"Next to ingratitude the most painful thing to bear is gratitude"
- Henry Ward Beecher
About this Quote
Henry Ward Beecher's quote speaks to the intricacy of human emotions. He recommends that feeling grateful can be simply as agonizing as feeling unappreciated. This is since gratitude can bring up a variety of clashing emotions. On one hand, it can be a source of happiness and satisfaction, as it is a recognition of the advantages in life. On the other hand, it can be a suggestion of how much we depend upon others and how vulnerable we are to their actions. Appreciation can also raise sensations of guilt, as we might feel undeserving of the generosity we have received. In this method, thankfulness can be a double-edged sword, bringing both pleasure and pain.
"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us"
"If future generations are to remember us more with gratitude than sorrow, we must achieve more than just the miracles of technology. We must also leave them a glimpse of the world as it was created, not just as it looked when we got through with it"
"There are minds so impatient of inferiority that their gratitude is a species of revenge, and they return benefits, not because recompense is a pleasure, but because obligation is a pain"
"We must always remember with gratitude and admiration the first sailors who steered their vessels through storms and mists, and increased our knowledge of the lands of ice in the South"
