Minimalism quotes are a beautiful tool that you can use to encourage your minimalism lifestyle as well as enlighten others curious about the minimalism journey. For any lifestyle, there are countless resources to help guide your minimalism journey.
Whether you have 10 kids or live alone, you can begin to implement a simpler, more peaceful way of living through a minimalist lifestyle.
There are many beautiful quotes to help people like you and me see the value of minimalism. I compiled a list of my top 15 to help you on your journey.
Grab a notebook and as you are going through the list, write down one or two that inspire and motivate you.
Keep them in a place that is noticeable so that you can keep in mind the value of a minimalist lifestyle. You deserve a simple lifestyle and now is the time to start.
Eric Overby
This minimalist quote is more of a poem, but it is so beautiful that I knew it had to be on the list. In his book Senses, Overby beautifully describes the positive changes that happen internally while adjusting to a minimalist lifestyle.
“Possessions. Live in peace and be free.
When possessions own your heart,
You are enslaved to money and to corporations.
Your time is owned by the moneylenders
And they will not let you spend it freely.
They will tell you what to buy, but not
What it will truly cost you.”
― Eric Overby, Senses
Michelle McGagh
This personal, in depth story helps sell the idea of minimalism to people looking to free themselves of material possessions. I love McGagh and her fearlessness to encourage others to begin a life of minimalism.
“I had bought things to tell people a story about who I was, or at least who I wanted them to think I was. By getting rid of those items I was taking back control of who I really was.”
― Michelle Mcgagh, The No Spend Year: How I spent less and lived more
Related: How to Do a No Spend Challenge
Leo Babauta
Diving deep into the mindset of a minimalist, Babauta has created some very beautiful minimalism quotes to inspire. I love these quotes written out below and encourage you to read them and pause for reflection.
“It’s one that is stripped of the unnecessary, to make room for that which gives you joy. It’s a removal of clutter in all its forms, leaving you with peace and freedom and lightness. A minimalist eschews the mindset of more, of acquiring and consuming and shopping, of bigger is better, of the burden of stuff. A minimalist instead embraces the beauty of less, the aesthetic of spareness, a life of contentedness in what we need and what makes us truly happy. A minimalist realizes that acquiring stuff doesn’t make us happy. That earning more and having more are meaningless. That filling your life with busy-ness and freneticism isn’t desirable, but something to be avoided.
A minimalist values quality, not quantity, in all forms.”
― Leo Babauta, The Effortless Life: A Concise Manual for Contentment, Mindfulness, & Flow
“Be a curator of your life. Slowly cut things out until you’re left only with what you love, with what’s necessary, with what makes you happy.”
― Leo Babauta, The Effortless Life: A Concise Manual for Contentment, Mindfulness, & Flow
Amanda Talbot
Talbot takes the cold hard edge off of minimalism and works hard to appeal to the masses through the simplicity that this lifestyle can bring. Taking the core values that Japan has created and molding them to fit the western lifestyle, Talbot is a genius.
“Simplicity isn’t about being a cold, hard minimalist. A different way of looking at simplicity is to take note of the Japanese aesthetic of wabi sabi. It is difficult to translate it directly into a Western sensibility but it is a way of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live
“The home of the future is not as sci-fi as we imagine. Instead of whizbang gadgetry and the bells and whistles reminiscent of The Jetsons, the home of the future is all about sustainability, energy-efficient design, an expression of the individual, and a hotbed of creativity and inspiration.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live
Fumio Sasaki
Sasaki is a genius writer and has taken minimalism in Japan to another level. His book is jam packed with wonderful minimalism quotes that anyone would enjoy. Here are a few of my favorites:
“Minimalism is built around the idea that there’s nothing that you’re lacking.”
― Fumio Sasaki, Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
“Want to know how to make yourself instantly unhappy? Compare yourself with someone else.”
― Fumio Sasaki, Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
“Minimalism is just the beginning. It’s a tool. Once you’ve gone ahead and minimized, it’s time to find out what those important things are.”
― Fumio Sasaki, Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
On this note, simplicity means enjoying the simple joys of life. Taking the time to enjoy nature and the world around us without needing things.
Jane Andrews
Andrews takes minimalism and simplifies it in a way that anyone could relate to. In her latest book Minimalism: Discover the Power of Less: Free Yourself from Stress and Clutter with Minimalism, she covers how to free yourself and live a better life. Keep reading to see my favorite minimalism quote from her…
“Minimalism is really about reassessment of priorities, so you can remove unnecessary things from your life; get rid of things like possessions, activities, and relationships that do not improve or bring value to your life.”
― Jane Andrews, Minimalism: Discover the Power of Less: Free Yourself from Stress and Clutter with Minimalism
“Minimalism can help you find contentment and satisfaction and finally put meaning into your life. Just removing unnecessary things that do not bring any value to you will essentially open the door to a brand-new perspective on living.”
― Jane Andrews, Minimalism: Discover the Power of Less: Free Yourself from Stress and Clutter with Minimalism
Learn how you can improve yourself every day so you can focus on what brings value to your life.
Bryant McGill
McGill looks at Minimalism in a refreshing way to motivate and inspire. His book is perfect for anyone looking for small motivations to help them begin their minimalism journey. His minimalism quotes are short, precise, and perfect for anyone looking for inspiration to minimize.
“Minimalism means not trying to improve perfection.”
― Bryant McGill, Simple Reminders: Inspiration for Living Your Best Life
Robert Wringham
Wringham beautifully approaches minimalism as a tool that we can use to improve our economy. In his book, he dives into how buyers control the market and helps guide people to make choices to positively impact the world.
“If we were all minimalists instead of conspicuous consumers, there would be less demand on the world’s resources and we’d have a smaller, less berserk economy. We’d be less likely to harm the only planet we’ll ever have, and the super-rich would have fewer ways to exploit us.”
― Robert Wringham, Escape Everything!: Escape from work. Escape from consumerism. Escape from despair.
Lin Yutang
Written in the late 1800’s, this book by Yutang still holds many things true. His wisdom is encouraging and applicable to even the busiest of people.
“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.”
-Lin Yutang, My Country and My People
Charles Spurgeon
One of the most well-known Christian authors, Spurgeon writes in a direct way to help those that need a little extra push. In this minimalism quote, he holds you accountable in a way that is loving yet stern.
“You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.” -Charles Spurgeon
In Summary
There are so many beautiful minimalism quotes for you and your family. The ones on this list are just a few of my favorites to help encourage you to live a more peaceful, simple life.
A tool like these quotes can be used to help you stay encouraged and ready for the long haul. There are so many distractions and it can be easy to get pulled back into a world of materialism.
Keep a few of these quotes written around the home and you will see the benefit of having them around.
Do you have any minimalism quotes that you love that didn’t make the list? Share them below in the comments!
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