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.
- Simplicity is nature’s first step, and the last of art. — Philip James Bailey
- The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. Hans Hofmann
- If buying stuff hasn’t made you happy, maybe getting rid of it will. — Joshua Becker
- Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. — Leonardo da Vinci
- Simplify, simplify, simplify. — Henry David Thoreau
- Simplifying one’s life can also lead to a more contented existence. — Glen Mizrahi
- Simplicity is not about deprivation. Simplicity is about a greater appreciation for things that really matter. — Anonymous
- One of the biggest accelerators to change is simplicity. — Dr. Henry Cloud
- Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful. — William Morris
- Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art. — Frank Lloyd Wright
- Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify. Simplify. — Henry David Thoreau
- To complicate is simple, to simplify is complicated… Everybody is able to complicate. Only a few can simplify. — Bruno Munari
- Simplicity reveals the pure beauty of life. — Debasish Mridha
- Simplifying our lives increases the probability of achieving the most important things in life — the best things. — Elder Lynn G. Robbins
- Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance. — Coco Chanel
- Order and simplification are the first steps toward the mastery of a subject. — Thomas Mann
- You have to want to look for simplicity. You have to be motivated to design simplicity. — Edward de Bono
- The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity. — Walt Whitman
- Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers. — Herbert Hoover
- 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
- Simplicity is the key. — Ritchie Blackmore
- 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
- Simplicity is that middle ground, the quiet path of moderation in all things. — Cary David Richards
- 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
- Having a simplified, uncluttered home is a form of self-care. — Emma Scheib
- 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
- Out of chaos, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. — Bruce Lee
- It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. — Laura Ingalls Wilder
- 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
- Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations. — Paul Rand
- It’s never good to make a simple thing into complicated. — Ly Nguyen
- Nature teaches us simplicity and contentment because in its presence we realize we need very little to be happy. — Mark Coleman
- In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity. — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Clutter is not just physical stuff, it’s old ideas, toxic relationships, and bad habits. — Elanor Brown
- Simple pleasures are the last healthy refuge in a complex world. — Oscar Wilde
- 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
- Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it. — Alan Perlis
- 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
- 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
- Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. — Lao Tzu
- When you begin to pursue simplicity and make different decisions than you used to make, people will inevitably take notice. — Mike Burns
- 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
- Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. — Lao Tzu
- Consider the benefits of owning fewer possessions: less to clean, less debt, less to organize, less stress, more money and energy. — K. Collins
- Simplicity is about deciding what’s important to you and focusing on that before anything else. — Chelsea Walters
- Many people who suffer from heightened stress and anxiety have seen a dramatic improvement by cutting back and simplifying their lives. — Brian Night
- Simplicity is the key to brilliance. — Bruce Lee
- 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
- Never overlook the power of simplicity. — Robin Sharma
- Like spirituality itself, the simplest things, when appreciated with reverence, take on an entirely new meaning. — Oprah Winfrey
- There are two ways to be rich: one is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little. — Jackie French Koller
- Edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It’s your masterpiece after all. — Nathan W. Morris
- The way to happy – keep your heart free from hate, your mind free from worry, live simply, expect little, give much. — Carol Borges
- Outer order contributes to inner calm. — Gretchen Rubin
- The simplification of life is one of the steps to inner peace. — Peace Pilgrim
- Great men simplify great principles and make them easily intelligible to ordinary men. — Tunku Abdul Rahman
- You will be amazed to see how just one moment of truth has the potential to simplify your struggles! — Anuranjita Kumar
- Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Simplify the task. Continually look for faster, better, easier ways to get the job done. — Brian Tracy
- 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
- 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
- You must clear out what you don’t want to make room for what you do want to arrive. — Bryant McGill
- Simplify always — do not complicate. — Émile Coué
- Simplify, slow down, be kind. And don’t forget to have art in your life — music, paintings, theater, dance, and sunsets. — Eric Carle
- 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
- 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
- Life is simple; we create the complexity. — Steve Maraboli
