck, here are some more for you to read and enjoy.

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
“O Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.” – William Shakespeare, Henry VI
“Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life… a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year — and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God.” – Ray Stannard Baker
“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

Looking for a thanksgiving snack with symbolism? Check out this Thanksgiving harvest blessing snack mix. Each item in the snack mix has its own special meaning!

Thanksgiving Gratitude quotes

Showing gratitude is a beautiful part of the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving reminds us that no matter what is going on around us, we can find something to be grateful for!

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

– William Arthur Ward

“Silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone.”

– Gertrude Stein

“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.”

– Randy Pausch

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”

– William Arthur Ward

Share these Thanksgiving gratitude quotes with your friends on social media with this tweet:

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to remember all we have to be grateful for. Embrace this with our list of Thanksgiving gratitude quotes over on Always the Holidays. 😍 🍁 ❤️ Share on X

Additional Thanksgiving grateful quotes

What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments section! We, at Always the Holidays, are so grateful for you!

“Living in a state of gratitude is the gateway to grace.” – Ariana Huffington
“Be consistent in your dedication to showing your gratitude to others. Gratitude is a fuel, a medicine, and spiritual and emotional nourishment.” – Steve Maraboli
“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton
“An attitude of gratitude brings great things.” – Yogi Bahjan
“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 (he said this during his 1963 Thanksgiving day proclamation).
“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling.” – Henry Van Dyke

If you’re looking for a cute dessert recipe to add to your dinner table, check out this thanksgiving themed teepee dirt cup recipe.

More holiday quotes

If you love holiday quotes, don’t forget to check out the other quotes pages we have that are dedicated to the holidays:

A note on sharing these Thanksgiving messages

Quote graphics like these take me a long time create. It can be difficult to find photos free of copyright that we can turn into Thanksgiving graphics with sayings.

We have made these for you to share and enjoy, (and thank you so much for that for that) but if you do, please link back to our blog.

Linking back to our blog allows others to find the site, and also gives them an opportunity to read more great quotes for Thanksgiving!

These quotes are for personal use only and may not be used for resale or commercial use.

Pin these Thanksgiving quotes and sayings for later

Would you like a reminder of these Thanksgiving quotes? Just pin this image to one of your favorite quotes boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find them later.

You can also watch our Thanksgiving quotes video on YouTube.

About the author

Since graduating from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Jess has been living and working in Los Angeles, CA. She is a freelance writer, specializing in content related to fashion, food and drink and film industry topics. Find out more about Jess here.