Frank A. Clark:
(1911–1991).
Was the creator of The Country Parson, a series of one panel newspaper cartoons that appeared in The Des Moines Register and was syndicated by more than 200 newspapers. It ran from 1955 until his death in 1991.
If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.
The quote is really a statement about gratitude as a ‘habit of character’ rather than a reaction to circumstance.
The core idea:
– Thankfulness isn’t determined by ‘how much’ someone has — it’s a disposition, a way of relating to what’s in front of you.
– If a person can’t appreciate what they currently have — health, relationships, opportunities, possessions — then acquiring more won’t change that. The dissatisfaction lives in the person’s outlook, not in the size of the pile.
– Put more pointedly: people who grumble about their present situation will likely find something to grumble about later too, because the real issue was never the amount — it was their orientation toward it.
It echoes a broader theme common in Stoic and religious thought: contentment is cultivated by appreciating what’s present, not something you postpone until some future windfall arrives.
Origin:
The line comes from Frank A. Clark’s newspaper column of short, folksy, moralistic one-liners — it wasn’t from a speech or book, but the kind of pithy observation he was known for producing regularly. It sits alongside similar sayings of his, like “If you haven’t time to help youngsters find the right way in life, somebody with more time will help them find the wrong way.” These short quips have since been widely recycled in Thanksgiving cards, sermons, and inspirational-quote collections.
Author:
Frank A. Clark (1911–1991) was an American politician and columnist — he served as a U.S. Congressman from Idaho and was best known for his folksy newspaper aphorisms. The quote is consistently attributed to him across quote compilations (BrainyQuote, AZQuotes, Quotes.net, and others).
