The less I needed, the better I felt. Charles Bukowski
Less stuff equals more freedom. Maxime Lagacé
If buying stuff hasn’t made you happy, maybe getting rid of it will. Joshua Becker
Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest. Leo Babauta
He who is contented is rich. Lao Tzu
I will not say yes when my heart says no. Courtney Carver
Receive without conceit, release without struggle. Marcus Aurelius
The greatest wealth is a poverty of desires. Seneca
A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. Henry David Thoreau
The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. William James
Saying no is more important than saying yes. Shane Parrish
Every increased possession loads us with new weariness. John Ruskin
He is not rich, that enjoyeth not his own goods. Pythagoras
Make room for things that matter by removing everything that doesn’t. Brian Gardner
Why should we pay so much attention to what the majority thinks? Socrates
See also: solitude quotes, Marcus Aurelius quotes, zen quotes
The Best Simplicity Quotes
The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the more free you are. Mother Teresa
There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth. Leo Tolstoy
Let’s stop telling each other how busy we are. Unknown
The more simple we are, the more complete we become. August Rodin
To be richer, happier, and freer, all you need to do is want less. Francine Jay
It is vain to do with more what can be done with less. William Of Occam
Slow down. Do less. Maxime Lagacé
A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy? Albert Einstein Click to tweet
Men are not great or small because of their material possessions. They are great or small because of what they are. James Cash Penney
Order your soul. Reduce your wants. Augustine of Hippo
My greatest skill has been to want little. Henry David Thoreau
Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are. Courtney Carver
Too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want to impress people they don’t like. Will Rogers
Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. Lin Yutang
Eliminate physical clutter. More importantly, eliminate spiritual clutter. D.H. Mondfleur
Small needs lead to a large life. Unknown
Nothing is more simple than greatness; indeed, to be simple is to be great. Ralph Waldo Emerson (See also: simple quotes)
Eat, drink and love… the rest is not worth a nickel. Lord Byron
How many things are there which I do not want. Socrates
The most important things in life aren’t things. Kenneth Clarke
What is Simplicity?
Simplicity is the peak of civilization. Jessie Sampter
Simplicity is a state of mind. Charles Wagner Click to tweet
Simplicity is when you remove anything useless. Maxime Lagacé
Simplicity is the end result of long, hard work, not the starting point. Frederick Maitland
Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough. Charles Warner
Simplicity is the most difficult thing to secure in this world; it is the last limit of experience and the last effort of genius. George Sand
Simplicity is the nature of great souls. Papa Ramadas
Part 2. Simplicity Quotes That Are…
The Most Famous Simplicity Quotes (Thoreau, Oprah, Bruce Lee, etc.)
Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify. Henry David Thoreau Click to tweet
Beware the barrenness of a busy life. Socrates
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Leonardo da Vinci
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. Confucius
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. Lao Tzu
Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. Lao Tzu
To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance. Buddha
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple. Dr. Seuss
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. Ernst F. Schumacher
Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy. Isaac Newton
That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains. Steve Jobs
All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope. Winston Churchill
To be content, look backward on those who possess less than yourself, not forward on those who possess more. If this does not make you content, you don’t deserve to be happy. Benjamin Franklin
Let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail. Henry David Thoreau
As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness. Henry David Thoreau
Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. Albert Einstein
If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough. Oprah Winfrey
There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult. Warren Buffett
It is not daily increase but daily decrease, hack away the unessential. The closer to the source, the less wastage there is. Bruce Lee
Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. Steve Jobs
Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It is hard to make something simple. Richard Branson
Don’t confuse having a career with having a life. Hillary Clinton
One should use common words to say uncommon things. Arthur Schopenhauer
One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple. Jack Kerouac
More famous quotes
See also: The 10 Most Important Things to Simplify in Your Life (becomingminimalist.com)
Short Simplicity Quotes
One-liners, short simplicity quotes, thoughts and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, backgrounds.
