感恩節是西方多國重要的節日，雖然在東方很多地方彷彿就是西餐節，但其實這節日提醒人們感恩，意義重大。感恩是什麼？為何要感恩？不懂感恩的後果？不幸的人如何感恩？

“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.” — Henry Van Dyke

謝意是受到恩惠後的內心感覺，感恩是渴望表達這感覺的自然反應，感恩節就是為這反應要生的。

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” — Henri Frederic Amiel

感恩始於感謝之心，謝意正好完成了感恩。感恩也許只是一堆言語文字，感謝卻要以行動去表逹。

It isn’t what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.

令你感恩的，不是你口袋裡的，而是在你心中的。

“To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.” — Albert Schweitzer

學習感恩即是要明白沒有東西是理所當然的，經常尋求和重視行動的背後。沒有東西是奉旨的，一切都源於為你好。必須訓練自己不要延遲表達謝意。

“To live a life of gratitude is to open our eyes to the countless ways in which we are supported by the world around us. Such a life provides less space for our suffering because our attention is more balanced. We are more often occupied with noticing what we are given, thanking those who have helped us, and repaying the world in some concrete way for what we are receiving.” — Gregg Krech

感恩之心有無數的方法打開我們的眼睛，讓我們看清周圍的世界是多麼支持我們的。感恩的生活容不下痛楚，因為我們的注意力會集中在我們所擁有的，感謝身邊幫忙過我們的人，並以實際行動回饋。

“What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it – would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have.” — Ralph Marston

假設你給別人一份禮物，如果他們忘了感謝你，你還會給予他們其他禮物嗎？人生亦是同一道理。為了得到更多的福樂，你必須對自己所擁有的感恩。

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” — Oprah Winfrey

如你對自己所擁有的感恩，你將會得到更多。但如果你專注於自己所沒有的東西，那你永遠都不會滿足。

“If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.” — Frank A. Clark

如果一個傢伙不為所擁有的感恩，他不可能會為自己將來所擁有的感恩。

“You won’t be happy with more until you’re happy with what you’ve got.” — Viki King

若你對現在擁有的不感到高興，你將不會因為得到更多而感到快樂。

“I thank God for my handicaps, for, through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God.” — Helen Keller

我感激上帝賜我殘缺。透過傷殘，我找到自己、我的工作、我的主宰。(註：Helen Keller 海倫凱勒自小因病成為又盲又聾，因為聽不到，所以兒時是個啞巴。但她殘而不廢，克苦學習，貢獻良多，成為一代偉人。)

Difficulties are opportunities to better things; they are stepping stones to greater experience. Perhaps someday you will be thankful for some temporary failure in a particular direction. When one door closes, another always opens.

困難是好景的機遇，是重任的墊腳石。也許有一天你會感謝一些暫時性的錯敗，當一扇門關閉時，一定會有另一扇門打開。

“One of life’s gifts is that each of us, no matter how tired and downtrodden, finds reasons for thankfulness.” — J. Robert Moskin

生命賦予我們每個人能力，無論多麼疲倦或被踐踏過，我們都可以找到感恩的理由。

“Blessed are those who give without remembering. And blessed are those who take without forgetting.” — Bernard Meltzer

幸福的是那些施予而又不記著的人；有福的是那些受恩而又不忘記的人。

“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues.” — Cicero

感恩不單是美德，更是美德之母。

“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

培養感恩之心，答謝身邊所有。這樣的話，每一步都會是邁向更佳未來的一步。

“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” — Rabbi Harold Kushner

如果在每一件事情上你能夠集中注意力尋找好的，那麼你會突然發現你的生活充滿欣慰感激——一種培養心靈的感覺。

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” — Willie Nelson

當我開始計算我所擁有的福樂，我的整個生命立即給扭轉過來。

“You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach

若你從今起每天自覺地對生活的種種感恩，兩個月後，你將會是一個不同的人。你會啟動了一個古老的精神定律：你感謝得愈多，你將得到更加多。