Simplicity, simplifying your life, slowing down, appreciating what truly matters. If you’re craving the peace of mind that these states bring, then this is the post for you. I have searched high and low for all of the best quotes on all things simplicity and living a simple life. I even found 365 quotes, one for every single day of the year!

You could write a whole journal on simplicity.

A meditation of sorts. Queue calming picture of a clean simple space… Ahhh.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, life slowed down.

But eventually, we learned how to work remotely, and work got more demanding than ever, we had to manage work and homeschool our kids, our friends and family were getting sick, we couldn’t be together to vent or laugh or give a hug, and we started shopping online for everything.

The pandemic has been a mix of slowing down and speeding up all at the same time. We’re home all day, surrounded by our stuff, claustrophobic with four walls and no outlet.

I’m talking to you city folk.

You may be feeling like life’s too complicted, or you have too much crap, or you just want to go back to a simpler way of life. Scan through this mega-list of quotes on simplicity to get inspired, calm your nerves, and remember that most things in life are a choice.

You can make your life simpler.

Start off by picking one of these quotes that inspire you, open your bullet journal, journal, pad, or heck use a napkin. Take your time writing it out. Maybe try cursive. Or even write with your non-dominant hand (hello inner child).

Or you can get inspired with my Simplicity Coloring Book. You can use it digitally; download and color with colored pencils, Sharpies, or crayons; or even just print out and use a page for wall art!

Get Your Bullet Journal Ready…

But first, if you are in the market for a new bullet journal, I have to give a quick plug to the Leuchtturm1917. If you’re new to bullet journaling, or it’s time to start fresh, I can’t tell you how happy I am with mine. I’m a fairly new convert within the last year to bullet journaling and I’m in love. I got a Leuchtturm after researching the options out there and I’m super happy with it.

Legit, I spent like 3 days looking at all of the pretty colors it comes in going back and forth on what color to get. Big decisions here people.

I went with dotted pages and the Port Red color. Check out the Leuchtturm1917 – it’s about $20 here on Amazon.

Little did I know my husband was going to buy me a new laptop for my birthday that would be a perfect complement in tones of pink and maroon.

Alright, here’s what you’ve been waiting for! 365 Simplicity Quotes for your Bullet Journal.