The greatest wealth is to live content with little. Plato Click to tweet
Smile, breathe and go slowly. Thich Nhat Hanh
The expression of truth is simplicity. Seneca
The greatest ideas are the simplest. William Golding
Simplicity compounds. Complexity zeros out. Shane Parrish
The things you own end up owning you. Joshua Fields Millburn
Squint at the world. You will see more, by seeing less. John Maeda (The Laws Of Simplicity)
I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Lao Tzu
Simplify, then add lightness. Colin Chapman
If you’re not saying “HELL YEAH!” about it, say “no.” Derek Sivers (Hell yeah! Youtube video)
The simplest things are often the truest. Richard Bach
Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance. Coco Chanel
If it isn’t a clear yes, then it’s a clear no. Greg McKeown
Simplicity is the essence of happiness. Cedric Bledsoe
The most complicated skill is to be simple. Dejan Stojanovic
The greatest truths are the simplest: so likewise are the greatest men. Augustus William Hare
Simplicity is the friend of execution. Sesan Kareem
Don’t rush. Go slowly. Be present. Leo Babauta
Owning less is great. Wanting less is better. Joshua Becker
You don’t need more space, you need less stuff. Joshua Becker
Give all you can give and take only what you need. The Minimalists
A place for everything, and everything in its place. Francine Jay (Miss Minimalist)
Discern the vital few from the trivial many. Greg McKeown Click to tweet
If it doesn’t matter, get rid of it. Unknown
My philosophy? Simplicity plus variety. Hank Stram
I love to go and see all the things I am happy without. Socrates
Poverty is my pride. Muhammed
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Jesus Christ
Live simply that others might simply live. Elizabeth Ann Seton
The height of sophistication is simplicity. Clare Boothe Luce
It is better to be good than to be original. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
In simplicity there is truth. River Phoenix
Simplicity is the glory of expression. Walt Whitman
It takes a long time to learn how to do something simple. Marty Rubin
Complexity creates confusion, simplicity focus. Edward de Bono
Or, rather, let us be more simple and less vain. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
He is the richest who is content with the least. Socrates
More short quotes
Popular quotes on WisdomQuotes:
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Inspirational Simplicity Quotes
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. Robert Brault Click to tweet
The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity. Walt Whitman
Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours! Swedish Proverb
More good has been accomplished by simple people seeking their own honest ends than by all the philanthropists in history. Robert Brault
Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquility. Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?’. Marcus Aurelius
Find joy in simplicity, self-respect, and indifference to what lies between virtue and vice. Love the human race. Follow the divine. Marcus Aurelius
My task is to simplify and then go deeper, making a commitment to what remains. That’s what I’ve been after. To care and polish what remains till it glows and comes alive from loving care. Sue Bender
As we live and as we are, Simplicity – with a capital ‘S’ – is difficult to comprehend nowadays. We are no longer truly simple. We no longer live in simple terms or places. Life is a complex struggle now. It is now valiant to be simple: a courageous thing to even want to be simple. It is a spiritual thing to comprehend what simplicity means. Frank Lloyd Wright
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 incumbrances, 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 best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life. Robert Louis Stevenson
We can travel a long way and do many things, but our deepest happiness is not born from accumulating new experiences. It is born from letting go of what is unnecessary, and knowing ourselves to be always at home. Sharon Salzberg
I do not think that any civilization can be called complete until it has progressed from sophistication to unsophistication, and made a conscious return to simplicity of thinking and living. Lin Yutang
In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
However mean your life is, meet it and live it: do not shun it and call it hard names. Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends. Things do not change, we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts. Henry David Thoreau
Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. Henry David Thoreau
Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art. Frederic Chopin
Do not beat around the bush. Do not take winding detours. Follow a straight line to the objective; simplicity is the shortest distance between two points. Bruce Lee
For the longest time, I thought I needed to be more organized. Now I know I just needed less stuff. Alysa Bajenaru
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
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. Victoria Moran
Enjoy the simple, the natural and the plain. Along with that comes the ability to do things spontaneously and have them work. Benjamin Hoff
True simplicity is, well, you just keep on going and going until you get to the point where you go, ‘Yeah, well, of course.’ Where there’s no rational alternative. Jonathan Ive
Simplicity is not the absence of clutter, that’s a consequence of simplicity. Simplicity is somehow essentially describing the purpose and place of an object and product. The absence of clutter is just a clutter-free product. That’s not simple. Jonathan Ive
It is simplicity that makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when addressing popular audiences. Aristotle
It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. Laura Ingalls Wilder
See also: Simple Living Manifesto: 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life (zenhabits.net)