- 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
- If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. — Albert Einstein
- 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
- When we simplify, we are attending to our minds. Clear minds lead to creativity, vision, health, and productivity. — Angela Lynne Craig
- 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
- Simplify and focus on the good. The beauty of the journey ahead will flourish on its own. — Eric Tomblin
- The hardest thing in the world is to simplify your life; it’s so easy to make it complex. — Yvon Choinard
- Simplify your life and mind. Think more of infinity and less of yourself. — Frederick Lenz
- Simplify the complicated, untangle the tangled, follow the threads, to the heart of the matter. — Jane Teresa Anderson
- A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think. — Eleanor Roosevelt
- Simplicity is the soul of efficiency. — Austin Freeman
- Simplicity is clarity. — Olen J. Hamm
- I don’t say no because I am so busy. I say no because I don’t want to be busy. — Courtney Carver
- Clarity and simplicity are the antidotes to complexity and uncertainty. — General George Casey
- No is a complete sentence. — Anne Lamott
- Complexity has nothing to do with intelligence, simplicity does. — Lawrence Bossidy
- Mastery comes via a monomaniacal focus on simplicity versus and addition to complexity. — Robin Sharma
- You no longer need to fit into society’s framework. Simplifying your life and stripping back your layers is true living. — Bright Goldworthy
- Buy less, choose well. — Vivienne Westwood
- 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
- Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. — Confucious
- A vocabulary of truth and simplicity will be of service throughout your life. — Winston Churchill
- Life is beautiful in its simplicity. — Thomas Matthiessen
- My goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do. — Francine Jay
- Maybe the life you’ve always wanted is buried under everything you own. — Joshua Becker
- 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
- You can do anything but not everything. — David Allen
- Focus on what matters most and why. — Aja Nicole Edmond
- Simplify, then add lightness. — Colin Chapman
- Your home is living space not storage space. — Francine Jay
- Lead a simple life. First reduce your greeds. Then reduce your needs. — Ritu Ghatourey
- Make room for what matters… Let go of what doesn’t. It’s that simple. — Robert Tew
- 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
- 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
- Clutter is the enemy of clarity. — Julia Cameron
- The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. — Socrates
- Be as simple as you can be; you will be astonished to see how uncomplicated and happy your life can become. — Paramahansa Yogananda
- The best things in life aren’t things. — Art Buchwald
- I just find myself happy with the simple things. Appreciating the blessings God Gave me. — DMX
- Going back to a simpler life is not a step backward. — Yvon Chouinard
- 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
- Simplicity of living plus high thinking lead to the greatest happiness! — Paramahansa Yogananda
- Simplicity is never a matter of circumstances; simplicity is always a matter of focus. — Tsh Oxenreider
- There is nothing more beautiful than living a simple life in this complex universe! — Mehmet Murat Ildan
- People who live far below their means enjoy a freedom that people busy upgrading their lifestyles can’t fathom. — Naval Ravikant
- Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. — Edsger Dijkstra
- Living a simple life is the secret of living a peaceful life. — Jinapa
- Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough. — Charles Dudley Warner
- Only great minds can afford a simple style. — Stendhal
- Believe in simple living and high thinking. — Tripti Sharma
- Simplicity is a state of mind. — Charles Wagner
- One tiny step is all it takes. — Courtney Carver
- 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
- The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. — Jennifer Burger
- Simplicity is never a matter of circumstances; simplicity is always a matter of focus. — Ann Voskamp
- The best way to enjoy your favorite things is to only own your favorite things. — Courtney Carver
- 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
- Live a simple life; you will own the most beautiful treasures of the world. — Mehmet Murat Ildan
- I’m just a regular person who believes life is simple, and I like a simple life. — Manny Pacquiao
- 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 simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them. — Paulo Coelho
- 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
- Stop filling all the spaces. — Courtney Carver
- The pure and simple truth is rarely pure, and never simple. — Oscar Wilde
- 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
- The simplest things are often the truest. — Richard Bach
- I would rather live a joyful simple life, doing what I love, than to be unhappy and rich. — Lailah Gifty Akita
- 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
- It is always the simple that produces the marvelous. — Amelia Barr
- 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
- 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
- I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. — Lao Tzu
- 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
- 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
- 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
