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.

Clark’s aphorism links gratitude to character rather than circumstance. It argues that thankfulness is not something automatically produced by improved conditions (“what he’s going to get”), but a habitual disposition: if someone cannot appreciate present goods, future gains will likely be met with the same dissatisfaction. The saying functions as a warning against entitlement and perpetual wanting, suggesting that contentment and moral maturity depend on recognizing value in what one already possesses. It also implies a practical ethic: cultivating gratitude now is the only reliable way to experience gratitude later, regardless of how fortunes change.