Funny And Surprising simplicity Quotes
Expert: Someone who brings confusion to simplicity. Gregory Nunn
It’s not what’s under the tree, it’s who’s around it. Charlie Brown Click to tweet
Better to have spent a minute meditating than tweeting. The Mimimalists
It’s not a good deal if you don’t need it. Unknown
A child of five could understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five. Groucho Marx
If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live. Lin Yutang
Simplicity is hard to build, easy to use, and hard to charge for. Complexity is easy to build, hard to use, and easy to charge for. Chris Sacca
There is one advantage to having nothing, it never needs repair. Frank A. Clark
I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren’t certain we knew better. They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death. Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their worrying. George Bird Evans
Simplify your life. You don’t grow spiritual, you shrink spiritual. Steve Maraboli
I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead. Mark Twain
To poke a wood fire is more solid enjoyment than almost anything else in the world. Charles Dudley Warner
People love chopping wood. In this activity one immediately sees results. Albert Einstein
More funny quotes
Deep And Emotional Simplicity Quotes
Simplicity and harmony are the ultimate conditions to be attained in all things. Horace Fletcher
Wherever I am, let me never forget to distinguish want from need. Barbara Kingsolver Click to tweet
Progress is man’s ability to complicate simplicity. Thor Heyerdahl
The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Oscar Wilde
Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry. Henry David Thoreau
It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about? Henry David Thoreau
Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they’ve started. Leo Babauta
Simplicity before understanding is simplistic; simplicity after understanding is simple. Edward de Bono
Every solution to every problem is simple. It’s the distance between the two where the mystery lies. Derek Landy
Everything is both simpler than we can imagine, and more complicated that we can conceive. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter. Harold Kushner
Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit. Hosea Ballou
Simplicity is an acquired taste. Mankind, left free, instinctively complicates life. Katharine Elizabeth Fullerton Gerould
Truthfully, though, most organizing is nothing more than well-planned hoarding. Joshua Fields Millburn (The Minimalists)
The highest excellence is like water. The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying, without striving, the low place which all men dislike. Lao Tzu
Simplicity is the only thing that sufficiently reorients our lives so that possessions can be genuinely enjoyed without destroying us. Richard Foster
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130
Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky
See also: 10 Reasons Why a Simple Lifestyle Reduces Stress and Benefits Your Health (lifehack.org)
Wise Simplicity Quotes (Words Of Wisdom)
The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity. Bruce Lee Click to tweet
What we need are few. What we want are many. Sheng Yen
Instead of presents, give presence. Leo Babauta
Never use a long word when a short one will do. Louisa May Alcott
I have no money, no resources, no hopes. I am the happiest man alive. Henry Miller
Maybe a person’s time would be as well spent raising food as raising money to buy food. Frank A. Clark
Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification. Martin H. Fischer
I think we are in a non-essentialist bubble — everything seems important — so of course nothing is. Greg McKeown
Every time I’m doing something that is not essential, I am giving up on something that is essential. Greg McKeown
I would rather own little and see the world, than own the world and see little of it. Alexander Sattler
What a unique treasure are the things we have learned to live without, for no thief can take them from us. Robert Brault
Remember that in giving any reason at all for refusing, you lay some foundation for a future request. Arthur Helps
Don’t forget it: He has most who needs least. Don’t create needs for yourself. St. Josemaría Escrivá
If everything is important, then nothing is. Patrick M. Lencioni
Learning isn’t acquiring knowledge so much as it is trimming information that has already been acquired. Criss Jami
When everything is urgent, nothing is urgent. The Minimalists
Those who are wise won’t be busy, and those who are too busy can’t be wise. Lin Yutang
Forget sale price. Everything is 100% off when you don’t buy it. Joshua Fields Millburn
He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have. Socrates
The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. Socrates
A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man marvels at the commonplace. Confucius
Anything that costs you your peace is too expensive. Unknown
Do not talk a little on many subjects, but much on a few. Pythagoras
More words of wisdom
Part 3. Simplicity Quotes About…
Quotes About Minimalism, Simple Living And Essentialism
Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful. John Maeda Click to tweet
Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. Marie Kondo (The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up)
I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things in life which are the real ones after all. Laura Ingalls Wilder
Minimalism is the pathway to the better life you’ve been searching for all along. Joshua Becker (Check out What is minimalism? by becomingminimalist.com)
Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. Joshua Becker
These times are too progressive. Everything has changed too fast. Railroads and telegraphs and kerosene and coal stoves – they’re good to have but the trouble is, folks get to depend on ’em. Laura Ingalls Wilder (Think about today!)
