Hillsdale College

Gratitude

Give honor and thanks to those who show you kindness and grace.

StoriesLives of Virtue

Gratitude is the moral virtue that inclines one to acknowledge and repay the gifts and benefits that one has received from others. Acknowledgement begins in thought and remembrance and is expressed in words of thanks and praise. Repayment may consist in giving honor and gifts or in acts of service and assistance.

Gratitude is an attitude of the heart in which we show (through word or action) thankfulness and appreciation for those who have treated us kindly or for what we have been given.

Related Virtues

Justice

Featured Stories

The Little Hero of HollandFrom The Children’s Book of VirtuesWilliam J. Bennett
Grade 1-2

Story

Farmer BoyLaura Ingalls Wilder
Grade 3-5

Story

Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery
Grade 4-6

Story

Sarah Gives ThanksMike Allegra
Grade 2-3

Story

Featured Biographies

Giving Thanks: How Thanksgiving Became a National HolidayGiving Thanks: How Thanksgiving Became a National Holiday
Grade K-3

Biography

Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved ThanksgivingLaurie Halse Anderson
Grade K-3

Biography

More Than Petticoats: Remarkable New Hampshire WomenGail Underwood Parker
Grade 4-6

Biography

Lives of Virtue

Sarah Josepha Buell HaleSarah Josepha Hale exemplified gratitude and perseverance by tirelessly advocating for Thanksgiving as a national holiday and advancing women's education through her influential editorship of "Godey's Lady's Book," despite personal and financial hardships.