1. Simplicity is nature’s first step, and the last of art. — Philip James Bailey
2. The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. Hans Hofmann
3. If buying stuff hasn’t made you happy, maybe getting rid of it will. — Joshua Becker
4. Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
5. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. — Leonardo da Vinci
6. Simplify, simplify, simplify. — Henry David Thoreau
7. Simplifying one’s life can also lead to a more contented existence. — Glen Mizrahi
8. Simplicity is not about deprivation. Simplicity is about a greater appreciation for things that really matter. — Anonymous
9. One of the biggest accelerators to change is simplicity. — Dr. Henry Cloud
10. Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful. — William Morris
11. Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art. — Frank Lloyd Wright
12. Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify. Simplify. — Henry David Thoreau
13. To complicate is simple, to simplify is complicated… Everybody is able to complicate. Only a few can simplify. — Bruno Munari
14. Simplicity reveals the pure beauty of life. — Debasish Mridha
15. Simplifying our lives increases the probability of achieving the most important things in life — the best things. — Elder Lynn G. Robbins
16. Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance. — Coco Chanel
17. Order and simplification are the first steps toward the mastery of a subject. — Thomas Mann
18. You have to want to look for simplicity. You have to be motivated to design simplicity. — Edward de Bono
19. The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity. — Walt Whitman
20. Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers. — Herbert Hoover
21. There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions. — Dieter F. Uchtdorf
22. Simplicity is the key. — Ritchie Blackmore
23. Clutter is not just the stuff on your floor — it’s anything that stands between you and the life you want to be living. — Peter Walsh
24. Simplicity is that middle ground, the quiet path of moderation in all things. — Cary David Richards
25. Simplicity is not an objective in art, but one achieves simplicity despite one’s self by entering into the real sense of things. — Constantin Brancusi
26. Having a simplified, uncluttered home is a form of self-care. — Emma Scheib
27. Simplify your life. Don’t waste the years struggling for things that are unimportant. Don’t burden yourself with possessions. Keep your needs and wants simple and enjoy what you have. Don’t destroy your peace of mind by looking back, worrying about the past. Live in the present. Simplify! — Henry David Thoreau
28. Out of chaos, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. — Bruce Lee
29. It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. — Laura Ingalls Wilder
30. 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
31. Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations.  — Paul Rand
32. It’s never good to make a simple thing into complicated. — Ly Nguyen
33. Nature teaches us simplicity and contentment because in its presence we realize we need very little to be happy. — Mark Coleman
34. In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity. — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
35. Clutter is not just physical stuff, it’s old ideas, toxic relationships, and bad habits. — Elanor Brown
36. Simple pleasures are the last healthy refuge in a complex world. — Oscar Wilde
37. Simplicity does not mean want or poverty. It does not mean the absence of any decor, or absolute nudity. It only means that the decor should belong intimately to the design proper, and that anything foreign to it should be taken away. — Paul Jacques Grillo
38. Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.  — Alan Perlis
39. 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
40. Everything you buy or own might not necessarily bring you value or meaning to your life. In fact, they might come in your way and distract you from the bigger picture. You will find that simplicity is always better than complexity. — Summer Andrews
41. Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. — Lao Tzu
42. When you begin to pursue simplicity and make different decisions than you used to make, people will inevitably take notice. — Mike Burns
43. The simplicity of life will make your life richer and fuller than trying to fit more in and having more. Just focus on what is important in your life. — Kathy Stanton
44. Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. — Lao Tzu
45. Consider the benefits of owning fewer possessions: less to clean, less debt, less to organize, less stress, more money and energy. — K. Collins
46. Simplicity is about deciding what’s important to you and focusing on that before anything else. — Chelsea Walters
47. Many people who suffer from heightened stress and anxiety have seen a dramatic improvement by cutting back and simplifying their lives. — Brian Night
48. Simplicity is the key to brilliance. — Bruce Lee
49. Simplifying your life may not be as simple as it sounds but you will be able to simplify your life when you get clear and focus on what is most important to you. — Donald Allen
50. Never overlook the power of simplicity. — Robin Sharma
51. Like spirituality itself, the simplest things, when appreciated with reverence, take on an entirely new meaning. — Oprah Winfrey
52. There are two ways to be rich: one is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little. — Jackie French Koller
53. Edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It’s your masterpiece after all. — Nathan W. Morris