It is desirable that a man live in all respects so simply and preparedly that if an enemy take the town… he can walk out the gate empty-handed and without anxiety. Henry David Thoreau
The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things. Epictetus
Our affluent society contains those of talent and insight who are driven to prefer poverty, to choose it, rather than submit to the desolation of an empty abundance. Michael Harrington
I like to walk about among the beautiful things that adorn the world; but private wealth I should decline, or any sort of personal possessions, because they would take away my liberty. George Santayana
The point of simple living, for me, has got to be: a soft place to land, a wide margin for error, room to breathe, lots of places to find baseline happiness in each and every day. Leo Babauta
I just naturally want to do things that make sense. In my personal life too, I don’t care what other rich people are doing. I don’t want a 405 foot boat just because someone else has a 400 foot boat. Warren Buffett
I am strongly drawn to the simple life and am often oppressed by the feeling that I am engrossing an unnecessary amount of the labor of my fellow. I regard class differences as contrary to justice and, in the last resort, based on force. I also consider that plain living is good for everybody, physically and mentally. Albert Einstein
But I deal with this meditating and by understanding I’ve been put on the planet to serve humanity. I have to remind myself to live simply and not to overindulge, which is a constant battle in a material world. Sandra Cisneros
A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think. Eleanor Roosevelt Click to tweet
Essentialism is the art of discerning between external noise and internal voice. Lawton Ursrey
Essentialism: only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter. Greg McKeown
Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. Elise Boulding
I woke up early and took the first train to take me away from the city. The noise and all its people. I was alone on the train and had no idea where I was going, and that’s why I went there. Charlotte Eriksson
I walked for a while until I found the water, the most peaceful place I know. There I sat and stayed the whole day, with nothing and everything on my mind, cleaning my head. Silence, I learned, is some times the most beautiful sound. Charlotte Eriksson
Essentialism […] It doesn’t mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential. Greg McKeown (See also: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit Of Less, Amazon book)
Essentialism is not about how to get more things done, it’s about how to the get the right things done. Greg McKeown
Identify what’s most important to you. Eliminate as much as you possibly can of everything else. Mark and Angel
The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. Hans Hofmann
Quotes About Simplicity, Materialism, Consumerism, Possessions
The more we simplify our material needs the more we are free to think of other things. Eleanor Roosevelt Click to tweet
I’m not impressed by your looks, money, social status or job title. I’m impressed by the way you treat other human beings. Jim Kwik
Houses are full of things that gather dust. Jack Kerouac
The material pursuit of self-esteem reduces self-esteem. George Monbiot
Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul. Democritus
Possessions are usually diminished by possession. Friedrich Nietzsche
Complete possession is proved only by giving. All you are unable to give possesses you. Andre Gide
Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary many things are. We’ve been using them not because we needed them but because we had them. Seneca
Every right implies a responsibility; Every opportunity, an obligation, Every possession, a duty. John D. Rockefeller
I have to remind myself to live simply and not overindulge, which is a constant battle in a material world. Sandra Cisneros
If these things haven’t delivered on their promises yet, it may be time to let them go. Francine Jay (Miss Minimalist)
See also: The Psychology Of Materialism, And Why It’s Making You Unhappy (huffingtonpost.ca)
The modern consumerist system is designed to take your money and time away from you. Anthony Ongaro
You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. Kahlil Gibran
Material blessings, when they pay beyond the category of need, are weirdly fruitful of headache. Philip Wylie
There is no such thing as material covetousness. All covetousness is spiritual. …Any so-called material thing that you want is merely a symbol: you want it not for itself, but because it will content your spirit for the moment. Mark Twain
I’m one of the least materialistic people that exist, because material possessions don’t mean much to me. They’re beautiful, I enjoy them, they can enhance your life to a certain degree, but they’re ultimately not important. Tom Ford (Famous fashion designer)
