In short: the Buddha counted gratitude as a mark of a good person: "The true person is grateful and thankful, for the virtuous only know how to be grateful and thankful" (AN 2.32). He called grateful people rare, and listed gratitude among the highest blessings (Snp 2.4). Here are five genuine quotes, each with its source.
1. AN 2.32
"The true person is grateful and thankful, for the virtuous only know how to be grateful and thankful. It is totally the level of a true person to be grateful and thankful."
2. AN 2.119
"These two individuals are rare in the world. What two? One who takes the initiative, and one who is grateful and thankful."
3. Snp 2.4
"Respect and placidity, contentment and gratitude, and timely listening to the teaching: this is the highest blessing."
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4. AN 2.33
"Parents are very helpful to their children: they raise them, nurture them, and show them the world."
The first people to be grateful to.
5. Dhammapada 204
"Health is the ultimate blessing; contentment, the ultimate wealth; trust is the ultimate family; extinguishment, the ultimate happiness."
Gratitude and contentment grow together.
A daily practice: 5-minute gratitude meditation.
All quotes are from the early Buddhist texts in Bhikkhu Sujato's translation on SuttaCentral, copied exactly. Last checked: 17 October 2026.
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Questions people ask
What did the Buddha say about gratitude?
'The true person is grateful and thankful, for the virtuous only know how to be grateful and thankful' (AN 2.32).