Gluttony and surfeiting are no proper occasions for thanksgiving.

Lamb’s sentence draws a moral distinction between gratitude and indulgence. He suggests that thanksgiving—whether religious or secular—ought to arise from genuine appreciation, humility, and recognition of dependence on others, not from mere appetite or excess. By pairing “gluttony” with “surfeiting,” he emphasizes not just eating, but overconsumption to the point of discomfort, implying that such behavior is spiritually and socially misaligned with the idea of giving thanks. The line also works as a satirical jab at festive customs that confuse celebration with self-gratification, warning that ritual gratitude becomes hollow when it is used to sanctify excess.