54. The way to happy – keep your heart free from hate, your mind free from worry, live simply, expect little, give much. — Carol Borges
55. Outer order contributes to inner calm. — Gretchen Rubin
56. The simplification of life is one of the steps to inner peace. — Peace Pilgrim
57. Great men simplify great principles and make them easily intelligible to ordinary men. — Tunku Abdul Rahman
58. You will be amazed to see how just one moment of truth has the potential to simplify your struggles! — Anuranjita Kumar
59. Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
60.  Simplify the task. Continually look for faster, better, easier ways to get the job done. — Brian Tracy
61. My mind was always very cluttered, so I took great pains to simplify my environment, because if my environment were half as cluttered as my mind, I wouldn’t be able to make it from room to room. This system has just worked for me, even though I’ve had to sweat over every word. It’s just my style. — Leonard Cohen
62. Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong. — H. L. Mencken
63. You must clear out what you don’t want to make room for what you do want to arrive. — Bryant McGill
64. Simplify always — do not complicate. — Émile Coué
65. Simplify, slow down, be kind. And don’t forget to have art in your life — music, paintings, theater, dance, and sunsets. — Eric Carle
66. Just slow down. Slow down your speech. Slow down your breathing. Slow down your walking. Slow down your eating. And let this slower, steadier pace perfume your mind. Just slow down… — Doko
67. And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, this is important! And This is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this! And this! And this! And each day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, No. This is what’s important. — Iain Thomas
68. Life is simple; we create the complexity. — Steve Maraboli
69. And yes, there’s a simplicity to writing books because you’re not a member of a team, so you make all the decisions yourself instead of deferring to a committee. — Bernard Cornwell
70. If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. — Albert Einstein
71. Simplifying is about gaining control of your life and your possessions, creating more time to do the things you want to do, and to spend with the people you love. — Wendy Priesnitz
72. When we simplify, we are attending to our minds. Clear minds lead to creativity, vision, health, and productivity. — Angela Lynne Craig
73. You have to seek the simplest implementation of a problem solution in order to know when you’ve reached your limit in that regard. Then it’s easy to make tradeoffs, to back off a little, for performance reasons. You can simplify and simplify and simplify yet still find other incredible ways to simplify further. — Steve Wozniak
74. Simplify and focus on the good. The beauty of the journey ahead will flourish on its own. — Eric Tomblin
75. The hardest thing in the world is to simplify your life; it’s so easy to make it complex. — Yvon Choinard
76. Simplify your life and mind. Think more of infinity and less of yourself. — Frederick Lenz
77. Simplify the complicated, untangle the tangled, follow the threads, to the heart of the matter. — Jane Teresa Anderson
78. A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think. — Eleanor Roosevelt
79. Simplicity is the soul of efficiency. — Austin Freeman
80. Simplicity is clarity. — Olen J. Hamm
81. I don’t say no because I am so busy. I say no because I don’t want to be busy. — Courtney Carver
82. Clarity and simplicity are the antidotes to complexity and uncertainty. — General George Casey
83. No is a complete sentence. — Anne Lamott
84. Complexity has nothing to do with intelligence, simplicity does. — Lawrence Bossidy
85. Mastery comes via a monomaniacal focus on simplicity versus and addition to complexity. — Robin Sharma
86. You no longer need to fit into society’s framework. Simplifying your life and stripping back your layers is true living. — Bright Goldworthy
87. Buy less, choose well. — Vivienne Westwood
88. The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not the person we were in the past. — Marie Kondo
89. Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. — Confucious
90. A vocabulary of truth and simplicity will be of service throughout your life. — Winston Churchill
91. Life is beautiful in its simplicity. — Thomas Matthiessen
92. My goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do. — Francine Jay
93. Maybe the life you’ve always wanted is buried under everything you own. — Joshua Becker
94. There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less. — C.K. Chesterton
95. You can do anything but not everything. — David Allen
96. Focus on what matters most and why. — Aja Nicole Edmond
97. Simplify, then add lightness. — Colin Chapman
98. Your home is living space not storage space. — Francine Jay
99. Lead a simple life. First reduce your greeds. Then reduce your needs. — Ritu Ghatourey
100. Make room for what matters… Let go of what doesn’t. It’s that simple. — Robert Tew
101. Getting rid of perfectly good items may seem wasteful, but that’s not where we went wrong. It was wasteful to purchase it. Now we are just acknowledging it. — Rachelle Crawford
102. What I know for sure is that when you declutter, whether it’s on your home, your head, or your heart, it is astounding what will flow into that space that will enrich you, your life, and your family. — Peter Walsh
103. Clutter is the enemy of clarity. — Julia Cameron
104. The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. — Socrates
105. Be as simple as you can be; you will be astonished to see how uncomplicated and happy your life can become. — Paramahansa Yogananda
