Every year I tell myself I’ll have a list of Thanksgiving quotes ready to go. And every year I’m standing in the kitchen with gravy on my sleeve, scrolling for something that doesn’t sound like a greeting card from 1997. So I finally made the list I always wish I had.

These are my favorite Thanksgiving quotes for Instagram captions, place cards, letter boards and that moment at the table when someone says “should we go around and say what we’re thankful for?” Some are funny, some are sweet and a few are the classics that still give me goosebumps. I wrote most of the short ones myself so you won’t see them on every other feed this year.

Overhead view of a Thanksgiving table with roast turkey, side dishes and candles

How I Use Thanksgiving Quotes

Before you scroll, here’s where these actually come in handy at my house:

  • Place cards. A short quote under each name makes the table feel thoughtful without a lot of extra work.
  • Letter board by the front door. It’s the first thing guests see and it sets the tone.
  • Instagram and Pinterest captions. Pick one and post it before the turkey gets cold.
  • Before the meal. I ask one of the kids to read a quote out loud instead of putting someone on the spot to give a speech.
  • Thank you notes. Tuck one into a card for the host or anyone who brought a dish.

Short Thanksgiving Quotes for Instagram Captions

Roast turkey on a platter surrounded by Thanksgiving sides
  • Gathered, grateful and a little bit stuffed.
  • Thankful for my people and my plate.
  • Pie first. Gratitude always.
  • This table is full and so is my heart.
  • Grateful is my favorite fall look.
  • Same people, same stuffing, same chaos. I wouldn’t change a thing.
  • Counting blessings, not calories.
  • Turkey, togetherness and zero dishes on my to do list. Kidding. So many dishes.
  • Thankful, blessed and fully in my stretchy pants era.
  • Home is where the gravy is.
  • A little gratitude goes a long way. So does a second slice of pie.
  • Grateful for the moments that never make the highlight reel.
  • Our table isn’t perfect but it’s full.
  • Hosting with love and a very long grocery list.
  • Good food, good people and a whole lot of thank you.

Funny Thanksgiving Quotes

Lattice top apple pie on a table with green apples

Because if you can’t laugh at the turkey that took six hours and disappeared in ten minutes, what are we even doing?

  • “Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.” Erma Bombeck
  • “Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often.” Johnny Carson
  • My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is the nap I take right after.
  • I’m thankful for leftovers. They’re the reason I don’t cook on Friday.
  • Calories don’t count on Thanksgiving. That’s not science. That’s tradition.
  • Dear turkey, it’s not you. It’s the pie.
  • Thanksgiving is really just a pie delivery system with a turkey on the side.
  • Eat, drink and be thankful you didn’t have to host this year.
  • I came for the pie. I stayed because I couldn’t move.
  • The best part of Thanksgiving is when everyone finally agrees on something. Usually that it’s time for dessert.
  • Gobble till you wobble.
  • House rule: if you didn’t cook, you’re on dish duty.

Thanksgiving Quotes About Family

Family gathered at a long outdoor Thanksgiving table under fall trees
  • The love around this table is the best thing we’ll serve all day.
  • Family is the reason the table needs an extra leaf.
  • We don’t need a perfect holiday. We just need each other at the table.
  • Grateful for the people who know exactly how I take my coffee and my pie.
  • Some of the best conversations happen while doing the dishes together.
  • “There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to.” O. Henry
  • “Over the river, and through the wood, to grandfather’s house we go.” Lydia Maria Child
  • Every chair at this table holds a story I’m thankful for.
  • Home isn’t a place today. It’s the people passing the rolls.
  • The kids will forget the menu but they’ll remember who was at the table.

Thanksgiving Quotes for Kids

These are short and simple enough for little ones to read out loud or write on a thankful tree leaf.

  • I am thankful for my family, my friends and my pie.
  • Gratitude is saying thank you with your whole heart.
  • Little hearts, big thanks.
  • Thank you for today. Thank you for my family. Thank you for my food.
  • Being kind is my favorite way to say thank you.
  • I’m thankful for the people who make me laugh.
  • Gobble, gobble, thank you!
  • Thankful for hugs, snacks and stories at bedtime.

Gratitude Quotes From Famous Voices

Woman lighting candles on a cozy Thanksgiving table
  • “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” Cicero
  • “I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” Henry David Thoreau
  • “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Charles Dickens
  • “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John F. Kennedy
  • “Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude.” Edward Sandford Martin
  • “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” Epictetus
  • “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Marcel Proust
  • “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Arthur Ward
  • “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.” Melody Beattie
  • “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” Meister Eckhart
  • “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” Aesop
  • “Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.” Seneca

Thanksgiving Bible Verses

If you want something a little longer to read before the meal, my Thanksgiving prayer post has 15 short blessings for the whole family.

  • “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” Psalm 107:1
  • “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
  • “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100:4
  • “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Colossians 3:15
  • “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
  • “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Philippians 4:6

Thanksgiving Quotes for Cards and Place Cards

Hosting this year? Write one of these under each name on your place cards. And if you need help with the menu, my stress-free Thanksgiving hosting guide has 32 easy recipes.

Thanksgiving place card on a candlelit table, a perfect spot for short Thanksgiving quotes
  • So glad you’re at our table.
  • Thankful for you, today and always.
  • Pull up a chair. You belong here.
  • Grateful our paths led to the same table.
  • Happy Thanksgiving to one of my favorite blessings.
  • Wishing you a full plate and an even fuller heart.
  • Thank you for making ordinary days feel like holidays.
  • Here’s to good food and the people who make it taste better.
  • May your turkey be juicy and your blessings be many.
  • You’re the reason this table feels like home.

Thanksgiving Letter Board Quotes

Short, punchy and easy to spell out before you run out of letters.

  • GIVE THANKS. EAT PIE.
  • GATHER HERE WITH GRATEFUL HEARTS
  • THANKFUL. GRATEFUL. STUFFED.
  • EAT. DRINK. BE THANKFUL.
  • GRAVY IS A BEVERAGE TODAY
  • PIE IS MY LOVE LANGUAGE
  • COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS THEN COUNT THE PIES
  • WE GATHER TOGETHER

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A few things that make it easy to put these quotes to work this year:

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Save this post to your Thanksgiving board on Pinterest so you have the perfect quote ready when the turkey comes out of the oven. And if you have a favorite Thanksgiving quote that didn’t make my list, I want to hear it. Happy Thanksgiving from my table to yours.