By Maxime Lagacé
Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.
Top 10 Quotes – Short – Funny – More Quotes – Visual – Takeaways – Further Readings
90% of people overthink things.
The result?
They don’t make progress in their lives.
They feel stuck.
That’s why I’ve collected 83 of the best simplicity quotes for you.
What’s my goal?
To help you find clarity and simplicity in your life.
You’ll discover amazing quotes from Buddha, Thoreau, Plato, and many more.
Enjoy!
Top 10 Simplicity Quotes
Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest. Leo Babauta
Less stuff equals more freedom. Maxime Lagacé
If buying stuff hasn’t made you happy, maybe getting rid of it will. Joshua Becker
He who is contented is rich. Lao Tzu
I will not say yes when my heart says no. Courtney Carver
The less I needed, the better I felt. Charles Bukowski
Receive without conceit, release without struggle. Marcus Aurelius
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
The greatest wealth is a poverty of desires. Seneca
Short Simplicity Quotes
Discern the vital few from the trivial many. Greg McKeown
The greatest wealth is to live content with little. Plato
The expression of truth is simplicity. Seneca
The greatest ideas are the simplest. William Golding
Simplicity compounds. Complexity zeros out. Shane Parrish
Squint at the world. You will see more, by seeing less. John Maeda (The Laws Of Simplicity)
If everything is important, then nothing is. Patrick M. Lencioni
Simplify, then add lightness. Colin Chapman
If you’re not saying “HELL YEAH!” about it, say “no.” Derek Sivers (Hell yeah! YouTube video)
I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Lao Tzu
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 and harmony are the ultimate conditions to be attained in all things. Horace Fletcher
Owning less is great. Wanting less is better. Joshua Becker
You don’t need more space, you need less stuff. Joshua Becker
I love to go and see all the things I am happy without. Socrates
He is the richest who is content with the least. Socrates
My philosophy? Simplicity plus variety. Hank Stram
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Jesus Christ
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. Robert Brault
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
Funny And Surprising Simplicity Quotes
There is one advantage to having nothing, it never needs repair. Frank A. Clark
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
It’s not a good deal if you don’t need it. Unknown
If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live. Lin Yutang
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
Related
- 100 Materialism Quotes To Simplify Your Life
- 77 Life Lessons Quotes (To Learn And Grow)
- 70 Confucius Quotes To Elevate Your Spirit
More Quotes About Simplicity
Every increased possession loads us with a new weariness. John Ruskin
Saying no is more important than saying yes. Shane Parrish
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
Let’s stop telling each other how busy we are. Unknown
There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth. Leo Tolstoy
The more simple we are, the more complete we become. August Rodin
It is vain to do with more what can be done with less. William Of Occam
Order your soul. Reduce your wants. Augustine of Hippo
To be richer, happier, and freer, all you need to do is want less. Francine Jay
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
My greatest skill has been to want little. Henry David Thoreau
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
Eliminate physical clutter. More importantly, eliminate spiritual clutter. D.H. Mondfleur
Simplicity is the peak of civilization. Jessie Sampter
Nothing is more simple than greatness; indeed, to be simple is to be great. Ralph Waldo Emerson
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. Henry David Thoreau
How many things are there which I do not want? Socrates
The most important things in life aren’t things. Kenneth Clarke
Beware the barrenness of a busy life. Socrates
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Leonardo da Vinci
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
The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity. Bruce Lee
Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify. Henry David Thoreau
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
The more things you have, the more things you have to manage. Simplicity isn’t merely cheaper, it’s easier. James Clear
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
Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. Albert Einstein
There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult. Warren Buffett
The simplest things are often the truest. Richard Bach
Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. Steve Jobs
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
Related: The 10 Most Important Things to Simplify in Your Life (becomingminimalist.com)
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
Visual For Simplicity
You see how few things you have to do to live a satisfying and reverent life? Marcus Aurelius
Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
What is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right. Albert Einstein
Key Takeaways
- Simplify your life: You need less than you think.
- Get rid of stuff: Too much will drain your time and energy.
- Focus on a handful of things: your health, love, and mission. Ignore everything else.
- Who is wise? The one who knows what’s important and what’s not.
- Want a simple way to simplify your life? Learn to say no, a lot (betterup.com)
Further Readings
- Topic: Life
- 100 Short Quotes That Will Inspire You (Fast)
- 100 One Word Quotes (For Quick Inspiration)
- 79 Positive Quotes To Uplift Yourself
- 75 Words of Wisdom From The Best Minds (Ever)
- 73 Life Is Short Quotes To Help You Live To The Fullest
- 20 Ways to Simplify Your Life and Create More Ease and Space (balancethroughsimplicity.com)
- 93+ Essentialism Quotes And Summary (Book by Greg McKeown)
- 73 Life Tips To Live Your Best Life
Hope you enjoyed these great simplicity quotes. If you did, please share them with a friend today!
Do you have a simple life? What’s your favorite simplicity quote? And remember: words can transform your life, if you find the right ones.
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