Simple Living Quotes

“Let me wake up next to you, have coffee in the morning and wander through the city with your hand in mine, and I'll be happy for the rest of my fucked up little life.”
― Charlotte Eriksson, Empty Roads & Broken Bottles: in search for The Great Perhaps

“I do not particularly like the word 'work.' Human beings are the only animals who have to work, and I think that is the most ridiculous thing in the world. Other animals make their livings by living, but people work like crazy, thinking that they have to in order to stay alive. The bigger the job, the greater the challenge, the more wonderful they think it is. It would be good to give up that way of thinking and live an easy, comfortable life with plenty of free time. I think that the way animals live in the tropics, stepping outside in the morning and evening to see if there is something to eat, and taking a long nap in the afternoon, must be a wonderful life. For human beings, a life of such simplicity would be possible if one worked to produce directly his daily necessities. In such a life, work is not work as people generally think of it, but simply doing what needs to be done.”
― Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution

“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, Walden

“The greatest challenge in life is to be our own person and accept that being different is a blessing and not a curse. A person who knows who they are lives a simple life by eliminating from their orbit anything that does not align with his or her overriding purpose and values. A person must be selective with their time and energy because both elements of life are limited.”
― Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

“The more things we accumulate, the more cluttered our lives become, and the more stressed we feel as we are compelled to think about them. Life is about people not about things.”
― Natalie Vellacott

“...there are often many things we feel we should do that, in fact, we don't really have to do. Getting to the point where we can tell the difference is a major milestone in the simplification process.”
― Elaine St. James, Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More

“Well, all I need is the air I breathe and a place to rest my head.”
― OneRepublic, OneRepublic - Dreaming Out Loud Piano, Vocal and Guitar Chords

“People no longer live by sun and moon, by wind and stars, but by some slyly contrived conventions known as clocks and calendars.”
― Matthew Goldman, The Journals of Constant Waterman: Paddling, Poling, and Sailing for the Love of It

“I could smell an arrogance,
it was my cheap fragrance.”
― Toba Beta [Betelgeuse Incident], Betelgeuse Incident: Insiden Bait Al-Jauza

“When we black people commit ourselves to living simply as a political action, as a way of breaking the stress caused by unrelenting hedonistic desire for material objects that are not needed for survival, or essential to well-being, we will not be talking about ebonics. We will be out in the streets demanding that the public schools have enough teachers so that all kids, cross color, can read and write in standard English and in Spanish too.”
― bell hooks, Black Genius: African-American Solutions to African-American Problems

“Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning sun can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day - like writing a poem, or saying a prayer.”
― Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“I wonder how it is that people's philosophies have come to spin faster than the changing seasons.”
― Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution

“Life already has so many boundaries and pressures - why add more in the garden?”
― Felder Rushing

“I was rich, for there was nothing else that I needed or wanted.”
― Mark Warren, Two Winters in a Tipi: My Search For The Soul Of The Forest

“Living aboard one's sailboat and having neither house nor vehicle nor job, and needing none, would be hubris—the most arrogant presumption—and therefore suitable punishable by the gods. One would be drowned by Poseidon early on and die extremely happy.”
― Matthew Goldman, The Journals of Constant Waterman: Paddling, Poling, and Sailing for the Love of It

“Potatoes have much more staying power than caviar.”
― Mark Helprin, Freddy and Fredericka

“At some point in life you lose interest in new devices, new clothes, new trends - and it dawns on you, what's really important in life, is people. That's when you really start living.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Visvavictor: Kanima Akiyor Kainat

“Be simple and live simple, thus you rise incorruptible.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Either Right or Human: 300 Limericks of Inclusion

“The world needs more people who celebrate the little things in life and find life in every little thing.”
― Bhuwan Thapaliya

“Simplicity is the road to recovery.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Either Right or Human: 300 Limericks of Inclusion

“Declutter Sonnet

Declutter is the sensible way forward,
So I moved from Windows to Chrome OS.
Less cluttered in mind and machine,
More you shall find the peaceful pace.

Note that I didn't make a mention of iOS,
even though it bears an element of declutter.
Declutter monetized at a ridiculous price tag,
is worse than the most cockeyed clutter.

Declutter and Undisparity, these are
the lifeblood of sustainability.
And there can be no sustainability,
so long as there are vanity and luxury.

Intoxicated by the clutter of luxury,
World chases happiness with no avail.
Health and happiness will come chasing,
Once you learn to live humble and simple.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Insan Himalayanoğlu: It's Time to Defect

“Declutter and Undisparity, these are the lifeblood of sustainability.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Insan Himalayanoğlu: It's Time to Defect

“When you are humble and simple, the entire world knocks on your door to bask in your light. But when you are too full of yourself, one after another you'll keep losing life's most priceless treasures - those that really matter.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Insan Himalayanoğlu: It's Time to Defect

“Lower the animal, fancier the extravagance,
Fancy car, fancy clothes, fancy mansion.
Higher the human, simpler the existence,
Simple life orchestrates mindful ascension.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Insan Himalayanoğlu: It's Time to Defect

“Serenity is born of simplicity.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Rowdy Scientist: Handbook of Humanitarian Science

“Either you simplify your life and live in peace, or you drown in the chaos and noise of a complicated life!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Your environment on the outside attracts great energy into the home”
― Amy Leigh Mercree, The Healing Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to Positive Vibes

“How little you need to live. At that time [circa 1950 while living in Paris] I already had my philosophy. I said: how silly to always ask for more. The Communists, the Socialists, the unions -- everybody is concentrating on trying to get more, to get more money and more of what money can buy. What would happen if people instead of asking for more and more would ask for less and less? They would be happier, would be healthier, wouldn't eat rich food, they'd give up their cars for bicycles, grow vegetables in the garden; everyone would need less money -- I think that would be an interesting experiment.”
― Friedensreich Hundertwasser

“Ah, the sweet bliss of jomo – the Joy Of Missing Out! It's like a warm hug from your couch, a high-five to solitude, and a victory dance for staying in your own lane. While the world hustles and bustles, you're happily nestled in your cocoon of contentment, savoring the simple pleasures of quiet nights, leisurely mornings, and uninterrupted me-time. So embrace the JOMO vibe, my friend. The thrill of missing out, and the sheer delight of being perfectly, wonderfully, unapologetically you.”
― Life is Positive

“On a global scale, the soulful path beckons us to expand our circle of compassion, to recognize the deep interconnectedness of all beings. As we grow in awareness of our own soul, we cannot help but feel the presence of other souls—human, animal, plant, and even the earth itself. We begin to see that the pain of the world is our pain, that the joy of others is our joy, and that the well-being of the planet is inextricably linked to our own. This awareness calls us to live with greater care, to honor the sacredness of all life, and to act in ways that nurture and protect the delicate web of life that sustains us all.”
― Alma Camino