--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What fuels my optimism is just an…" description: "\"What fuels my optimism is just an appreciation for life. I wake up every day thankful to be alive. I certainly have a lot to live for - not only person..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/527/craig-sager-10287_appreciation_what-fuels-my-optimism-is-just-an-apprec_281717.jpg" --- # What fuels my optimism is just an appreciation for life. I… ![“What fuels my optimism is just an appreciation for life. I wake up every day thankful to be alive. I certainly have a lot to live for - not only personally, but all those people I'm fighting for, and to be with my kids, my wife Stacy, to see them grow and be a part of it. I'm certainly by no means…” quote by Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/527/craig-sager-10287_appreciation_what-fuels-my-optimism-is-just-an-apprec_281717.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/527/craig-sager-10287_appreciation_what-fuels-my-optimism-is-just-an-apprec_281717.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/527/craig-sager-10287_appreciation_what-fuels-my-optimism-is-just-an-apprec_281717.jpg) > “What fuels my optimism is just an appreciation for life. I wake up every day thankful to be alive. I certainly have a lot to live for - not only personally, but all those people I'm fighting for, and to be with my kids, my wife Stacy, to see them grow and be a part of it. I'm certainly by no means ready to give up or cash in.” [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Optimism stems from gratitude for life and purpose, fueling resilience and dedication to loved ones and causes. **In simple terms:** Gratitude fuels optimism and resilience. Key Takeaway Cultivate daily gratitude. Themes gratitude optimism purpose resilience family Mood hopeful determined Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - personal setbacks - family challenges - social activism - career setbacks Key Concepts psychology meaning-making motivation Questions to Reflect On - What daily practice deepens your gratitude? - How do you sustain purpose during hardship? A Different Perspective Optimism can wane without tangible progress or support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appreciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thankful To Be Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thankful-to-be-alive/) [Wake up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wake-up/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [My biggest fear ever is to be involved in a plane crash, so when that happened... well, I'm just thankful to be alive. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-barker/my-biggest-fear-ever-is-to-be-involved-in-a-plane-crash-so-when-that/) [Travis Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-barker/) > [When you wake up you should be thankful to be alive and get to live another day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole/when-you-wake-up-you-should-be-thankful-to-be-alive-and-get-to-live/) [Nicole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole/) > [I'm really thankful to be alive. If you get to know me, I'm a person that's always smiling and always joyful and I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-howard/i-m-really-thankful-to-be-alive-if-you-get-to-know-me-i-m-a-person/) [Dwight Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-howard/) > [Death has influenced me. It has made me more grateful and thankful to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/death-has-influenced-me-it-has-made-me-more-grateful-and-thankful-to/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [I listen to my body but I'm just thankful to be alive so that I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-cole/i-listen-to-my-body-but-i-m-just-thankful-to-be-alive-so-that-i-can/) [Andy Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-cole/) > [I am SO thankful to be alive today. I thank God everyday for the gift he has given me. I LOVE my life. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-so-thankful-to-be-alive-today-i-thank-god-everyday-for-the-gift/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whatever I might have imagined a terminal diagnosis would do to my spirit, it summoned quite the opposite - the greatest appreciation for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/whatever-i-might-have-imagined-a-terminal-diagnosis-would-do-to-my/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [Optimism. It's not just a mind-set, it is behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-elder/optimism-it-s-not-just-a-mind-set-it-is-behavior/) [Larry Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-elder/) > [If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet... \[at least for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/if-you-keep-on-saying-things-are-going-to-be-bad-you-have-a-good/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [I've come through things that would have felled an ox. That fills me with optimism, not just for myself but for our particular species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/i-ve-come-through-things-that-would-have-felled-an-ox-that-fills-me/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [“Each day, I feel, is a gift to be truly cherished. If you do not laugh for a day, if you have not made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preeti-shenoy/each-day-i-feel-is-a-gift-to-be-truly-cherished-if-you-do-not-laugh/) [Preeti Shenoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preeti-shenoy/) > [“if you have not made somebody's day happier, if you've not appreciated something good that has happened to you and if you have not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preeti-shenoy/if-you-have-not-made-somebody-s-day-happier-if-you-ve-not-appreciated/) [Preeti Shenoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preeti-shenoy/) > [“The author points out strikingly different reactions to calamity. While many passengers of a devastating shipwreck were thankful to be alive, future presidential assassin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/the-author-points-out-strikingly-different-reactions-to-calamity/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [“Brave Livia, you never cease to amaze me.” He lifted her chin with his finger. “I’ve never been more thankful to be alive than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-anastasia/brave-livia-you-never-cease-to-amaze-me-he-lifted-her-chin-with-his/) [Debra Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-anastasia/) > [“Everything that happens in your life is beautiful. Find yourself in the appreciation of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sravani-saha-nakhro/everything-that-happens-in-your-life-is-beautiful-find-yourself-in/) [Sravani