106. The best things in life aren’t things. — Art Buchwald
107. I just find myself happy with the simple things. Appreciating the blessings God Gave me. — DMX
108. Going back to a simpler life is not a step backward. — Yvon Chouinard
109. Maybe family meals at home, spending more time with our children, and living a simpler life based on necessity is the solution to more than just this virus. — Steve Dillender
110. Simplicity of living plus high thinking lead to the greatest happiness! — Paramahansa Yogananda
111. Simplicity is never a matter of circumstances; simplicity is always a matter of focus. — Tsh Oxenreider
112. There is nothing more beautiful than living a simple life in this complex universe! — Mehmet Murat Ildan
113. People who live far below their means enjoy a freedom that people busy upgrading their lifestyles can’t fathom. — Naval Ravikant
114. Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability.  — Edsger Dijkstra
115. Living a simple life is the secret of living a peaceful life. — Jinapa
116. Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough. — Charles Dudley Warner
117. Only great minds can afford a simple style. — Stendhal
118. Believe in simple living and high thinking. — Tripti Sharma
119. Simplicity is a state of mind. — Charles Wagner
120. One tiny step is all it takes. — Courtney Carver
121. Choose to focus your time, energy and conversation around people who inspire you, support you and help you to grow you into your happiest, strongest, wisest self. — Karen Salmansohn
122. The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. — Jennifer Burger
123. Simplicity is never a matter of circumstances; simplicity is always a matter of focus. — Ann Voskamp
124. The best way to enjoy your favorite things is to only own your favorite things. — Courtney Carver
125. Grandeur and beauty are so very opposite, that you often diminish the one as you increase the other. Variety is most akin to the latter, simplicity to the former.  — William Shenstone
126. Live a simple life; you will own the most beautiful treasures of the world. — Mehmet Murat Ildan
127. I’m just a regular person who believes life is simple, and I like a simple life. — Manny Pacquiao
128. 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
129. The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them. — Paulo Coelho
130. Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of rain, the taste of your favourite food, or the sound of a loved one’s voice. — Joseph B. Wirthlin
131. Stop filling all the spaces. — Courtney Carver
132. The pure and simple truth is rarely pure, and never simple. — Oscar Wilde
133. 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
134. The simplest things are often the truest. — Richard Bach
135. I would rather live a joyful simple life, doing what I love, than to be unhappy and rich. — Lailah Gifty Akita
136. A lot of people don’t want a million-dollar house. They just want to live a simple life and catch fish and make a living. — Bill Tucker
137. It is always the simple that produces the marvelous. — Amelia Barr
138. My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can. — Cary Grant
139. Simplicity of living, if deliberately chosen, implies a compassionate approach to life. It means that we are choosing to live our daily lives with some degree of conscious appreciation of the conditions of the rest of the world. — Duane Elgin
140. I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. — Lao Tzu
141. What’s really important is to simplify. The work of most photographers would be improved immensely if they could do one thing: get rid of the extraneous. If you strive for simplicity, you are more likely to reach the viewer. — William Albert Allard
142. 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
143. We don’t need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it. — Donald Horban
144. We struggle with the complexities and avoid the simplicities. — Norman Vincent Peale
145. When thought is too weak to be simply expressed, it’s clear proof that it should be rejected. — Luc De Clapiers
146. I’m a quiet person, and I live a quiet, pleasant, ordinary, simple life. — Mary McGarry Morris
147. A simple life is its own reward. — George Santayana
148. I live a reasonably simple life, off the beaten track. — George Lucas
149. It is preoccupation with possession, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly. — Bertrand Russell
150. When the subject is strong, simplicity is the only way to treat it.  — Jacob Lawrence
151. Make your life simple, but significant. — Don Draper
152. The greatest wealth is to live content with little. — Plato
153. Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens. If you have them, you have to take care of them! There is great freedom in simplicity of living. It is those who have enough but not too much who are the happiest. Peace Pilgrim
154. Writing is no trouble: you just jot down ideas as they occur to you. The jotting is simplicity itself — it is the occurring which is difficult.  — Stephen Leacock
155. To be honest, I tend to romanticize the past, and though I appreciate all the conveniences of modern life, sometimes I yearn for simpler times. — Aziz Ansari
156. You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. — Vernon Howard
157. It’s no bad thing to celebrate a simple life. — J.R.R. Tolkien
158. Live simply so that others may simply life. — Mahatma Gandhi
159. I am convinced that there can be luxury in simplicity. — Jil Sander
160. It is very hard to be simple enough to be good. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
161. God made life simple. It is man who complicates it. — Charles Lindbergh
