--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Gratitude is the most important of all…" description: "\"Gratitude is the most important of all human emotions.\" — Hans Selye" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/hans-selye-17189_emotion_gratitude-is-the-most-important-of-all-h_2154280.png" --- # Gratitude is the most important of all human emotions. ![“Gratitude is the most important of all human emotions.” quote by Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/hans-selye-17189_emotion_gratitude-is-the-most-important-of-all-h_2154280.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/hans-selye-17189_emotion_gratitude-is-the-most-important-of-all-h_2154280.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/hans-selye-17189_emotion_gratitude-is-the-most-important-of-all-h_2154280.png) > “Gratitude is the most important of all human emotions.” [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gratitude is presented as a fundamental human emotion that underpins well‑being and social connection. **In simple terms:** Gratitude is a key human emotion. Key Takeaway Cultivate gratitude daily. Themes emotion well‑being psychology humanity connection Mood hopeful reflective inspirational Type psychological emotional social When to use this quote - daily journaling - mindfulness practice - expressing thanks - relationship building Key Concepts positive psychology emotional health social bonding Questions to Reflect On - How can gratitude be balanced with acknowledging pain? - In what ways does gratitude improve health? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on gratitude may overlook legitimate negative emotions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Human emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-emotions/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) ## Related quotes > [They came to her, naturally, since she was a woman, all day long with this and that; one wanting this, another that; the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/they-came-to-her-naturally-since-she-was-a-woman-all-day-long-with/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Empathy is the most radical of human emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/empathy-is-the-most-radical-of-human-emotions/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Gratitude is important. One has to look beyond oneself to see that while there may be people who are far better off, one has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhea-pillai/gratitude-is-important-one-has-to-look-beyond-oneself-to-see-that/) [Rhea Pillai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhea-pillai/) > [When we look at the settling of America we see a Bible in hand and God. Every Thanksgiving has God and the peacefulness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/when-we-look-at-the-settling-of-america-we-see-a-bible-in-hand-and/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Of all the 'attitudes' we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important and by far the most life-changing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/of-all-the-attitudes-we-can-acquire-surely-the-attitude-of-gratitude/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [Gratitude is the most important attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/gratitude-is-the-most-important-attitude/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [The healthiest of all human emotions is gratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/the-healthiest-of-all-human-emotions-is-gratitude/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [I became an actress and studied human emotions so that I could give the gift of feelings to my son. This is what my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tisha-campbell-martin/i-became-an-actress-and-studied-human-emotions-so-that-i-could-give/) [Tisha Campbell-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tisha-campbell-martin/) > [When you are talking about human emotions, stardom doesn't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fahadh-faasil/when-you-are-talking-about-human-emotions-stardom-doesn-t-matter/) [Fahadh Faasil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fahadh-faasil/) > [Despite what everyone thinks about science fiction, ultimately, at its best, it's about human beings with human emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greig-fraser/despite-what-everyone-thinks-about-science-fiction-ultimately-at-its/) [Greig Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greig-fraser/) > [“Why? Must one have seen the world? In this village, in every house, in every shack, you will find the entire range of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendker-jan-philipp/why-must-one-have-seen-the-world-in-this-village-in-every-house-in/) Sendker, Jan-Philipp > [The truth is that family values, as used by the American Family Association, Dan Quayle, and the southern Baptists, has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-sullivan/the-truth-is-that-family-values-as-used-by-the-american-family/) Morris Sullivan > [The strongest human emotion is fear. It's the essence of any good thriller that, for a little while, you believe in the boogeyman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carpenter/the-strongest-human-emotion-is-fear-it-s-the-essence-of-any-good/) [John Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carpenter/) > [I guess I kinda lost control, because in the middle of the play I ran up and lit the evil puppet villain on fire.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-guess-i-kinda-lost-control-because-in-the-middle-of-the-play-i-ran/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The right to free speech is important but it isn't as important as 'we're all human beings together, let's find solutions together.