- We struggle with the complexities and avoid the simplicities. — Norman Vincent Peale
- When thought is too weak to be simply expressed, it’s clear proof that it should be rejected. — Luc De Clapiers
- I’m a quiet person, and I live a quiet, pleasant, ordinary, simple life. — Mary McGarry Morris
- A simple life is its own reward. — George Santayana
- I live a reasonably simple life, off the beaten track. — George Lucas
- It is preoccupation with possession, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly. — Bertrand Russell
- When the subject is strong, simplicity is the only way to treat it. — Jacob Lawrence
- Make your life simple, but significant. — Don Draper
- The greatest wealth is to live content with little. — Plato
- 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
- 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
- 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
- You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. — Vernon Howard
- It’s no bad thing to celebrate a simple life. — J.R.R. Tolkien
- Live simply so that others may simply life. — Mahatma Gandhi
- I am convinced that there can be luxury in simplicity. — Jil Sander
- It is very hard to be simple enough to be good. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- God made life simple. It is man who complicates it. — Charles Lindbergh
- It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary. — Paulo Coelho
- Free men must live simple lives and have simple pleasures. — William Morris
- That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. — Henry David Thoreau
- Simplicity of character is no hindrance to the subtlety of intellect. — John Morley
- The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go. — Steve Maraboli
- Let me tell you something: I’m a simple person who lives a simple life. — Bill Cowher
- He who is contented is rich. — Lao Tzu
- In no order of things is adolescence a time of the simple life. — Janet Erskine Stuart
- Finding a way to life the simple life is one of life’s supreme complications. — T.S. Eliot
- Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. — Lao Tzu
- When we crave simplicity, we are not after an easier life. We are after life. — Dave Bruno
- Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought. — William Hazlitt
- Best rule for a simple life…care with no reason, love with no expectation. — Ritu Ghatourey
- A simple lifestyle is good for us, helping us to better share with those in need. — Pope Francis
- Life is very simple. What I give out comes back to me. Today, I choose to give love. — Louise Hay
- Receive without conceit, release without struggle. — Marcus Aurelius
- Simplicity is the nature of great souls. — Papa Ramadas
- Life is like art. You have to work hard to keep it simple and still have meaning. — Charles de Lint
- Man is an over-complicated organism. If he is doomed to extinction he will die out for want of simplicity. — Ezra Pound
- Clutter is the physical manifestation of unmade decision fueled by procrastination. — Christina Scalise
- A vocabulary of truth and simplicity will be of service throughout your life. — Winston Churchill
- Simplicity is so attractive and so profitable that it is strange that so few people lead truly simple lives. — Leo Tolstoy
- Simplicity, clarity, singleness: these are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy. — Richard Halloway
- 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
- Simplicity is the essence of happiness. — Cedric Bledsoe
- Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand. — Henry David Thoreau
- I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind. — Albert Einstein
- 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
- Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves. — Edwin Way Teale
- 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
- They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong. — Ronald Reagan
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- Simplicity is indeed often the sign of truth and a criterion of beauty. — Mahlon Hoagland
- 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
- The less I need, the better I felt. — Charles Bukowski
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Nothing is true, but that which is simple. — Johann Wolfgang
- 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
- 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
- Organic architecture seeks superior sense of use and a finer sense of comfort, expressed in organic simplicity. — Frank Lloyd Wright
- 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
- Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make us. — Richie Norton
- Of manners gentle, of affections mild; In wit a man, simplicity a child. — Alexander Pope
- 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
- Anything simple always interests me. — David Hockney
- Simplicity is the beauty of life. — Lailah Gifty Akita
- Less stuff equals more freedom. — Maxime Lagacé
- In simplicity you will find peace. — Lauren Jawno
- Simplicity of approach is always best. — Charlie Chaplin
- Simplicity is the highest form of complexity. — Minh Tan
- Some people try to make everything complicated, be the person who tries to make everything simple. — Dave Waters
- Simplicity is the glory of expression. — Walt Whitman
- Out of clutter, find simplicity. — Albert Einstein
- Simplicity is the trademark of genius. — Robin S. Sharma
- There is great freedom in simplicity of living. — Peace Pilgrim
- Childhood means simplicity. Look at the world with the child’s eye — it is very beautiful. — Kailash Satyarthi
- Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It is hard to keep things simple. — Richard Branson
- Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. — Albert Einstein
- As beautiful as simplicity is, it can become a tradition that stands in the way of exploration. — Laura Nyro
- When I started to live in simplicity my life became peaceful, joyful, and blissful. — Debasish Mridha
- Simplicity is the soul of modern elegance. — Bill Blass
- Misery is complexity. Happiness is simplicity. — Lester Levenson
- A simple life means a humble life and humble life means a happy life. — Melanie Moushigian Koulouris
- Simplicity is beauty beyond words. — Suufee
- Simplicity and humility are the flowers of greatness. — Debasish Mridha
- 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
- Simple and humble people aren’t given respect for their simplicity, planes and clarity until they get successful. — Srishti Sharma
- Don’t create complicated solutions to fix complicated problems. Simplicity is the only thing that can make our lives less complicated. — Kemmy Nola
- Plain question and plain answer make the shortest road out of most perplexities. — Mark Twain
- Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information. — Edward Tuft
- All that makes earlier times seem simpler is our ignorance of their complexities. — Thomas Sowell
- A simpler time… A simpler place… And all you have to do is choose that simplicity here and now. — Katrina Mayer
- 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
- Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things. — Isaac Newton
- 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
- Purity and simplicity are the two wings with which man soars above the earth and all temporary nature. — Thomas Kempis
- I would rather own a little and see the world, than own the world and see a little. — Alexander Sattler
- I’ve spent my life trying to make things simpler. Because I find ultimately that complicated doesn’t reach the heart. — Hans Zimmer
- Progress is man’s ability to complicate simplicity. — Thor Heyerdahl
- Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple…That’s creativity. — Charles Mingus
- Any work that is born out of natural serendipity or reverts to simpler times is poignant for people— in any era. — Cai Guo-Qiang
- But luxury has never appealed to me, I like simple things, books, being alone, or with somebody who understands. — Daphne du Maurier
- Simple truths are a relief from grand speculations. — Vauvenargues
- In order to seek one’s own direction, one must simplify the mechanics of ordinary, everyday life. — Plato
- Simplicity and naturalness are the truest marks of distinction. — W. Somerset Maugham
- 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
- A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest. — Albert Einstein
- 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
- If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. — Cicero
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Sometimes, the simple things are more fun and meaningful than all the banquets in the world. — E.A. Bucchianeri
- 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
- How many things are there which I do not want. — Socrates
- 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
- I like simplicity; I don’t need luxury. — Francis Ford Coppola
- Here’s to the moments when you realize the simple things are wonderful and enough. — Jill Badonsky
- A taste for simplicity cannot last for long. — Eugene Delacroix
- The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life. — Marie Kondo
- 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
- 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
- The true miracle is not walking on water or walking in air, but simply walking on this earth. — Thich Nhat Hanh
- The simplest things are overlooked. And yet, it is the simplest things that are the most essential. — Thomas Lloyd Qualls
- There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth. — Leo Tolstoy
- Greatness lies in simplicity, nobody can achieve it through karma. — Charan
- Simple things of beauty can often take a lifetime to master and just a moment to savour. — Paul Jefferson Woods
- Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful. — John Maeda
- 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
- For the more limited, if adequate, is always preferable. — Aristotle
- The aspects of things that are most important to us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity. — Ludwig Wittgenstein
- Simplicity is an acquired taste mankind left free instinctively complicates life. — Katherine F. Gerould
- The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity. — Douglas Horton
- Royalty is born when you adorn simplicity. — Bijoy Jha
- Simplicity comes from thoughts, not only from behaviour. — Pooja Sarwade
- Simplicity is the key to achieve extraordinary. — Nitin Namdeo
- The greatest ideas are the simplest. — William Golding
- Life becomes simpler when we ignore the opinions of others. — Albert Camus
- It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy that makes happiness. — Charles Spurgeon
- The main purpose of science is simplicity and as we understand more things, everything is becoming simpler. — Edward Teller
- Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest. — Leo Babauta
- Find joy and solace in the simple and cultivate your utopia by feeling the Tao in every cubic inch of space. — Wayne Dyer
- The more we simplify our material needs, the more we are free to think of other things. — Eleanor Roosevelt
- Be thankful for what you have. Appreciate the small and simple things. — Kyle Carpenter
- Nature is pleased with simplicity. — Isaac Newton.
