As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge.
Henry Van DykeRead
Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.
Interpretation
Gratitude involves recognizing kindness received, while thankfulness is the act of expressing that recognition.
This quote by Henry Van Dyke emphasizes the interconnectedness of gratitude, thankfulness, and Thanksgiving. It highlights how gratitude is a deep, internal recognition of kindness, thankfulness is the external expression of that feeling, and Thanksgiving represents the active practice of showing appreciation. The progression from feeling to expression to action suggests that acknowledging and celebrating kindness enriches our lives and relationships.
In practice
Using this quote in a speech about the importance of gratitude during Thanksgiving dinner.
As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge.
It is with rivers as it is with people: the greatest are not always the most agreeable nor the best to live with.
Let me but find it in my heart to say, When vagrant wishes beckon me astray, "This is my work; my blessing, not my doom; Of all who live, I am the one by whom This work can best be done in the right way."
And you will remember that love is not getting, but giving; not a wild dream of pleasure, and a madness of desire β oh no, love is not that β it is goodness, and honour, and peace, and pure living β yes, love is that; and it is the best thing in the world, and the thing that lives longest.
Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air; And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair; And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome; But when it comes to living, there is no place like home.
No amount of energy will take the place of thought. A strenuous life with its eyes shut is a kind of wild insanity.
Make peace with your body, it's not manmade, there are no flaws, there are no mistakes.
The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.
We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life. All that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.
The happiness of most people is not ruined by great catastrophes or fatal errors, but by the repetition of slowly destructive little things.
I heard a definition once: Happiness is health and a short memory! I wish I'd invented it, because it is very true.
The little cares that fretted me, I lost them yesterday Among the fields above the sea, Among the winds at play.
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