Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“Be thankful, therefore, for the least benefit and thou shalt be worthy to receive greater.”
- Source
- The Imitation of Christ
- Date
- 15th century
- English wording
- William Benham — Translator · from Latin
Meaning of “Be thankful, therefore, for the least benefit and…”
The devotional instruction treats gratitude as a discipline of scale: small benefits should not disappear merely because larger gifts are desired, since attention to what is received is itself part of humility.
Where does it come from?
The Imitation of Christ, Book II, Chapter X, “Of gratitude for the Grace of God,” William Benham translation, Project Gutenberg #1653. The sentence appears in the chapter’s fifth paragraph and treats gratitude for even the least divine benefit as part of humility; this remains explicitly Christian devotional teaching rather than a general promise of material reward.