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/the-right-to-free-speech-is-important-but-it-isn-t-as-important-as-we/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) ## More by Hans Selye > [The element of chance in basic research is overrated. Chance is a lady who smiles only upon those few who know how to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/the-element-of-chance-in-basic-research-is-overrated-chance-is-a-lady/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [To remain healthy a man must have some goal, some purpose in life that he can respect and be proud to work for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/to-remain-healthy-a-man-must-have-some-goal-some-purpose-in-life-that/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [Leaders are leaders only as long as they have the respect and loyalty of their followers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/leaders-are-leaders-only-as-long-as-they-have-the-respect-and-loyalty/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [Stress is the spice of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/stress-is-the-spice-of-life/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [Stress, in addition to being itself, was also the cause of itself, and the result of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/stress-in-addition-to-being-itself-was-also-the-cause-of-itself-and/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [Stress is not necessarily something bad it all depends on how you take it. The stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/stress-is-not-necessarily-something-bad-it-all-depends-on-how-you/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [Every stress leaves an indelible scar, and the organism pays for its survival after a stressful situation by becoming a little older.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/every-stress-leaves-an-indelible-scar-and-the-organism-pays-for-its/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [My advice to any young person at the beginning of their career is to try to look for the mere outlines of big things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/my-advice-to-any-young-person-at-the-beginning-of-their-career-is-to/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [Gratitude conserves the vital energies of a person more than any other attitude tested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/gratitude-conserves-the-vital-energies-of-a-person-more-than-any/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [As much as we thirst for approval we dread condemnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/as-much-as-we-thirst-for-approval-we-dread-condemnation/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [Even after the greatest defeats, the depressing thought of being a failure is best combated by taking stock of all your past achievements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/even-after-the-greatest-defeats-the-depressing-thought-of-being-a/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/adopting-the-right-attitude-can-convert-a-negative-stress-into-a/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [The builder of the best racing car is not necessarily its best driver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/the-builder-of-the-best-racing-car-is-not-necessarily-its-best-driver/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true science. He who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/the-fairest-thing-we-can-experience-is-the-mysterious-it-is-the/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) > [To make a great dream come true, you must first have a great dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/to-make-a-great-dream-come-true-you-must-first-have-a-great-dream/) [Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) [Explore all 37 Hans Selye quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/) ## More Emotion quotes > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/) Marlin > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [“Emotion as well as reason belongs to the very stuff of history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-smalley/emotion-as-well-as-reason-belongs-to-the-very-stuff-of-history/) Beryl Smalley > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [People are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them. They may forget what you said, but they will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/people-are-disturbed-not-by-things-but-by-the-view-they-take-of-them/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [There cannot be any communication except through form. If there is no form, you cannot create emotion in the spectator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-resnais/there-cannot-be-any-communication-except-through-form-if-there-is-no/) [Alain Resnais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-resnais/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [ Music \[is\] the third rail of life. You grabbed it to shock yourself out of the dull drag of hours. To feel something. To… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/music-is-the-third-rail-of-life-you-grabbed-it-to-shock-yourself-out/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“What if each time you experienced an emotion, you acknowledged it, accepted it, and became curious about its message for you (instead of trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/what-if-each-time-you-experienced-an-emotion-you-acknowledged-it/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) [Browse all 7,204 Emotion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Gratitude is the most important of all human emotions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hans Selye" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/gratitude-is-the-most-important-of-all-human-emotions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Emotion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/gratitude-is-the-most-important-of-all-human-emotions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/hans-selye-17189_emotion_gratitude-is-the-most-important-of-all-h_2154280.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/hans-selye-17189_emotion_gratitude-is-the-most-important-of-all-h_2154280.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/hans-selye-17189_emotion_gratitude-is-the-most-important-of-all-h_2154280.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Gratitude is the most important of all human emotions.” — Hans Selye", "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": "Hans Selye", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Gratitude is the most important of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/gratitude-is-the-most-important-of-all-human-emotions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/gratitude-is-the-most-important-of-all-human-emotions/#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 } } ] } ```