108 Simplicity Quotes Ecouraging to Live a Simple Life

The value of simple living is enormous. Living a simple life does not mean living an impoverished one, though it may seem like that to some at first. It rather means appreciating the little things in life more than the material things.  To me simplicity is to have more experiences and less stuff. In this post, I have curated my favourite simplicity quotes which have encouraged me to live a simple life.

Simplicity Quotes

1. “Simplicity is simply identifying the essentials and eliminating the rest.” ~ Invajy

2. “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” ~ Confucius

3. “Let go of the excess and try to find your true self.” ~ Invajy

4. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~  Leonardo da Vinci

5. “The LESS you need, the MORE you get.” ~ Invajy

6. “Living simply makes loving simple.” ~ Bell Hooks
7. “To say more while saying less is the secret of being simple.” ~ Dejan Stojanovic
8. “Simplicity is the glory of expression.” ~ Walt Whitman
9. “The greatest ideas are the simplest.” ~ William Golding, Lord of the Flies
10. “Or, rather, let us be more simple and less vain.” ~ Rousseau Jean-Jacques
11. “It takes a long time to learn how to do something simple.” ~ Marty Rubin
12. “Nothing is more simple than greatness; indeed, to be simple is to be great.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
13. “Wise is the one who learns to dumb it down.” ~ Curtis Tyrone Jones
14. “I envy the one simply walking down the road.” ~ Marty Rubin
15. “Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy.” ~ Isaac Newton
16. “Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
17. “If you will stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
18. “Simplicity is nature’s first step and the last of art.” ~ Philip James Bailey
19. “Nature loves simplicity and unity.” ~ Johannes Kepler
20. “Progress is man’s ability to complicate simplicity.” ~ Thor Heyerdahl
21. “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
22. “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden and Other Writings
23. “The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go.” ~ Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
24. “The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.” ~ Joshua Becker
25. “It is what it is, no more, no less, it simply is. Embrace simplicity, life is easier that way.” ~ Hazel Butterworth
26. “Life is simple. You just have to stop trying to figure it out.” ~ Marty Rubin
27. “Complex things are easy to do. Simplicity’s the real challenge.” ~ Robert James Waller, The Bridges of Madison County
28. “Life only puzzles us because we’re not simple enough to understand it.” ~ Marty Rubin
29. “Happiness lies in small small things of life. Small things and simple things make you happy.” ~ Invajy
30. “Treasures in life are often the simplicity of quiet moments with loved ones, that pass too quickly.” ~ Allene Vanoirschot, Daddy’s Little Girl
31. “The simplest things are overlooked. And yet, it is the simplest things that are the most essential.” ~ Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen
32. “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.” ~ E.F. Schumacher
33. “There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth.” ~ Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
34. “Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.” ~ Isaac Newton
35. “The point of simple living, for me has got to be: A soft place to land A wide margin of error. Room to breathe. Lots of places to find baseline happiness in each and every day.” ~ Leo Babauta
36. “Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.” ~ John Maeda, The Laws of Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life
37. “Simplicity is ultimately a matter of focus.” ~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
38. “They think I’m simpleminded because I seem to be happy. Why shouldn’t I be happy? I have everything I ever wanted and more. Maybe I am simpleminded. Maybe that’s the key: simple.” ~ Dolly Parton, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business
39. “When happiness is your only thought it’s easy to be happy.” ~ Marty Rubin
40. “Simplicity is not the opposite of wealth. It is the door to the riches you already own.” ~ Alan Cohen
41. “In simplicity there is truth.” ~ River Phoenix
42. “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
43. “Any darn fool can make something complex; it takes a genius to make something simple.” ~ Pete Seeger
44. “Simplicity means to be just yourself, whoever you are, in tremendous acceptance, with no goal, with no ideal. All ideals are crap.” ~ Osho
45. “Take the time to observe the simple and ponder upon the seemingly insignificant. You’ll find a wealth of depth and beauty.” ~ Melanie Charlene
46. “I have had to learn the simplest things last. Which made for difficulties.” ~ Charles Olsen
47. “A person with taste is merely one who can recognize the greatest beauty in the simplest things.” ~ Barbara Taylor Bradford, Her Own Rules
48. “All the problems you have are simple. What’s complicated is getting you to see simplicity.” ~ Meir Ezra
49. “The more we gave up, the more we gained.” ~ Courtney Ellis, Uncluttered: Free Your Space, Free Your Schedule, Free Your Soul
50. “Solution to every problem is simple. It’s the distance between the two where the mystery lies.” ~ Derek Landy
51. “It’s as simple as that. Simple and complicated, as most true things are.” ~ David Levithan
