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How to use Quotes & Sayings in your Thank You Notes, Cards & Letters

Using thank you quotes is a great way to convey and express your gratitude when a simple 'thank you' doesn't quite seem enough. But how to use them for best effect? Here are some tips, ideas & suggestions to get you started.
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Getting started

First of all, you need to select the best quote for the situation and the context of your thank you note, card or letter.

As you can see from my quotes pages, there is a huge and wonderful variety of thank you and gratitude quotes to choose from (and I don't claim, of course, to have put together a comprehensive collection – if you know of a great thank you quote that I've missed, please do let me know.)

Easiest to use are the universal 'one size fits all' quotes suitable for pretty much any occasion:

We must thank Shakespeare for giving us several really good ones:

I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks...

and

Thanks, sir; all the rest is mute.

and

Well then, if ever I thank any man, I'll thank you.


Other excellent 'go to' thank you quotes that work for pretty much any occasion include:

Felix Frankfurter's

Gratitude is one of the least articulate of the emotions, especially when it is deep.

The unattributed

I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you my heart has no bottom.

Or – if you're sure your recipient will find it amusing – Benjamin Disraeli's grouchy, but rather wonderful,

I feel a very unusual sensation – if it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude.

All these thank you quotes do an admirable job of expressing your gratitude and thankfulness, and stand on their own, needing almost no further text or wording. In fact, if you're a person of few words, or believe that short and to the point is best, then just a signature would suffice.


Using a comment to emphasize your chosen quote

Of course, having said that, there's nothing to stop you commenting on your chosen quote, linking the quote to the favor or gift received, or going into details about why the quote is apt. In this way, pretty much any quote can be livened up and made more pertinent and appropriate.

For example:

"Thanks sir, the rest is mute" – I really appreciate you helping me keep my little secret!

or
"A book is a gift you can open again and again" – thank you, thank you, thank you for the gorgeous Contemporary Interiors Design book. It's so inspirational and I just love it.

or
"All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them." Thank you for everything you've ever done and continue to do for me. Mom and Dad, I love you.

Adding this kind of short comment to a quote can be particularly effective if the quote you've selected is appropriate to the situation, but doesn't actually include the words 'thank you' or 'gratitude'.

For example, Publilius Syrus' maxim,

"An agreeable companion on a journey is as good as a carriage",

can be elegantly converted into a thank you quote by adding a few words along the lines of:

I was dreading the long drive to Chicago, but your company made it a blast.

or
I wouldn't have made it to the end of the race/marathon without you – thanks for being the greatest running buddy ever.


Appending quotes to longer notes

A further way to use a quote in a thank you note or card is to use it as a stepping-off point for a longer note, for example:

A great man spoke truly when he said that gratitude is one of the least articulate of the emotions, especially when it is deep, but I'm going to give it a try...

or
As the proverb says, 'Money might make you wealthy, but friends make you rich', and I want you to know how much your friendship has meant to me over the past few years. I remember when we first met...

So, these are three great ways to incorporate gratitude quotes into your thank you notes and cards. And of course, thank you quotes are also great for using at the beginning and end of speeches, lectures and presentations, in introductions, and on thank you gifts of all kinds (see Personalizing Thank You Gifts with Quotes for masses of ideas).

Be imaginative, be creative and have fun with thank you quotes!