These quotes about minimalism are things I actually tell myself when I feel overwhelmed or feel like it’s time to simplify for any reason. May they inspire your minimalist journey too.
I’ve shared some of these minimalism quotes on Instagram over the years but as I spend less time on the app, I thought it would be nice to share them here. Declutter and owning fewer possessions provides more capacity for the complexity of life. Less stuff, fewer distractions and slowing down allows you to notice real happiness and beauty in your life.
The most difficult thing about simplifying your life is maintaining motivation for a life change that can take years. Motivation to declutter, simplify and slow down comes from the support system you create. Your support system may include friends and family, good decluttering books, documentaries and even these quotes about minimalism. You can use them as wallpaper on your phone or write them on sticky notes for daily reminders of what matters to you.
10 Quotes About Minimalism (things I tell myself when I want to simplify life)
If you are looking for a famous quote about simplicity, Joshua Becker put together a list of 50 quotes about minimalism from writers and artists like Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Bertrand Russell, George Sand and Charles Spurgeon. The quotes and notes below are mostly just from my heart.
1. Clutter attracts clutter. Calm attracts calm.
It starts with a piece of mail on the kitchen table. Then a few papers from school join the lone piece of mail. Soon there are a pile of papers. Once you begin to look for it, you’ll see where clutter attracts more clutter in your home. Likewise, calm attracts calm. Create a small simplicity sanctuary where no clutter is allowed and see how it feels. If your sanctuary is in a common area of your home, ask your kids and other family members to respect that space. Reflect on it together. Can you breathe easier? Use that as inspiration to create more clutter-free spaces.
2. While living a simpler life with less stress can add more health, wealth and happiness to our lives, it can’t prevent every mess.
This quote about minimalism is great when you feel derailed by the flu or a crisis.
- Even though my closet is tidy, I may still catch a cold.
- Even though I’m debt free, anxiety still gets the best of me.
- Even though my calendar has tons of white space, I still get hurt, inside and out.
- Even though my home is clutter-free, there are days when I am a hot mess.
We can’t simplify our way into perfection, nor should we want to. I bring it up though incase you are just getting started, or struggling, or comparing, or just curious. I paint a beautiful picture of minimalism and simplifying but some days, even with simplicity, life is messy. We are messy. It’s part of the human condition. Highs, lows, ups, downs … all of it comes with being human, even when we’ve simplified.
3. Enough is a decision, not an amount.
Thanks to Alison Faulkner, we have this beautiful quote about minimalism. It inspires me when I’m overthinking the idea of enough when it comes to just about everything. I’m not interested in owning the perfect amount of stuff, but instead making a clear decision about what enough means to me.
4. Resist the urge to measure the quality of your day by the quantity of your accomplishments.
When who you are is what you do, it’s never enough. If your to-do list is taunting you or you are beating yourself up for not getting enough done, make a new list. Make a list of what made you smile today, of who you made smile, and a list of what tiny joys and simple pleasures you are looking forward to experiencing tomorrow.
5. When you are striving to catch up, or struggling because you feel like you are behind, be here for a moment. This is it.
I know this is obvious AND we spend so much time and energy and heartache trying to “get there” that we often forget we are here. We are here in this fleeting moment and we never really get to be anywhere else. It takes a lot of courage to be present and show up for your life. When your brain and body are going in an opposite direction you become dysregulated or out of alignment. As you develop a more minimalist mindset, you’ll begin to prioritize being right here … body, mind and spirit.
Note to self and anyone who needs it: When you find yourself striving to catch up or struggling because you feel like you are behind, be here for a moment. This is it.
6. Instead of seeking productivity tips so you can get more done, consider doing less.
When I notice myself looking at productivity tips, or new apps or planners, I remember this quote about minimalism and do less instead. I mean what’s so great about doing more? If you get more done, you just get to do more.
Our to-do lists are longer than ever. We are sacrificing sleep in the name of getting “one more thing done.” It really is too much. Instead of seeking productivity tips to get more done, consider doing less. I used to equate thriving and rising with rushing and busyness. I thought the more I did and the faster I did it, the more I would succeed. Wow, I got that wrong. Doing more things doesn’t make you a better person or a more successful person. Doing more things makes you a tired person.
7. When an appointment cancels or something falls off of your to-do list, don’t replace it. Embrace the space and take it for yourself.
If you cancel an appointment with me, I will not even be a little bit upset. I will enjoy the time! Instead of filling up all the spaces in the name of productivity or trying to get it all done, embrace extra space. It’s yours. Take it. You need it and you deserve it.
8. Give yourself permission to know when it’s time to let go of something.
Whether you want to let go of stuff and clutter, a relationship, a job, an old goal, idea, thought or belief, give yourself permission to know when it’s time. Trust yourself.
We convince ourselves that letting go of things is hard, so we hold on. The truth is that holding on is harder. We have to hold on every day, questioning our decisions and keeping things in our lives that weigh us down and distract us from what we care about now. Of course, some things feel easier to release than others so be gentle with yourself and trust your heart. She knows things.
9. Decluttering is one part dealing with your stuff and three parts dealing with your heart.
I shared this minimalism quote and the following in Gentle, Rest More, Stress Less and Live the Life You Actually Want. “This is why letting go is hard. Because stuff isn’t just stuff in our hearts. Stuff is the moment someone said hello or goodbye. It’s a pair of shoes we never thought we could afford or decades of photos that remind us that we had a life. Stuff is dozens of report cards and yearbooks and it’s also 49 coffee cups (even though we always use our favorite one).
All of that is true about stuff in our hearts AND there is a possibility for fuller lives, less stress, moving with more ease, more clarity about what matters, more time to engage in what you discover matters to you, more presence and connection with the people you love, better sleep, space for creativity and room to take care of yourself.
There is a place in between ALL stuff and NO stuff that will allow you to not only shift your focus from defining who you are by what you own but also, to enjoy your favorite things. It’s your simplicity, your home, your life. You make the rules. Knowing that your heart may be holding on a little too tightly, be gentle with yourself. Go easy, take tiny steps, and lots of breaks as you work towards a more spacious, relaxed life.”
10. Remove the things that remove you from your life.
The following things removed me from my life, so I removed them …
- Clutter
- Debt
- Drama
- Busyness
- Drinking
Now I have more room for good sleep, presence, peace and ease. I have more time for the people I want to spend time with and the things I care about. What can you remove that removes you from your life?
Use these quotes about minimalism to inspire your own journey. We have to continually remind ourselves about why and how we want to simplify our lives. Remember that we don’t remove clutter, reduce stress and reject busyness to have a simple life. We do it to have a life. Don’t worry about what a simple life is supposed to look like, or should be like or what other people say it is. It doesn’t even matter what you call it. Simplicity is just the tool. Use it to create a life of what matters most to you, a life you can show up for and a life where you feel most like you.
