--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're a nation hungry for more joy…" description: "\"We're a nation hungry for more joy: Because we're starving from a lack of gratitude.\" — Brené Brown" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/bren-brown-280_gratitude_we-re-a-nation-hungry-for-more-joy-becau_1457687.jpg" --- # We're a nation hungry for more joy: Because we're starving… ![“We're a nation hungry for more joy: Because we're starving from a lack of gratitude.” quote by Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/bren-brown-280_gratitude_we-re-a-nation-hungry-for-more-joy-becau_1457687.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/bren-brown-280_gratitude_we-re-a-nation-hungry-for-more-joy-becau_1457687.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/bren-brown-280_gratitude_we-re-a-nation-hungry-for-more-joy-becau_1457687.jpg) > “We're a nation hungry for more joy: Because we're starving from a lack of gratitude.” [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Joy is scarce because we lack gratitude; gratitude fuels joy. **In simple terms:** Gratitude creates joy. Key Takeaway Practice daily gratitude. Themes gratitude joy mindset Mood hopeful encouraging Type self‑help psychological When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace culture - mental health Key Concepts positive psychology well‑being Questions to Reflect On - What are you grateful for today? - How can you express gratitude regularly? A Different Perspective Gratitude alone may not solve deeper issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) ## Related quotes > [“Many people who order their lives rightly in all other ways are kept in poverty by their lack of gratitude.” Wallace Wattles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/many-people-who-order-their-lives-rightly-in-all-other-ways-are-kept-2/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [Familiarity leads to lack of Gratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhanath-swami/familiarity-leads-to-lack-of-gratitude/) [Radhanath Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhanath-swami/) > [If we are proud of our talents we betray our lack of gratitude to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/if-we-are-proud-of-our-talents-we-betray-our-lack-of-gratitude-to-god/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Many people who order their lives rightly in all other ways are kept in poverty by their lack of gratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-people-who-order-their-lives-rightly-in-all-other-ways-are-kept/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude leads to happiness. Conversely, lack of gratitude is the curse of the unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konosuke-matsushita/gratitude-leads-to-happiness-conversely-lack-of-gratitude-is-the/) [Konosuke Matsushita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konosuke-matsushita/) > [Justice is the bread of the nation; it is always hungry for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-ois-ren-de-chateaubriand/justice-is-the-bread-of-the-nation-it-is-always-hungry-for-it/) [François-René de Chateaubriand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-ois-ren-de-chateaubriand/) > [“Those who lack gratitude’s vision do not possess things; things possess them. And that is misery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-kurtz/those-who-lack-gratitude-s-vision-do-not-possess-things-things/) [Ernest Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-kurtz/) > [Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henry-jowett/faith-without-thankfulness-lacks-strength-and-fortitude/) [John Henry Jowett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henry-jowett/) > [“The thank-you thing had been drummed into us intensely when we were growing up. We had three great-aunts, on my mother’s side, who believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/the-thank-you-thing-had-been-drummed-into-us-intensely-when-we-were/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/both-abundance-and-lack-exist-simultaneously-in-our-lives-as-parallel/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [Haters feed themselves when you down but when they see you happy they starving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/haters-feed-themselves-when-you-down-but-when-they-see-you-happy-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She writes like she’s starving and reads like she’s feasting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-larson/she-writes-like-she-s-starving-and-reads-like-she-s-feasting/) R.D. Larson > [If you followed the media you'd think that everybody in Africa was starving to death, and that's not the case; so it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/if-you-followed-the-media-you-d-think-that-everybody-in-africa-was/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [It is useless to talk virtue to a starving girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-howard-shaw/it-is-useless-to-talk-virtue-to-a-starving-girl/) [Anna Howard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-howard-shaw/) > [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## More by Brené Brown > [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“always put off writing by reorganizing my entire house and spending way too much time and money buying office supplies and organizing systems. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/always-put-off-writing-by-reorganizing-my-entire-house-and-spending/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [When you ask people about love, they tell you about heartbreak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/when-you-ask-people-about-love-they-tell-you-about-heartbreak/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“I can recognize shame when it’s happening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/i-can-recognize-shame-when-it-s-happening/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [I carry a small sheet of paper in my wallet that has written on it the names of people whose opinions of me matter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/i-carry-a-small-sheet-of-paper-in-my-wallet-that-has-written-on-it/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/courage-starts-with-showing-up-and-letting-ourselves-be-seen/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Waking up every