52. “It’s strange how the simple things in life go on while we become difficult.” ~ Richard Brautigan
53. “A simple statement is bound to be untrue. One that is not simple cannot be utilized.” ~ Paul Valery
54. “You can never be too subtle, and you can never be too simple.” ~ Paul Valery
55. “If we would aim at perfection in any thing, simplicity must not be overlooked.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
56. “Some things just work. There is elegance in simplicity.” ~ Brandon Sanderson
57. “The lives of the poor are enriched by the richness of simplicity!” ~ Mehmet Murat ildan
58. “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” ~ Hans Hofmann
59. “Simplicity reveals the pure beauty of life.” ~ Debasish Mridha
60. “Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance” ~ Coco Chanel
61. “I always go for simplicity.” ~ David Bailey
62. “Simplicity is not style, it is a state of harmony.” ~ Naoto Fukasawa
63. “Simplicity is the key to brilliance.” ~ Bruce Lee
64. “The core of beauty is simplicity.” ~ Paulo Coelho
65. “One of the biggest accelerators to change is simplicity.” ~ Dr Henry Cloud
66. “In everything, love simplicity.” ~ Saint Francis De Sales
67. “Live simply, so that others may simply live.” ~ Mother Teresa
68. “For a few minutes I tried to empty my mind entirely, to concentrate solely on breathing: sometimes it’s useful to rediscover simpler pleasures of life.” ~ Romain Gary
69. “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
70. “Nature teaches us simplicity and contentment because in its presence we realize we need very little to be happy.” ~ Mark Coleman
71. “I will not say yes when my heart says no.” ~ Courtney Carver
72. “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
73. “A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
74. “I have to remind myself to live simply and not to overindulge, which is a constant battle in a material world.” ~ Sandra Cisneros
75. “Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” ~ Albert Einstein
76. “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.” ~ Lao Tzu
77. “Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” ~ Lao Tzu
78. “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” ~ Albert Einstein
79. “The beauty of Zen is found in simplicity and tranquility, in a sense of the all-embracing harmony of things.” ~ Thich Thien-An
80. “A vocabulary of truth and simplicity will be of service throughout your life.” ~ Winston Churchill
81. “Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability.” ~ Edsger Dijkstra
82. “As beautiful as simplicity is, it can become a tradition that stands in the way of exploration.” ~ Laura Nyro
83. “Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires.” ~ Laozi
84. “Simplicity is the intention, purity in the affection; simplicity turns to God, purity unites with and enjoys him.” ~ Thomas a Kempis
85. “There is a certain majesty in simplicity which is far above all the quaintness of wit.” ~ Alexander Pope
86. “Genuine simplicity of heart is a healing and cementing principle.” ~ Edmund Burke
87. “Is it not in the most absolute simplicity that real genius plies its pinions the most wonderfully?” ~ E. T. A. Hoffmann
88. “To be simple is the best thing in the world; to be modest is the next best thing. I am not sure about being quiet.” ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton
89. “I feel that the simplicity of life is just being yourself.” ~ Bobby Brown
90. “Keep it Simple – Simplicity is best. If it can be misunderstood, it will be misunderstood.” ~ Christian Motley
91. “Suddenly it was clear to me that all the beautiful complexity of life had simplicity at its core.” ~ Eric Lander
92. “What we discovered was, sometimes, the answer to something complex is simplicity.” ~ Melissa Dayton
93. “Simplicity before understanding is simplistic; simplicity after understanding is simple.” ~ Edward de Bono
94. “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.” ~ John Kabat-Zinn
95. “Simplicity is somehow essentially describing the purpose and place of an object and product.” ~ Jonathan Ive
96. “When you begin to pursue simplicity and make different decisions than you used to make, people will inevitably take notice.” ~ Mike Burns
97. “Don’t get me wrong, I admire elegance and have an appreciation of the finer things in life. But to me, beauty lies in simplicity.” ~ Mark Hyman, M.D.
98. “Simplicity is about deciding what’s important to you and focusing on that before anything else.” ~ Chelsea Walters
99. “I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.” ~ Lao Tzu
100. “Don’t make the process harder than it is.” ~ Jack Welch
101. “Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity.” ~ Plato
102. “The less I needed, the better I felt.” ~ Charles Bukowski
103. “Simplicity is an exact medium between too little and too much.” ~ Joshua Reynolds
104. “That’s been one of my mantras ~ focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex…” ~ Steve Jobs
105. “Simplicity is a choice, a discrimination, a crystallization. Its object is purity.” ~ Le Corbusier
106. “The art of art, the glory of expression, and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.” ~ Walt Whitman
107. “Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” ~ Charles Mingus
108. “I like simplicity; I don’t need luxury.” ~ Francis Ford Coppola

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