162. It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary. — Paulo Coelho
163. Free men must live simple lives and have simple pleasures. — William Morris
164. That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. — Henry David Thoreau
165. Simplicity of character is no hindrance to the subtlety of intellect. — John Morley
166. The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go. — Steve Maraboli
167. Let me tell you something: I’m a simple person who lives a simple life. — Bill Cowher
168. He who is contented is rich. — Lao Tzu
169. In no order of things is adolescence a time of the simple life. — Janet Erskine Stuart
170. Finding a way to life the simple life is one of life’s supreme complications. — T.S. Eliot
171. Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. — Lao Tzu
172. When we crave simplicity, we are not after an easier life. We are after life. — Dave Bruno
173. Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought. — William Hazlitt
174. Best rule for a simple life…care with no reason, love with no expectation. — Ritu Ghatourey
175. A simple lifestyle is good for us, helping us to better share with those in need. — Pope Francis
176. Life is very simple. What I give out comes back to me. Today, I choose to give love. — Louise Hay
177. Receive without conceit, release without struggle. — Marcus Aurelius
178. Simplicity is the nature of great souls. — Papa Ramadas
179. Life is like art. You have to work hard to keep it simple and still have meaning. — Charles de Lint
180. Man is an over-complicated organism. If he is doomed to extinction he will die out for want of simplicity. — Ezra Pound
181. Clutter is the physical manifestation of unmade decision fueled by procrastination. — Christina Scalise
182. A vocabulary of truth and simplicity will be of service throughout your life. — Winston Churchill
183. Simplicity is so attractive and so profitable that it is strange that so few people lead truly simple lives. — Leo Tolstoy
184. Simplicity, clarity, singleness: these are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy. — Richard Halloway
185. I don’t want all that much. But I want to be fine. I want to live a simple life with many good moments and a lot of fun. — Erland Loe
186. Simplicity is the essence of happiness. — Cedric Bledsoe
187. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand. — Henry David Thoreau
188. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind. — Albert Einstein
189. All I really want is a small, slow, simple life. A mediocre life. A beautiful, quiet, gently life. I think it is enough. — Krista O’Reilly
190. Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves. — Edwin Way Teale
191. Love is simple. Life is simple. Hate is simple. Success is simple and failure is simple. Then what is difficult? Being simple is very difficult!!! — Lokesh
192. They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong. — Ronald Reagan
193. Simplicity, clarity, singleness: These are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy as they are also the marks of great art. — Richard Holloway
194. I began to realize how simple life could be if one had a regular routine to follow with fixed hours, a fixed salary, and very little original thinking to do. — Roald Dahl
195. 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
196. 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. You will find people living simply in large cities, rural areas and everything in between. — Linda Breen Pierce.
197. The complexity of your earthly array is not a guarantee for a triumphant eternity. The fact is that you need a simple life to go to heaven; not an excessively glittering body, shiny lips and charming face. — Israelmore Ayivor
198. Simplicity is indeed often the sign of truth and a criterion of beauty. — Mahlon Hoagland
199. The most powerful life is the most simple life. The most powerful life is the life that knows where it’s going, that knows where the source of strength is. It is the life that stays free of clutter and happenstance and hurriedness. — Max Lucado
200. The less I need, the better I felt. — Charles Bukowski
201. If one’s life is simple, contentment has to come. Simplicity is extremely important for happiness. 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. — Dalai Lama
202. We have one hardware organization. We have one software organization. It’s not like we’re this big company with all these divisions that are cranking out products. We’re simpletons. — Tim Cook
203. 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. With respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have even lived a more simple and meager life than the poor. — Henry David Thoreau
204. Nothing is true, but that which is simple.  — Johann Wolfgang
205. Most of the fundamental ideas of science are essentially simple, and may, as a rule, be expressed in a language comprehensible to everyone. — Albert Einstein
206. 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. . . . 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
207. Organic architecture seeks superior sense of use and a finer sense of comfort, expressed in organic simplicity. — Frank Lloyd Wright
208. 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
209. Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make us. — Richie Norton
210. Of manners gentle, of affections mild; In wit a man, simplicity a child. — Alexander Pope
211. My choice of a lighter lifestyle has brought me a greater sense of well-being. In a world that often seems stressful and chaotic, that’s a feeling I cherish. — Lisa J. Shultz
212. Anything simple always interests me. — David Hockney
213. Simplicity is the beauty of life. — Lailah Gifty Akita
