Grateful.

“No one can obtain felicity by pursuit. This explains why one of the elements of being happy is the feeling that a debt of gratitude is owed, a debt impossible to pay. Now, we do not owe gratitude to ourselves. To be conscious of gratitude is to acknowledge a gift.”
― Josef Pieper, Happiness and Contemplation
Years ago, a friend introduced me to the writings of Catholic philosopher Josef Pieper. One of Pieper’s themes was the relationship between happiness, gratitude, and contemplation. This week I’d like to share some of my favorite quotes from Pieper on these and related subjects.