- Less is more. — Mies van der Rohe
- Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity. — Plato
- Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information. — Edward Tuft
- Don’t make the process harder than it is. — Jack Welch
- 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
- Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. — Robert Brault
- Enjoy the simple, the natural and the plain. Along with that comes the ability to do things spontaneously and have them work. — Benjamin Hoff
- Everything is both simpler than we can imagine, and more complicated that we can conceive. — Goethe
- From native simplicity we arrive at more profound simplicity. — Albert Schweitzer
- I believe that the Apple Shuffle is an excellent compromise among the conflicting requirements of simplicity, elegance, size, battery life, and function. — Donald Norman
- 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
- I don’t need a lot of money. Simplicity is the answer for me. — Linda McCartney
- I have a simple philosophy. Fill what’s empty. Empty what’s full. And scratch where it itches. — Alice Roosevelt Longworth
- 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
- 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
- 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
- I take a simple view of living. It is, keep your eyes open and get on with it. — Sir Laurence Olivier
- I wish I had invented blue jeans. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity — all I hope for in my clothes. — Yves Saint Laurent
- 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
- If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life. — Wu-Men
- The great seal of truth is simplicity. — Herman Boerhaave
- Is it not in the most absolute simplicity that real genius plies its pinions the most wonderfully? — E. T. A. Hoffmann
- The great artist and thinker are the simplifiers. — Henri Frederic Amiel
- 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
- It is simplicity that makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when addressing popular audiences. — Aristotle
- My philosophy? Simplicity plus variety. — Hank Stram
- Nature is what we know — Yet have not art to say — So impotent our wisdom is to her simplicity — Emily Dickinson
- 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
- Nobility of spirit has more to do with simplicity than ostentation, wisdom rather than wealth, commitment rather than ambition. — Riccardo Muti
- No simplicity of mind, no obscurity of station, can escape the universal duty of questioning all that we believe. — William Kingdon Clifford
- Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Nothing is as simple as we hope it will be. — Jim Horning
- Nothing is more simple than greatness; indeed, to be simple is to be great. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Slow down. Do less. — Maxime Lagacé
- Simplicity makes me happy. — Alicia Keys
- Simplicity should not be identified with bareness. — Felix Adler
- The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn’t simple. — Doris Janzen Longacre
- Simply the thing that I am shall make me live. — William Shakespeare
- The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest. — Thomas More
- ’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
- Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time. — Arnold Glasow
- 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
- 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
- The farther you go, the less you know. — Lao Tsu
- The faultless formulas of television–the ones that last–are simple. — Dick Clark
- The obvious is that which is never seen until someone expresses it simply. — Kahlil Gibran
- The simplest things give me ideas. — Joan Miro
- To simplify complications is the first essential of success. — George Earle Buckle
- 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
- 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
- The spirit’s foe in man has not been simplicity, but sophistication. — George Santayana
- The whole is simpler than the sum of its parts. — Willard Gibbs
- There is a certain majesty in simplicity which is far above all the quaintness of wit. — Alexander Pope
- The little things are infinitely the most important. — Arthur Conan Doyle
- 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
- 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.
- Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. — Albert Einstein
- Understanding reduces the greatest to simplicity, and lack of its causes the least to take on the magnitude. — Raymond Holliwell
- Tis the gift to be simple, Tis the gift to be free… — Joseph Brackett
- Simplicity is a choice, a discrimination, a crystallization. Its object is purity. — Le Corbusier
- The greatest wealth is a poverty of desires. — Seneca
- The core of beauty is simplicity. — Paulo Coelho
- I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best. — Oscar Wilde
- It is the essence of genius to make use of the simplest ideas. — Charles Péguy
- Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom list in their simplification. — Martin H. Fischer
- 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
- Saying no is more important than saying yes. — Shane Parrish
- Every increased possession loads us with new weariness. — John Ruskin
- 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
- The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the more free you are. — Mother Teresa
- 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!