Since the beginning of this year, my reflections on painting have led me towards the importance of gratitude and the difference it has made to how I work and think.

Below, I’ve listed 10 inspiring quotes on gratitude, my favourite of which is by Marcus Tullius Cicero, who said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”

I’ve found this to be so true in my present moment. When I started to routinely write down the things I was grateful for, not only did I encounter more things to be thankful for, my heart also became more open to possibility and wonder. I was able to paint more freely and quiet the voice of judgment that often comes right in the middle of creating. I realize that when I’m filled with thankfulness, somehow I am also more ready to take chances and try new things.

May these words of wisdom encourage thankfulness in your life and lead you towards new possibilities every day.

1. “Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.” Rumi

2. “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” J.K. Chesterton

3. “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” Voltaire

4. “For my part, I am almost contented just now, and very thankful. Gratitude is a divine emotion: it fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever.” Charlotte Brontë

5. “Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melanie Beattie

6. “In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

7. “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” Brené Brown

8. “It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.” Germany Kent

9. “Gratitude goes beyond the 'mine' and 'thine' and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift.” Henri Nouwen

10. “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” Marcus Tullius Cicero