15 Illuminating Quotes on the Art of Simple Living
Send to KindleSimplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful. ~John Maeda
What do you think of when you hear the term simple living? How about extreme frugality … or maybe monks living the austere life in a mountainside monastery?
Okay, so I’m exaggerating … but I’ll bet one of your first thoughts was it means having to give up all your stuff.
It is true that for many people minimizing possessions and living a more frugal lifestyle are key elements, but I have a little different interpretation that I’d like to share with you.
Try thinking of simple living as clearing out the cluttered spaces of your life so that those things that are your dreams and goals are ensured a place. It means living intentionally and not getting caught up in the infamous tyranny of the urgent but learning to keep your eyes focused on your highest life priorities.
It means making the time to figure out what those priorities are!
Since we all have different priorities, simple living will naturally look different for each one of us. Yes, we all have the same basic priorities…food, water, shelter, clothing; but beyond those, our priorities are very different, and that’s okay.
If you choose to, you can learn to live in such a way that, whatever your priorities, they are always adequately provided for. It may mean making changes, even sacrificing some of those items and commitments in the middle so that the ones on top have more space to survive and grow.
Simplifying your life doesn’t have to mean boring or dull. In fact quite the opposite, it means embracing a life full of satisfaction, joy and more memorable moments.
Following are 15 illuminating quotes to inspire you to simplify your life …
- A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with—that’s poverty—but how efficiently we can put first things first. When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it’s clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar. ~Victoria Moran
- To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter … to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring … these are some of the rewards of the simple life. ~John Burroughs
- Simplicity, clarity, singleness: These are the attributes that give our lives power, vividness and joy as they are also the marks of great art. ~Richard Holloway
- Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, now that’s creativity. ~Charles Mingus
- Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. ~Confucius
- Life is simply a collection of little lives, each lived one day at a time. Each day should be spent finding beauty in flowers and poetry and talking to animals … a day spent with dreaming and sunsets and refreshing breezes cannot be bettered. ~Nicholas Sparks
- Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify. ~Henry David Thoreau
- In the West we have a tendency to be profit-oriented, where everything is measured according to the results and we get caught up in being more and more active to generate results. In the East — especially in India — I find that people are more content to just be, to just sit around under a banyan tree for half a day chatting to each other. We Westerners would probably call that wasting time. But there is value to it. Being with someone, listening without a clock and without anticipation of results, teaches us about love. The success of love is in the loving — it is not in the result of loving. ~Mother Teresa
- I do believe in simplicity. It is astonishing as well as sad, how many trivial affairs even the wisest thinks he must attend to in a day; how singular an affair he thinks he must omit. When the mathematician would solve a difficult problem, he first frees the equation of all encumbrances and reduces it to its simplest terms. So simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real. Probe the earth to see where your main roots run. ~Henry David Thoreau
- The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go. ~Steve Maraboli
- People who pride themselves on their “complexity” and deride others for being “simplistic” should realize that the truth is often not very complicated. What gets complex is evading the truth. ~Thomas Sowell
- Simplicity is ultimately a matter of focus. ~Ann Voskamp
- I am not a genius, I am just curious. I ask many questions. And when the answer is simple, then God is answering. ~Albert Einstein
- Things are never as complicated as they seem. It is only our arrogance that prompts us to find unnecessarily complicated answers to simple problems. ~Muhammad Yunua
- Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. ~Robert Brault
If you have a favorite simple living quote, or an experience you’d like to share please consider contributing to the conversation by leaving a comment below.
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Quotes are a wonderful reminder and you really honed in on two things that struck home for me Marquita, simplicity and clarity. Take a deep breath each day, simplify and always be clear what your intentions are.
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Lynn Brown recently posted..Amazing Video Motivation for Success
I am a quote lover myself and they have helped me a lot, with affirmations and other things.
Linda zanson recently posted..Love Quotes [61-80]
Awesome quotes.One thing I do to that helps me appreciate life is I take a few moments to myself, slow down and clear my head of everything going on. I contemplate and meditate on my death…sounds bizarre but it gives me a massive rush of appreciation for life and who i am.
