--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wonder if gratefulness is the bridge…" description: "\"I wonder if gratefulness is the bridge from sorrow to joy, spanning the chasm of our anxious striving. Freed from the burden of unbridled desires, we c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/philip-gulley-19886_anxious_i-wonder-if-gratefulness-is-the-bridge-f_2989984.jpg" --- # I wonder if gratefulness is the bridge from sorrow to joy… ![“I wonder if gratefulness is the bridge from sorrow to joy, spanning the chasm of our anxious striving. Freed from the burden of unbridled desires, we can enjoy what we have, celebrate what we've attained, and appreciate the familiar. For if we can't be happy now, we'll likely not be happy when.” quote by Philip Gulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/philip-gulley-19886_anxious_i-wonder-if-gratefulness-is-the-bridge-f_2989984.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/philip-gulley-19886_anxious_i-wonder-if-gratefulness-is-the-bridge-f_2989984.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/philip-gulley-19886_anxious_i-wonder-if-gratefulness-is-the-bridge-f_2989984.jpg) > “I wonder if gratefulness is the bridge from sorrow to joy, spanning the chasm of our anxious striving. Freed from the burden of unbridled desires, we can enjoy what we have, celebrate what we've attained, and appreciate the familiar. For if we can't be happy now, we'll likely not be happy when.” [Philip Gulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gulley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gratitude bridges sorrow and joy, freeing us from endless desire and allowing appreciation of present blessings. **In simple terms:** Gratitude turns longing into contentment. Key Takeaway Practice gratitude to find joy now. Themes gratitude contentment mindfulness Mood calm hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - daily journaling - meditation - stress relief Key Concepts emotional resilience psychology of happiness spiritual growth Questions to Reflect On - How can gratitude be cultivated daily? - What limits does desire place on happiness? A Different Perspective Gratitude alone may not solve deep-rooted unhappiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxious/) [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Gratefulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratefulness/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [“Make a time to enjoy, to celebrate the life that's given to you by God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/make-a-time-to-enjoy-to-celebrate-the-life-that-s-given-to-you-by-god/) [Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/) > [Let us together enjoy and celebrate our happiness. On this 4th of July let us salute all those brave men and women who fought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-us-together-enjoy-and-celebrate-our-happiness-on-this-4th-of-july/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As surely as the dark gives meaning to the dawn, so does pain give meaning to pleasure, and sorrow to joy. All that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terryl-givens/as-surely-as-the-dark-gives-meaning-to-the-dawn-so-does-pain-give/) Terryl Givens > [“My art is an act of creation and destruction, with all the sorrow and joy these engender as well as all the shadow and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-v-white/my-art-is-an-act-of-creation-and-destruction-with-all-the-sorrow-and/) [Kathryn V. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-v-white/) > [Turning to the crimson pavilion, beneath the filters of its carved lattices, illumination baffles sleep. Why does the moon bear grudge as it fills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/turning-to-the-crimson-pavilion-beneath-the-filters-of-its-carved/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“All of us sing more from sorrow than from joy. 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When the moon comes through the trailing willow boughs, I see your face, I hear your voice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-melancholy-river-bears-us-on-when-the-moon-comes-through-the/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Nobody understands another's sorrow, and nobody another's joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-schubert/nobody-understands-another-s-sorrow-and-nobody-another-s-joy/) [Franz Schubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-schubert/) > [“Sorrow and joy, he thought, so inextricably entwined that he could scarcely tell where one left off and the other began.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/sorrow-and-joy-he-thought-so-inextricably-entwined-that-he-could/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [I feel that books, just like people, have a destiny. Some invite sorrow, others joy, some both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-feel-that-books-just-like-people-have-a-destiny-some-invite-sorrow/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) ## More by Philip Gulley > [We just never know. We think we do. We think we have life figured out, and in our arrogance we become hard. But life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gulley/we-just-never-know-we-think-we-do-we-think-we-have-life-figured-out/) [Philip Gulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gulley/) > [“My life is a train of unfinished tasks, one railcar after another of half-finished efforts, with no caboose in sight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gulley/my-life-is-a-train-of-unfinished-tasks-one-railcar-after-another-of/) [Philip Gulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gulley/) > [In the end . . . . . . . Stand where we feel led. 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I would prefer a bighearted preacher giving my eulogy, someone inclined to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gulley/people-feel-guilty-enough-at-funerals-without-having-more-guilt/) [Philip Gulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gulley/) > [“There is a moral sturdiness to (hardware store owner) Charley that isn't advertised or boasted about, but is obvious to all who know him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gulley/there-is-a-moral-sturdiness-to-hardware-store-owner-charley-that-isn/) [Philip Gulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gulley/) > [Write letters to your grandmother. She will love it. And leave you money in her will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gulley/write-letters-to-your-grandmother-she-will-love-it-and-leave-you/) [Philip Gulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gulley/) > [“Our first night in the house, my wife and I were lying in bed. I was thanking God for my blessings. Thanking God for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gulley/our-first-night-in-the-house-my-wife-and-i-were-lying-in-bed-i-was/) [Philip Gulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gulley/) > [When we are honest, we admit how agreeable it can feel to be singled out for favored treatment. The biggest barrier to equality for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gulley/when-we-are-honest-we-admit-how-agreeable-it-can-feel-to-be-singled/) [Philip Gulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gulley/) > [“In this unsettled world, it is good to have this steadiness—the Christmas Eve service, the peal of the bell, the star atop the Peacocks’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gulley/in-this-unsettled-world-it-is-good-to-have-this-steadiness-the/) [Philip Gulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gulley/) > [Too many times we pray for ease, but that's a prayer seldom met. 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Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [“Do Not Be Anxious 25 e “Therefore I tell you,  f do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-anxious-25-e-therefore-i-tell-you-f-do-not-be-anxious-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [According to Shakyamuni Buddha, it's normal for human beings to be anxious, because it's normal for human beings not to understand themselves. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reb-anderson/according-to-shakyamuni-buddha-it-s-normal-for-human-beings-to-be/) [Reb Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reb-anderson/) > [Be lamps unto yourselves. Be refuges unto yourselves. Take yourself no external refuge. Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Hold fast to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/be-lamps-unto-yourselves-be-refuges-unto-yourselves-take-yourself-no/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Even speed, when we are anxious, seems like delay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/even-speed-when-we-are-anxious-seems-like-delay/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [I'd like to be able to do complex math in my head. Any kind of adversity and I become very anxious, but if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-woods/i-d-like-to-be-able-to-do-complex-math-in-my-head-any-kind-of/) [Zach Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-woods/) > [There were times when depression, anxiety, whatever, would keep me from writing. I still get depressed and anxious, but I just don't let it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-st-john/there-were-times-when-depression-anxiety-whatever-would-keep-me-from/) [David St. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-st-john/) > [The millennials were raised in a cocoon, their anxious parents afraid to let them go out in the park to play. So should we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/the-millennials-were-raised-in-a-cocoon-their-anxious-parents-afraid/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow, but labors joyfully and with a great heart. 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