
It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.” -E.F.
“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. “You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need.” -Vernon Howard, 1918. “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, 1920. “Smile, breathe and go slowly.” -Thich Nhat Hanh, 1926. Having few desires, feeling satisfied with what you have, is very vital: satisfaction with just enough food, clothing, and shelter to protect yourself from the elements.” -The Dalai Lama, 1935. Simplicity is extremely important for happiness. “If one’s life is simple, contentment has to come. #Life keep it simple quotes how to
Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter.” -Harold Kushner, 1935.
“Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power.
“The simplest things are often the truest.” -Richard Bach, 1936.“Any half-awake materialist well knows – that which you hold holds you.” – Tom Robbins, 1936.“The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn’t simple.” -Doris Janzen Longacre, 1940.We crave things we neither need nor enjoy.” -Richard Foster, 1940s. It is psychotic because it has completely lost touch with reality. “We really must understand that the lust for affluence in contemporary society is psychotic.
This is a middle way that moves between the extremes of poverty and indulgence.” -Duane Elgin, 1940s. It’s a more demanding intention of living with balance.
“The intention of voluntary simplicity is not to dogmatically live with less. If we can’t find peace and happiness there, it’s not going to come from the outside.” -Tenzin Palmo, 1943. “One of the advantages of being born in an affluent society is that if one has any intelligence at all, one will realize that having more and more won’t solve the problem, and happiness does not lie in possessions, or even relationships: The answer lies within ourselves. “Simplicity involves unburdening your life, and living more lightly with fewer distractions that interfere with a high quality life, as defined uniquely by each individual.” -Linda Breen Pierce, 1947. “There are two ways to be rich: One is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little.” -Jackie French Koller, 1948. I have to remind myself to live simply and not overindulge, which is a constant battle in a material world.” -Sandra Cisneros, 1954. “But I deal with this by meditating and by understanding I’ve been put on the planet to serve humanity. (To place emphasis on the history of the movement, they have been arranged chronologically by author’s birth year). Just consider the following men and women who have advocated for a lifestyle of minimalism.īelow are 50 powerful minimalism quotes and simplicity quotes from many different time periods, starting with people from our modern era all the way back to 563 BCE. In fact, it has been practiced and encouraged for thousands of years, literally. Voluntary simplicity (and/or minimalism) is certainly not new.