As an entrepreneur, I know firsthand that it's not always easy to be thankful for what you have. After all, I have to make payroll, meet with prospects, fulfill my speaking obligations, and try to make time for my wife, daughter, and five pets. I run the risk of getting too wrapped up in what I don't yet have that I might not focus on what I do have.

With that in mind, I try to step back and look at my favorite quotes about gratitude to inspire me:

  1. "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." -William Arthur Ward
  2. "No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude." -Alfred North Whitehead
  3. "Silent gratitude isn't very much use to anyone." -Gertrude Stein
  4. "If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough." -Meister Eckhart
  5. "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." -Melody Beattie
  6. "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
  7. "Develop an attitude of gratitude, and 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
  8. "Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy." -Jacques Maritain
  9. "At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." -Albert Schweitzer
  10. "When a person doesn't have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity." -Elie Wiesel
  11. "Gratitude is a duty which ought to be paid, but which none have a right to expect." -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  12. "Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you'll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you'll find that you have more of it." -Ralph Marston
  13. "Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." -Voltaire
  14. "It's a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation." -Roberto Benigni
  15. "'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
  16. "Be grateful for what you have and stop complaining--it bores everybody else, does you no good, and doesn't solve any problems." -Zig Ziglar
  17. "Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty." -Doris Day

How about you? What's your favorite quote about gratitude?