- The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little. ~Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction. ~E.F. Schumacher
- Maybe a person’s time would be as well spent raising food as raising money to buy food. ~Frank A. Clark
- I go about looking at horses and cattle. They eat grass, make love, work when they have to, bear their young. I am sick with envy of them. ~Sherwood Anderson
- Again and again I congratulate myself on my so-called poverty. I was almost disappointed yesterday to find thirty dollars in my desk which I did not know that I possessed, though now I should be sorry to lose it. ~Henry David Thoreau
- You can live without anything you weren’t born with, and you can make it through on even half of that. ~Gloria Naylor
- The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn’t simple. ~Doris Janzen Longacre
- Anywhere is walking distance if you have the time. ~Steven Wright
- Our affluent society contains those of talent and insight who are driven to prefer poverty, to choose it, rather than submit to the desolation of an empty abundance. ~Michael Harrington
- Don’t get really good at what you don’t want to do. ~Dr. Mark Albion
- Real wealth consists in things of utility and beauty, in things that help to create strong, beautiful bodies and surroundings inspiring to live in. ~Emma Goldman
Do you have a favorite quote on simple living?
Gorgeous reminders, all. And now, with these homilies in mind, I lay me down to sleep. With gratitude.
I love these quotes! So very inspiring. I’ve been reading Radical Homemakers and feel like I’m so ready to devote more of my energy to conscious simple living, not just because of financial necessity but also because of finally coming into my own in terms of my philosophy as a mother, wife and provider for my family. Good stuff!
Handy set of quotes there. Thank you for putting that together. I’m glad sombody showed me this blog. I’ll have to take a look around!
Not nearly as pithy as your quotes above, but here is G. K. Chesterton:
“Every act of will is an act of self-limitation. To desire action is to desire limitation. In that sense every act is an act of self-sacrifice. When you choose anything, you reject everything else. … Anarchism adjures us to be bold creative artists, and care for no laws or limits. But it is impossible to be an artist and not care for laws and limits. Art is limitation; the essence of every picture is the frame…. The artist loves his limitations: they constitute the thing he is doing. The painter is glad that the canvas is flat. The sculptor is glad that the clay is colorless.”
I have the fault of loving to play the devil’s advocate. As it happens, Chesterton was a critic of those who practice ostentatious simplicity. If you want to read a criticism of what some refer to as the cult of simplicity, see his essay “On Sandals and Simplicity” here: http://www.readbookonline.net/read/20560/57609/
Just found your blog…. I have enjoyed reading it… Yes, I am finding the simple pleasures in the silence of my very small community… The kids and I live in a small mtn town a half hour from Chattanooga…. Much has changed to get us here, but my kids are getting the raising they deserve… No TV.. limited video games… lots of books and acres of woods requiring years of exploration..
Thanks for your blog