Marquita, those were beautiful – I love quotes, they bring you back to the essence of their words – a reminderof where we are at, and a direction to move in from that moment, that was a particularly poignant collection about simplicity and touching base with our core,
thank you
Jacs
Jacs Henderson recently posted..Lead Generation with Solo Ads and Rachael Macgregor
Beautiful, thank you!I love Henry David Thoreau.Words are so powerful.Keep Shining,Vanessa
Great collection of quotes!
When I think of simple living I think of surrounding myself with those things that are valuable and useful to me. I periodically declutter my physical space, as well as my calendar, my attitudes, and my activities.
Have a grateful day!
Chrysta
Chrysta Bairre recently posted..Making Peace With Your Inner Critic
Hi Marquita,
This was a great set of quotes. Mother Teresa’s one really sums it up for me. The more we gather in terms of material wealth and objects, the more we ‘believe’ we need them, which is totally false.
If one doesn’t have, then there is no sense of loss. This in turn means there is less chance to create pain, as is the case when we become attached to those things we possess.
Hiten recently posted..Leadership is all around us
Welcome Hiten and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. I like the one from Mother Teresa as well – another of her quotes I particuarly relate to goes something like “I know God will never give me more than I can handle, I just wish sometimes he didn’t have so much faith in me!”
Really awesome quotes. Thanks for sharing!
Welcome Sharon – so glad you enjoyed them, and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the conversation. Always appreciated!
I love these quotes. Life is very simple to live but we make it complex by ourselves. It is not difficult to learn the art of simple living and all we need is to make little changes in our thinking and living behavior.Thanks for the beautiful and inspirational post, Marquita.
Syeda Mehwish recently posted..My Live Superfoods Review And Coupon Codes
Welcome Syeda and thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. I’m so glad that you enjoyed the article and quotes and really appreciate that you’ve taken time to contribute to the conversation.
The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go. ~Steve Maraboli This one I had to read twice.
It’s simple, I know. But it’s probably the most profound one for me. The reason being, letting go is not an easy task at all.
Letting go of memories and thoughts may not be as hard as letting go of the ‘stuff’ we think are essential to our lives. I watched the film ‘Mahatma’ and was amazed at how he lived -how much he’d let go. Although I’m not material minded I don’t think I would find it easy to let go of things I think are essential (even though I know they’re not).
This makes me a little sad – maybe introspective…
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Anne recently posted..Change Your Life
Great thought Anne and I agree with you, in fact for me the whole point of ‘simple living’ is clearing the non-essential clutter so that you can make room for those treasured items/memories. When I was a kid it used to be a big joke in our family that whatever you gave grandma would eventually end up coming back to you because she had so much stuff already that she didn’t care about new stuff. She just stock piled things and re-gifted them. That really stuck with me so today if I want to give a gift it’s either got to be something I know will really mean something to the recipient, or I opt for Plan B – hug and lunch or donation to their favorite nonprofit.
Hi Marty,
The Einstein quote is my favorite from your list. This topic is especially pertinent in my life. I live in a small condo with my wife and newborn son. I’m also trying to grow a small business and keep my day job as an airline pilot.
Simplifying things while still grabbing the bull by the horns proves to be very necessary! Here is one of my favorite quotes that relates to your topic.
“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupery
-Ben
Welcome Ben and thanks so much for sharing your wonderful quote, I will definitely add it to my collection. Sounds like you’ve got your hands full Ben, but it also sounds like a pretty wonderful life you are growing
Great Article! One thing I do to that helps me appreciate life is I take a few moments to myself, slow down and clear my head of everything going on. I contemplate and meditate on my death…sounds bizzare but it gives me a massive rush of appreciation for life and who i am.
Welcome Bardia – so glad you enjoyed the article and quotes. I can personally relate to your process of taking time for yourself. As a Class A introvert a bit of solitude now and then is a must for me and really makes a huge difference in my day. Thanks!