The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things. Elise Boulding
We go on multiplying our conveniences only to multiply our cares. We increase our possessions only to the enlargement of our anxieties. Anna C. Brackett
Increase of material comforts, it may be generally laid down, does not in any way whatsoever conduce to moral growth. Mahatma Gandhi
The rise of social media is proving problematic. Younger age groups of children and adults are now becoming heavily absorbed in it, unaware that social media presents rose-tinted versions of life as the truth, and it’s against this fiction that they’re comparing themselves. Thibaut
It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly. Bertrand Russell
It is the logic of consumerism that undermines the values of loyalty and permanence and promotes a different set of values that is destructive of family life. Christopher Lasch
Man should not consider his material possession his own, but as common to all, so as to share them without hesitation when others are in need. Thomas Aquinas
Anything you cannot relinquish when it has outlived its usefulness possesses you, and in this materialistic age a great many of us are possessed by our possessions. Peace Pilgrim
Our greatest illusion is reliance upon the security and permanence of material possessions. We must search for some other coin. John Cudahy
The roots of addiction can be seen in our search for happiness in something outside of our self, be it drugs, relationships, material possessions. Lee L Jampolsky
Everything we possess that is not necessary for life or happiness becomes a burden, and scarcely a day passes that we do not add to it. Robert Brault
Reject the basic assumptions of civilization, especially the importance of material possessions. Chuck Palahniuk
Materialism is the only form of distraction from true bliss. Douglas Horton Click to tweet
There must be more to life than having everything. Maurice Sendak
Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them. Napoleon Bonaparte
An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit. Pliny the Elder
The wonderful things in life are the things you do, not the things you have. Reinhold Messner
The nightmare of materialism, which has turned the life of the universe into an evil, useless game, is not yet past; it holds the awakening soul still in its grip. Wassily Kandinsky
Our chief comforts often produce our greatest anxieties, and the increase in our possessions is but an inlet to new disquietudes. Oliver Goldsmith
Materialism and all its miseries can never be conquered by materialism. Swami Vivekananda
Let there be as little materialism as possible, with the maximum of spirituality. Swami Vivekananda
Quotes About Simplicity and Complexity
The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity. Douglas Horton Click to tweet
Progress is in simplification, which often follows complexity. Pearl Zhu
Complexity is impressive, but simplicity is genius. Lance Wallnau
Simple pleasures are the last healthy refuge in a complex world. Oscar Wilde
Simple truths are a relief from grand speculations. Vauvenargues
Simplicity is a key to avoiding complication. Part of the definition of simplicity is ‘not complex or complicated; sincere’. Joyce Meyer
People often associate complexity with deeper meaning, when often after precious time has been lost, it is realized that simplicity is the key to everything. Gary Hopkins
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 a great virtue but it requires hard work to achieve it and education to appreciate it. And to make matters worse: complexity sells better. Edsger W. Dijkstra
Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves. Edwin Way Teale
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity. Charles Mingus
Avoid the superficial, penetrate the complex, go to the heart of the problem, and pinpoint the key factors. Bruce Lee
Simplicity is a most complex form. Duke Ellington
Plain question and plain answer make the shortest road out of most perplexities. Mark Twain
Complex things are easy to do. Simplicity’s the real challenge. Robert James Waller
The role of genius is not to complicate the simple, but to simplify the complicated. Criss Jami
Complexity means distracted effort. Simplicity means focused effort. Edward de Bono
Growth creates complexity, which requires simplicity. Andy Stanley
Quotes About Voluntary Simplicity
I don’t need a lot of money. Simplicity is the answer for me. Linda McCartney Click to tweet
You might get 85 years on this planet – don’t spend 65 paying off a lifestyle you can’t afford. Cait Flanders
Ten years from now it won’t really matter what shoes you wore today, how your hair looked, or what brand of clothes you wore. What will matter is how you lived, how you loved, and what you learned along the way. Marc and Angel