214. Less stuff equals more freedom. — Maxime Lagacé
215. In simplicity you will find peace. — Lauren Jawno
216. Simplicity of approach is always best. — Charlie Chaplin
217. Simplicity is the highest form of complexity. — Minh Tan
218. Some people try to make everything complicated, be the person who tries to make everything simple. — Dave Waters
219. Simplicity is the glory of expression. — Walt Whitman
220. Out of clutter, find simplicity. — Albert Einstein
221. Simplicity is the trademark of genius. — Robin S. Sharma
222. There is great freedom in simplicity of living. — Peace Pilgrim
223. Childhood means simplicity. Look at the world with the child’s eye — it is very beautiful. — Kailash Satyarthi
224. Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It is hard to keep things simple. — Richard Branson
225. Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. — Albert Einstein
226. As beautiful as simplicity is, it can become a tradition that stands in the way of exploration. — Laura Nyro
227. When I started to live in simplicity my life became peaceful, joyful, and blissful. — Debasish Mridha
228. Simplicity is the soul of modern elegance. — Bill Blass
229. Misery is complexity. Happiness is simplicity. — Lester Levenson
230. A simple life means a humble life and humble life means a happy life. — Melanie Moushigian Koulouris
231. Simplicity is beauty beyond words. — Suufee
232. Simplicity and humility are the flowers of greatness. — Debasish Mridha
233. As I grew older, I realized that it was much better to insist on the genuine forms of nature, for simplicity is the greatest adornment of art. — Albrecht Durer
234. Simple and humble people aren’t given respect for their simplicity, planes and clarity until they get successful. — Srishti Sharma
235. Don’t create complicated solutions to fix complicated problems. Simplicity is the only thing that can make our lives less complicated. — Kemmy Nola
236. Plain question and plain answer make the shortest road out of most perplexities. — Mark Twain
237. Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information. — Edward Tuft
238. All that makes earlier times seem simpler is our ignorance of their complexities. — Thomas Sowell
239. A simpler time… A simpler place… And all you have to do is choose that simplicity here and now. — Katrina Mayer
240. Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes a touch of genius— and a lot of courage— to move in the opposite direction. E. F. Schumacher
241. Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things. — Isaac Newton
242. Everything is complex and everything is simple. The rose has no why attached to it, it blooms because it blooms, how no thought of itself, or desire to be seen. What could be more complicated than a rose for someone who wants to understand it? What could be simpler for someone who wants nothing? The complexity of thinking, the simplicity of beholding. — Andre Comte-Sponville
243. Purity and simplicity are the two wings with which man soars above the earth and all temporary nature. — Thomas Kempis
244. I would rather own a little and see the world, than own the world and see a little. — Alexander Sattler
245. I’ve spent my life trying to make things simpler. Because I find ultimately that complicated doesn’t reach the heart. — Hans Zimmer
246. Progress is man’s ability to complicate simplicity. — Thor Heyerdahl
247. Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple…That’s creativity. — Charles Mingus
248. Any work that is born out of natural serendipity or reverts to simpler times is poignant for people— in any era. — Cai Guo-Qiang
249. But luxury has never appealed to me, I like simple things, books, being alone, or with somebody who understands. — Daphne du Maurier
250. Simple truths are a relief from grand speculations. — Vauvenargues
251. In order to seek one’s own direction, one must simplify the mechanics of ordinary, everyday life. — Plato
252. Simplicity and naturalness are the truest marks of distinction. — W. Somerset Maugham
253. Cherish simple things such as family, friends and love, because great things appear simple from far away. Place your simple things in the best light; there’s enough sunshine for all of them. — Val Uchendu
254. A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest. — Albert Einstein
255. 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
256. If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. — Cicero
257. Guided only by their feeling for symmetry, simplicity, and generality, and an indefinable sense of the fitness of things, creative mathematicians now, as in the past, are inspired by the art of mathematics rather than by any prospect of ultimate usefulness. — E. T. Bell
258. For awhile, I was left with nothing on the physical plane. I had no relationships, no job, no home, no socially defined identity. I spent almost two years sitting on park benches in a state of the most intense joy. — Eckhart Tolle
259. I’ve learnt to gather simplicity from grasshoppers. I like their naive indecisive minds never knowing exactly when to stop chirping, and I envy their ability to be able to mingle with the green… — Munia Khan
260. Sometimes, the simple things are more fun and meaningful than all the banquets in the world. — E.A. Bucchianeri
261. Some of the greatest poetry is revealing to the reader the beauty in something that was so simple you had taken it for granted. — Neil deGrasse Tyson
262. How many things are there which I do not want. — Socrates
263. Simple things bring infinite pleasure. Yet, it takes us a while to realize that. But once simple is in, complex is out — forever. — Joan Marques
264. I like simplicity; I don’t need luxury. — Francis Ford Coppola
