count one's blessings

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

count one's blessings (third-person singular simple present counts one's blessings, present participle counting one's blessings, simple past and past participle counted one's blessings)

1. (idiomatic) To focus one's attention on the circumstances of one's life which are pleasant or fortunate, especially with the intention of diverting one's thoughts from serious or disagreeable matters.
   • 1915, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 3, in Pollyanna Grows Up‎^[1], The Page Company:

     Of course if she begins to preach, and to tell me to count my blessings, I shall send her away.

   • 1995 May 22, Richard Lacayo et al., “Bart Simpson Calling”, in Time:

     Rupert Murdoch isn't somebody to sit back and count his blessings.

   • 2006, Mark Winegardner, The Godfather's Revenge‎^[2], →ISBN, page 175:

     The other out-of-town Dons patiently listened, perhaps counting their blessings that each had a city all to himself.

Translations

count one's blessings

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 知足 (zh) (zhīzú)

• Finnish: keskittyä asioiden hyviin puoliin
• French: voir le bon côté des choses
• German: no equivalent term in German, but see lieber seinen Blick auf die guten Seiten richten, lieber auf das Gute im Leben schauen, lieber die rosigen Dinge in seinem Leben betrachten, zufrieden mit sich sein, sich glücklich schätzen
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: telle sine velsignelser

• Polish: no equivalent term in Polish, but see ciesz się tym, co masz (literally “enjoy what you have”)

See also

• look on the bright side
• see the glass half-full