Voluntary simplicity means going fewer places in one day rather than more, seeing less so I can see more, doing less so I can do more, acquiring less so I can have more. Jon Kabat-Zinn
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. Marcus Aurelius
None can be an impartial or wise observer of human life but from the vantage ground of what we should call voluntary poverty. Henry David Thoreau
How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbour says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy. Marcus Aurelius
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. Epictetus
It would add very much to the pleasure of life and to its sanctity if we cultivated the habit of seeing what is beautiful and divine in ordinary things, though this is not easy, because our natural tendency is to think and talk most of what is extraordinary. Alfred Rowland
All goes back to the earth, and so I do not desire pride of excess or power, but the contentments made by men who have had little: the fisherman’s silence receiving the river’s grace, the gardener’s musing on rows. Wendell Berry
We really must understand that the lust for affluence in contemporary society is psychotic. It is psychotic because it has completely lost touch with reality. We crave things we neither need nor enjoy. Richard Foster
The Master said, “A true gentleman is one who has set his heart upon the Way. A fellow who is ashamed merely of shabby clothing or modest meals is not even worth conversing with”. Analects 4.9 Confucius
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not, rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common – this is my symphony. William Henry Channing
To the Technocrats: Have mercy on us. Relax a bit, take time out for simple pleasures. For example, the luxuries of electricity, indoor plumbing, central heating, instant electronic communication and such, have taught me to relearn and enjoy the basic human satisfactions of dipping water from a cold clear mountain stream; of building a wood fire in a cast-iron stove; of using long winter nights for making music, making things, making love; of writing long letters, in longhand with a fountain pen, to the few people on this earth I truly care about. Edward Abbey
I’ve heard my teacher say, where there are machines, there are bound to be machine worries; where there are machine worries, there are bound to be machine hearts. With a machine heart in your breast, you’ve spoiled what was pure and simple; and without the pure and simple, the life of the spirit knows no rest. Zhuangzi
Poor food and water for dinner, a bent arm for a pillow – that is where joy resides. For me, wealth and renown without honor are nothing but drifting clouds. Confucius
I go about looking at horses and cattle. They eat grass, make love, work when they have to, bear their young. I am sick with envy of them. Sherwood Anderson
I think we’ve been oversold the value of more and undersold the value of less. Greg McKeown
Teach us delight in simple things, and mirth that has no bitter springs. Rudyard Kipling
See also: How to Simplify Your Life With Voluntary Simplicity – Benefits & Challenges
Quotes About Simplicity, Humility, Kindness
Pride divides the men, humility joins them. Socrates Click to tweet
Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real. Thomas Merton
A great man is always willing to be little. Ralph Waldo Emerson
True humility is contentment. Henri Frederic Amiel
Be silent as to services you have rendered, but speak of favours you have received. Seneca
The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk. Marcus Tullius Cicero
No truly great person ever thought themselves so. William Hazlitt
Serenity, regularity, absence of vanity, sincerity, simplicity, veracity, equanimity, Fixity, non-irritability, adaptability, Humility, tenacity, integrity, nobility, magnanimity, charity, generosity, purity. Practise daily these eighteen “ities” You will soon attain immortality. Socrates
My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind. Albert Einstein
He that places himself neither higher nor lower than he ought to do exercises the truest humility. Charles Caleb Colton
Be modest, humble, simple. Control your anger. Abraham Cahan
Forget popularity. Just do your thing with passion, humility and honesty. Marc and Angel
I believe the first test of a truly great man is in his humility. John Ruskin Click to tweet
The only way you will advance spiritually is through humility. Frederick Lenz
When there’s nothing but humility, there’s nothing but spiritual oneness. Frederick Lenz
Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right. Ezra Taft Benson
Learn to laugh at yourselves as one must laugh! Friedrich Nietzsche
Greatness of spirit is accompanied by simplicity and sincerity. Aristotle
More kindness quotes, humility quotes, honesty quotes
Quotes About Simplicity, Design, Architecture
Think 8 hours, work 2 hours. Mirko Ilic Click to tweet
Design means being good, not just looking good. Clement Mok