265. Here’s to the moments when you realize the simple things are wonderful and enough. — Jill Badonsky
266. A taste for simplicity cannot last for long. — Eugene Delacroix
267. The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life. — Marie Kondo
268. I hope these simple things are what I forever love about life, for then I will be happy no matter where I find myself. — R. YS Perez
269. 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
270. The true miracle is not walking on water or walking in air, but simply walking on this earth. — Thich Nhat Hanh
271. The simplest things are overlooked. And yet, it is the simplest things that are the most essential. — Thomas Lloyd Qualls
272. There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth. — Leo Tolstoy
273. Greatness lies in simplicity, nobody can achieve it through karma. — Charan
274. Simple things of beauty can often take a lifetime to master and just a moment to savour. — Paul Jefferson Woods
275. Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful. — John Maeda
276. A man must be able to cut a knot, for everything cannot be untied; he must know how to disengage what is essential from the detail in which it is enwrapped, for everything cannot be equally considered; in a word, he must be able to simplify his duties, his business and his life. — Henri Frederic Amiel
277. For the more limited, if adequate, is always preferable. — Aristotle
278. The aspects of things that are most important to us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity. — Ludwig Wittgenstein
279. Simplicity is an acquired taste mankind left free instinctively complicates life. — Katherine F. Gerould
280. The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity.  — Douglas Horton
281. Royalty is born when you adorn simplicity. — Bijoy Jha
282. Simplicity comes from thoughts, not only from behaviour. — Pooja Sarwade
283. Simplicity is the key to achieve extraordinary. — Nitin Namdeo
284. The greatest ideas are the simplest. — William Golding
285. Life becomes simpler when we ignore the opinions of others. — Albert Camus
286. It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy that makes happiness. — Charles Spurgeon
287. The main purpose of science is simplicity and as we understand more things, everything is becoming simpler. — Edward Teller
288. Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest. — Leo Babauta
289. Find joy and solace in the simple and cultivate your utopia by feeling the Tao in every cubic inch of space. — Wayne Dyer
290. The more we simplify our material needs, the more we are free to think of other things. — Eleanor Roosevelt
291. Be thankful for what you have. Appreciate the small and simple things. — Kyle Carpenter
292. Nature is pleased with simplicity. — Isaac Newton.
293. Less is more. — Mies van der Rohe
294. Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity. — Plato
295. Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information. — Edward Tuft
296. Don’t make the process harder than it is. — Jack Welch
297. Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand. — General Colin Powell
298. Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. — Robert Brault
299. Enjoy the simple, the natural and the plain. Along with that comes the ability to do things spontaneously and have them work. — Benjamin Hoff
300. Everything is both simpler than we can imagine, and more complicated that we can conceive. — Goethe
301. From native simplicity we arrive at more profound simplicity. — Albert Schweitzer
302. I believe that the Apple Shuffle is an excellent compromise among the conflicting requirements of simplicity, elegance, size, battery life, and function. — Donald Norman
303. I believe we would be happier to have a personal revolution in our individual lives and go back to simpler living and more direct thinking. It is the simple things of life that make living worthwhile, the sweet fundamental things such as love and duty, work and rest, and living close to nature. — Laura Ingalls Wilder
304. I don’t need a lot of money. Simplicity is the answer for me. — Linda McCartney
305. I have a simple philosophy. Fill what’s empty. Empty what’s full. And scratch where it itches. — Alice Roosevelt Longworth
306. I have learned by some experience, by many examples, and by the writings of countless others before me, also occupied in the search, that certain environments, certain modes of life, certain rules of conduct are more conducive to inner and outer harmony than others. There are, in fact, certain roads that one may follow. Simplification of life is one of them. — Ann Morrow Lindbergh
307. I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which, when you looked at it in the right way, did not become still more complicated. — Paul Anderson
308. I just like simplicity. I like simple songs, I like simple chords, simple vocals, simple lead guitar. I just like simplicity. That’s just the way I like it.  — Jeremy Spencer
309. I take a simple view of living. It is, keep your eyes open and get on with it.  — Sir Laurence Olivier
310. I wish I had invented blue jeans. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity — all I hope for in my clothes. — Yves Saint Laurent
311. I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity. — Oliver Wendell Holmes
312. If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life. — Wu-Men
313. The great seal of truth is simplicity.  — Herman Boerhaave
314. Is it not in the most absolute simplicity that real genius plies its pinions the most wonderfully? — E. T. A. Hoffmann
315. The great artist and thinker are the simplifiers. — Henri Frederic Amiel