Saha Nakhro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sravani-saha-nakhro/) ## More by Craig Sager > [I have wrestled gators in Florida. I have sailed the ocean with Ted Turner. I have swam the oceans in the Caribbean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/i-have-wrestled-gators-in-florida-i-have-sailed-the-ocean-with-ted/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [If I missed a game, that meant I was losing the battle. I'm not going to let leukemia affect me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/if-i-missed-a-game-that-meant-i-was-losing-the-battle-i-m-not-going/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [Hope is not just... out in the sky, or accepting the facts or reality. Hope is having optimistic, positive expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/hope-is-not-just-out-in-the-sky-or-accepting-the-facts-or-reality/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [I am not an expert on time, or on cancer, or on life itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/i-am-not-an-expert-on-time-or-on-cancer-or-on-life-itself/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [When you raise kids, you want them to grow up and be successful. If they can grow up and be like you, it's quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/when-you-raise-kids-you-want-them-to-grow-up-and-be-successful-if/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [Sports are supposed to be fun, and so I have fun with the way I dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/sports-are-supposed-to-be-fun-and-so-i-have-fun-with-the-way-i-dress/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [Erik Spoelstra has always been a guy I'd talk to even when he was just doing video clips for the Heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/erik-spoelstra-has-always-been-a-guy-i-d-talk-to-even-when-he-was/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [Vice President Biden had recently launched the 'Cancer Moonshots', a campaign to finally eradicate cancer across humanity. He had lost his eldest son, Beau,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/vice-president-biden-had-recently-launched-the-cancer-moonshots-a/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [I've never had one of those middle of the nights when I go, 'Why me?' or 'I don't know if I can keep fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/i-ve-never-had-one-of-those-middle-of-the-nights-when-i-go-why-me-or/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [I'm fighting cancer and I refuse to give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/i-m-fighting-cancer-and-i-refuse-to-give-up/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [Life should be fun, and so should your clothes. It's not about sending a message. It's about feeling good about yourself and being who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/life-should-be-fun-and-so-should-your-clothes-it-s-not-about-sending/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [I always see the glass half full. I see the beauty in others, and I see the hope for tomorrow. If we don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/i-always-see-the-glass-half-full-i-see-the-beauty-in-others-and-i-see/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [As a young boy, I had the usual hobbies - sports, baseball cards, model airplanes and trains. But I always had a distinct fascination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/as-a-young-boy-i-had-the-usual-hobbies-sports-baseball-cards-model/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [When doctors tell you that your only hope for survival is 14 straight days of intense chemotherapy, 24 hours a day, you sit there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/when-doctors-tell-you-that-your-only-hope-for-survival-is-14-straight/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [I've already had two stem cell transplants. Very rarely does somebody have a third, so I have to maintain my strength so I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/i-ve-already-had-two-stem-cell-transplants-very-rarely-does-somebody/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) [Explore all 66 Craig Sager quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) ## More Appreciation 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/) > [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/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [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/) > [A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/a-very-small-percentage-of-the-people-in-this-world-will-actually/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Stop chasing the things you want and embrace all that you already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-chasing-the-things-you-want-and-embrace-all-that-you-already-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Appreciation is the purest vibration that exists on the planet today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/appreciation-is-the-purest-vibration-that-exists-on-the-planet-today/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [“My thank-yous always come out rather labored. I often don't give them at all. People do what they're supposed to do and then wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-thank-yous-always-come-out-rather-labored-i-often-don-t-give-them/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Like gratitude, authentic appreciation in the workplace is a realisation that can be nurtured and accessed with daily mindful practice. By and large, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dines/like-gratitude-authentic-appreciation-in-the-workplace-is-a/) [Christopher Dines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dines/) > [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“Recognize and appreciate little things, and enjoy what Life has to offer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-nikko-caharian-iii/recognize-and-appreciate-little-things-and-enjoy-what-life-has-to/) Cesar Nikko Caharian III > [Men, when it comes to women, value diamonds and put no stock into copper. Diamonds are rare. You can find copper anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/men-when-it-comes-to-women-value-diamonds-and-put-no-stock-into/) Enhance Dreams > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) [Browse all 2,528 Appreciation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What fuels my optimism is just an appreciation for life. I wake up every day thankful to be alive. I certainly have a lot to live for - not only personally, but all those people I'm fighting for, and to be with my kids, my wife Stacy, to see them grow and be a part of it. 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