We adore chaos because we love to produce order. M. C. Escher
Simple is hard. Easy is harder. Invisible is hardest. Jean-Louis Gassée
Order and simplification are the first steps toward the mastery of a subject. Thomas Mann
Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information. Edward Tufte
Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations. Paul Rand
In order to be a good gatekeeper, you have to think of your house as sacred space, not storage space. Francine Jay (Miss Minimalist)
The problem: we put more value on our stuff than on our space. Francine Jay (Miss Minimalist)
I live lightly and gracefully, with only the objects I find functional or beautiful. Francine Jay (Miss Minimalist)
Rather than cluttering up your home, stealing your time, and draining your wallet, the stuff in your life should serve a purpose and make you happy. If that isn’t the case, then your stuff owns you. Tammy Strobel
Almost all quality improvement comes via simplification of design, manufacturing, layout, processes, and procedures. Tom Peters
We must have order, allocating to each thing its proper place and giving to each thing is due according to its nature. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
The architect should strive continually to simplify; the ensemble of the rooms should then be carefully considered that comfort and utility may go hand in hand with beauty. Bruce Lee
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
Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful. William Morris
One can furnish a room very luxuriously by taking out furniture rather than putting it in. Francis Jourdain
Design is the conscious effort to impose a meaningful order. Victor Papanek Click to tweet
I feel that my environment reflects my belief in the grace and art and elegance of living simply. bell hooks
Architecture has the power to create order out of unholy confusion. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Less is more. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Good design means as little design as possible. Dieter Rams
Quotes About Simplicity, Beauty, Elegance, Style
Elegance is refusal. Coco Chanel Click to tweet
Simplicity, carried to an an extreme, becomes elegance. Jon Franklin
Only great minds can afford a simple style. Stendhal
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. Confucius
To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. Thich Nhat Hanh
Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity. Plato
Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them. Marcus Aurelius
Sometimes people are beautiful, not in looks, not in what they say, just in what they are. Markus Zusak
Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. Anne Frank
Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old. Franz Kafka
True elegance for me is the manifestation of an independent mind. Isabella Rossellini
Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful. Thich Nhat Hanh
We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. Mother Teresa
Elegance is achieved when all that is superfluous has been discarded and the human being discovers simplicity and concentration: the simpler and more sober the posture, the more beautiful it will be. Paulo Coelho
Elegance is elimination. Cristobal Balenciaga Click to tweet
Peace is the beauty of life. It is sunshine. It is the smile of a child, the love of a mother, the joy of a father, the togetherness of a family. It is the advancement of man, the victory of a just cause, the triumph of truth. Menachem Begin
Adornment, what a science! Beauty, what a weapon! Modesty, what elegance! Coco Chanel
Elegance means appreciating things as they are. There is a sense of delight and of fearlessness. Chogyam Trungpa
I think happiness is what makes you pretty. Period. Happy people are beautiful. They become like a mirror and they reflect that happiness. Drew Barrymore
The sculptor produces the beautiful statue by chipping away such parts of the marble block as are not needed — it is a process of elimination. Elbert Hubbard
A person with taste is merely one who can recognize the greatest beauty in the simplest things. Barbara Taylor Bradford
You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful. Amy Bloom
Real elegance is simply a true encounter with oneself. Carole Bouquet
Beauty is power; a smile is its sword. John Ray
There is beauty, heartbreaking beauty, everywhere. Edward Abbey
Part 4. The Best Simplicity Quotes From The Best Minimalism Blogs
True contentment is not about acquiring more, but being satisfied with greater simplicity and fulfilled by what you already have. Carley Hauck https://www.mindful.org
Slowly cut things out until you’re left only with what you love, with what’s necessary, with what makes you happy. Leo Babauta https://zenhabits.net/
The first step in crafting a life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t. Joshua Becker https://www.becomingminimalist.com/