316. It is not how much space there is, but rather how it is used. It is not how much information there is, but rather how effectively it is organized. — Edward Tufte
317. It is simplicity that makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when addressing popular audiences. — Aristotle
318. My philosophy? Simplicity plus variety. — Hank Stram
319. Nature is what we know — Yet have not art to say — So impotent our wisdom is to her simplicity — Emily Dickinson
320. Never again will I make the simple into the complex. Something of true value does not become more valuable because it becomes complicated. Experience and conditions come and go; complications arise and fall away, but the simple action of God is eternal in the universe. — Donald Curtis
321. Nobility of spirit has more to do with simplicity than ostentation, wisdom rather than wealth, commitment rather than ambition. — Riccardo Muti
322. No simplicity of mind, no obscurity of station, can escape the universal duty of questioning all that we believe. — William Kingdon Clifford
323. Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
324. Nothing is as simple as we hope it will be. — Jim Horning
325. Nothing is more simple than greatness; indeed, to be simple is to be great.  — Ralph Waldo Emerson
326. Slow down. Do less. — Maxime Lagacé
327. Simplicity makes me happy. — Alicia Keys
328. Simplicity should not be identified with bareness. — Felix Adler
329. The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn’t simple. — Doris Janzen Longacre
330. Simply the thing that I am shall make me live. — William Shakespeare
331. The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest. — Thomas More
332. ’Think simple’ as my old master used to say — meaning reduce the whole of its parts into the simplest terms, getting back to first principles. — Frank Lloyd Wright
333. Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time. — Arnold Glasow
334. To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter … to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring—these are some of the rewards of the simple life. — John Burroughs
335. Teach us delight in the simple things, and mirth that has no bitter springs; forgiveness free of evil done, and love to all men beneath the sun. — Rudyard Kipling
336. The farther you go, the less you know. — Lao Tsu
337. The faultless formulas of television–the ones that last–are simple. — Dick Clark
338. The obvious is that which is never seen until someone expresses it simply. — Kahlil Gibran
339. The simplest things give me ideas. — Joan Miro
340. To simplify complications is the first essential of success. — George Earle Buckle
341. To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but to so love wisdom as to live according to its dictates a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity and trust. — Henry David Thoreau
342. Mental toughness is many things. It is humility because it behooves all of us to remember that simplicity is the sign of greatness and meekness is the sign of true strength. — Vince Lombardi
343. The spirit’s foe in man has not been simplicity, but sophistication. — George Santayana
344. The whole is simpler than the sum of its parts. — Willard Gibbs
345. There is a certain majesty in simplicity which is far above all the quaintness of wit. — Alexander Pope
346. The little things are infinitely the most important.  — Arthur Conan Doyle
347. There is a simplicity that exists on the far side of complexity, and there is a communication of sentiment and attitude not to be discovered by careful exegesis of a text. — Patrick Buchanan
348. There is no single development, in either technology or management technique, which by itself promises even one order-of-magnitude improvement within a decade in productivity, in reliability, in simplicity. — Frederick P. Brooks, Jr.
349. Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. — Albert Einstein
350. Understanding reduces the greatest to simplicity, and lack of its causes the least to take on the magnitude.  — Raymond Holliwell
351. Tis the gift to be simple, Tis the gift to be free… — Joseph Brackett
352. Simplicity is a choice, a discrimination, a crystallization. Its object is purity. — Le Corbusier
353. The greatest wealth is a poverty of desires. — Seneca
354. The core of beauty is simplicity. — Paulo Coelho
355. I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best. — Oscar Wilde
356. It is the essence of genius to make use of the simplest ideas. — Charles Péguy  
357. Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom list in their simplification. — Martin H. Fischer
358. A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. — Henry David Thoreau
359. The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. — William James
360. Saying no is more important than saying yes. — Shane Parrish
361. Every increased possession loads us with new weariness. — John Ruskin
362. He is not rich, that enjoyeth not his own goods. — Pythagoras
363. Make room for things that matter by removing everything that doesn’t. — Brian Gardner
364. The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the more free you are. — Mother Teresa
365. The more simple we are, the more complete we become. — August Rodin

You did it! A whole year of simplicity quotes!

I hope you found some inspiring quotes to play around with in your bullet journal (here’s one of my favorites!). Journaling helps to get it out of your head and onto the page. And sometimes it’s a place to be creative and play.

Save this page in your favorites, or pin to your Quotes board as your go-to guide for inspiring quotes on the simple life!

I created a fun Simplicity Coloring Book inspired by this post. Get yours now!