Gratitude¹ is born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies.

Charles E. Jefferson (1860 - 1937)

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues², but the parent of all others.

Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC), 'Pro³ Plancio,' 54 B.C.

Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613 - 1680)

Gratitude is the most exquisite⁴ form of courtesy.

Jacques Maritain (1882 - 1973), Reflections on America, 1958

There but for the grace of God go [I].

John Bradford, Encyclopedia⁵ of Word and Phrase Origins

I was thinking about the universe wanting to be noticed, and how I had to notice it as best I could. I felt that I owed a debt to the universe that only my attention could repay, and also that I owed a debt to everybody who didn’t get to be a person anymore and everyone who hadn’t gotten to be a person yet.

John Green, The Fault in Our Stars, 2012

Gratitude can sometimes be as annoying as whininess.

Josh Lieb, I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President, 2009

It's a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation.

Roberto Benigni (1952 - ), in Newsweek