Imagine a life with less. Less stuff, less clutter, less stress and debt and discontent. Ryan Nicodemus https://www.theminimalists.com/nicodemus/
Forget sale price. Everything is 100% off when you don’t buy it. Joshua Fields Millburn https://www.theminimalists.com/millburn/
If you don’t have time to do what matters, stop doing things that don’t. Courtney Carver https://bemorewithless.com/
More was never the answer. The answer, it turned out, was always less. Cait Flanders https://caitflanders.com/
Slow down. You move too fast. Jacki Hollywood Brown https://unclutterer.com/
If we don’t know what to get each other for gifts – maybe we shouldn’t exchange gifts? Rachel http://www.theminimalistmom.com
“No” is a complete sentence. Anne Lamott (wisdomquotes.com loves this one 🙂 ) https://twitter.com/annelamott https://www.facebook.com/AnneLamott/
Simple living doesn’t solve all my problems, it just removes distractions. Melissa Camara Wilkins https://melissacamarawilkins.com
Without grace, minimalism is another metric for perfection. Erin Loechner http://designformankind.com/
When life is crazy, it’s time to empty your plate. Alysa Bajenaru http://inspiredrd.com/
At some point I realized that I wasn’t organizing my life; I was organizing my clutter. Francine Jay http://www.missminimalist.com/
When things get tough, come back to the simple. Practising Simplicity http://www.practisingsimplicity.com/
By becoming a little more present and mindful you’ll probably make less mistakes, and feel less stressed out too. The Mindfulness Project https://www.londonmindful.com/blog
Shedding unnecessary stuff and commitments will free up space in your life for abundance of the best kind. Evelyn http://smallishblog.com
We gave away most of our belongings. Interestingly, the more we gave away, the better we felt. Tammy Strobel, https://www.rowdykittens.com/
The more intentional you are in your choices, the more every change makes room for more changes I just love that there’s this endless potential. Dee Williams, https://padtinyhouses.com/dee-williams/
The things you wear don’t make you beautiful; they accentuate the beauty that’s already there. Colin Wright, http://exilelifestyle.com/
99 percent of what stressed you out today won’t matter a month from now. Marc and Angel http://www.marcandangel.com/
You need time to think, time to dream, time to talk and time to do nothing at all. Brooke McAlary, https://slowyourhome.com/
Intentional living and spending leads to more money and freedom. Anthony Ongaro https://www.breakthetwitch.com/
Part 5. Conclusion
Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury – to me these have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best for both the body and the mind. Albert Einstein Click to tweet
Call to action: Read Living the Simple Life? (zenhabits.net)
Table Of Contents
Part 1
Top 15 Images
Best Simplicity Quotes
What Is Simplicity?
Part 2
Simplicity Quotes That ARE
Famous
Short
Inspirational
Funny
Deep
Wise
Part 3
Simplicity Quotes ABOUT
Minimalism
Materialism
Complexity</a
Voluntary Simplicity
Humility
Design
Beauty
Part 4
Minimalism Blogs Quotes
Part 5
Conclusion
Perfect! I really love these quotes. I will recommend your site. Keep posting inspirational content!
Thank you for sharing!
I love these quotes!
Thank you Adam!
Wow! I’m struggling right now and these quotes made me feel better. Thank you for sharing these inspiring quotes!
Happy to hear that 🙂
Did u know that Ralph Waldo Emerson said once “create your own bible by saving the quotes that shake you to your core” I am paraphrasing him.
Hi John,
thank you for sharing with us.
No I wasn’t aware of this but I love the idea.
In fact, I’ve been doing this with wisdomquotes.com since 2017! 🙂
Best,
Maxime
Great collection!
May I also recommend one – a Chinese proverb:
Rivers and mountains are easy to be moved, but it is much harder to change one’s nature.
(Note: In ancient Chinese, rivers and mountains also mean “dynasty”. So literal translation can also be: “it is easier to change dynasties than to alter one’s nature.)
Thanks for that beautiful quote, Jene.
Never heard it before.
It makes absolute sense: most of us complain about others and stuff, but rarely about ourselves.
Regards,
Maxime
Amazing quotes. Keep it up. Loved reading them all. I have also collected them for quite some time.
I wonder do you have any quotes around travel?
Hi Lisa,
thanks for your comment.
Yes we have this article https://wisdomquotes.com/travel-quotes/
Regards,
Maxime
Hello,
Just want to thank for inspiring quotes.
This quote has everything to do with my life, “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love. Marcus Aurelius”… Keep up the good work. 🙂
Greetings from Portugal.
It is indeed a beautiful quote.
Love Marcus Aurelius.
For more you can also check out the stoic quotes page or Marcus Aurelius quotes page.
Thanks,
Maxime
Great quotes, thanks! 🙂
Thanks for your message, Monica.
Regards,
Maxime