day and loving someone who may or may not love us back, whose safety we can't ensure, who may stay in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/waking-up-every-day-and-loving-someone-who-may-or-may-not-love-us/) [Brene Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“No matter how separated we are by what we think and believe, we are part of the same spiritual story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/no-matter-how-separated-we-are-by-what-we-think-and-believe-we-are/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Perfectionism is self-destructive simply because there is no such thing as perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal. Additionally, perfectionism is more about perception -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/perfectionism-is-self-destructive-simply-because-there-is-no-such/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/shame-corrodes-the-very-part-of-us-that-believes-we-are-capable-of/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [If you're also in the arena and you're putting your ideas out and you're owning them and you're saying "I disagree with you about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/if-you-re-also-in-the-arena-and-you-re-putting-your-ideas-out-and-you/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“I found that men and women with high levels of shame resilience share these four elements: They understand shame and recognize what messages and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/i-found-that-men-and-women-with-high-levels-of-shame-resilience-share/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Connection gives purpose and meaning to our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/connection-gives-purpose-and-meaning-to-our-lives/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“But here’s the tricky part about compassion and connecting: We can’t call just anyone. It’s not that simple. I have a lot of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/but-here-s-the-tricky-part-about-compassion-and-connecting-we-can-t/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“It turns out to be the place of true belonging, and it's the bravest and most sacred place you'll stand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/it-turns-out-to-be-the-place-of-true-belonging-and-it-s-the-bravest/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) [Explore all 759 Brené Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) ## More Gratitude quotes > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [“A treacherous President stood in the way; and it can be easily seen how reluctant good men might be to admit an apostasy which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/a-treacherous-president-stood-in-the-way-and-it-can-be-easily-seen/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [I listen to heavy metal thanks to my son. When I argue with him on the kind of music he is listening to, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/i-listen-to-heavy-metal-thanks-to-my-son-when-i-argue-with-him-on-the/) [Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/) > [“Thanks for teaching us to talk. Thanks for teaching us to be of the world and in the world and to make our way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-isay/thanks-for-teaching-us-to-talk-thanks-for-teaching-us-to-be-of-the/) [Dave Isay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-isay/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I want to thank each and every one of you for having extinguished yourselves this session.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gib-lewis/i-want-to-thank-each-and-every-one-of-you-for-having-extinguished/) [Gib Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gib-lewis/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Be in a state of gratitude for everything that shows up in your life. Be thankful for the storms as well as the smooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/be-in-a-state-of-gratitude-for-everything-that-shows-up-in-your-life/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“Good Seeds! Gratitude is the Greatest Attitude that has no Substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/good-seeds-gratitude-is-the-greatest-attitude-that-has-no-substitute/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [Man has an almost infinite capacity for taking things and people for granted and thereby missing out on the pleasure of being grateful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/man-has-an-almost-infinite-capacity-for-taking-things-and-people-for/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“and man, though idiotic, and knowing not what he does, yet full of the sweet things of love and gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/and-man-though-idiotic-and-knowing-not-what-he-does-yet-full-of-the/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) [Browse all 9,111 Gratitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We're a nation hungry for more joy: Because we're starving from a lack of gratitude.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brené Brown" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-a-nation-hungry-for-more-joy-because-we-re-starving-from-a-lack/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gratitude" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-a-nation-hungry-for-more-joy-because-we-re-starving-from-a-lack/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/bren-brown-280_gratitude_we-re-a-nation-hungry-for-more-joy-becau_1457687.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/bren-brown-280_gratitude_we-re-a-nation-hungry-for-more-joy-becau_1457687.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/bren-brown-280_gratitude_we-re-a-nation-hungry-for-more-joy-becau_1457687.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We're a nation hungry for more joy: Because we're starving from a lack of gratitude.” — Brené Brown", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Brené Brown", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We're a nation hungry for more...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-a-nation-hungry-for-more-joy-because-we-re-starving-from-a-lack/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-a-nation-hungry-for-more-joy-because-we-re-starving-from-a-lack/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```