Quotes and thoughts taken from President Monson's talk on Gratitude, Oct. 2010:
Said the Greek philosopher Epictetus,
“He is a wise man who does not
grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he
has.”
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. Someone has said
that “gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of
all others.”
“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.” He continued: “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!”
The English author Aldous Huxley wrote, “Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.”
My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable,
to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude
ever in our hearts is to touch heaven.
My sincere, heartfelt prayer is that we may in our individual lives
reflect that marvelous virtue of gratitude. May it permeate our very
souls, now and evermore."
An attitude of gratitude as President Monson taught shapes how we view the world, and how others view us. Through a lens of gratitude we can see and feel heaven around us even in the midst of trials.
