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Quotes and quiet thoughts on simplicity and simple living
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A collection of quotes and quiet thoughts on simplicity and simple living...
The term simple living truly is a misnomer. More descriptive terms might include "mindful living" or "intentional living," terms that are neutral on the issue of whether more is better or less is more. In truth, sometimes more is better, depending on the person and the issue considered. My best shot at a definition of simple living would go something like this: Simple living or voluntary simplicity are lifelong processes in which we turn loose of the quest for more wealth, status, and power in favor of an authentic life of inner peace and fulfillment.
From Linda Breen Pierce in Choosing Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World
Too often, work has also been our way of placing a value on ourselves. If we have logged so many hours or closed so many deals (or in my case, written so many pages) in a day, then we have earned our right to breathe the oxygen for twenty-four more hours. Even our available free time is often spent "in the most strenuous possible activity, because this means we're not doing nothing. We're not sloshing aimlessly around in the swimming pool just because it's cool and pleasant. We're swimming laps, counting as we turn." We have found ourselves unable to spend an hour of unplanned leisure (resting, relaxing, or merely sitting in a chair thinking) without feeling we were somehow weird or dull or (the worst sin of all) nonproductive.
From Claire Cloninger in A Place Called Simplicity
Life is always a process, and it is the process that God is concerned with more than productivity. He knows perfectibility is not possible and that all our labors are feeble against the brokenness of the world. When we overly emphasize productivity (a typically American thing to do), we often pervert the process: instead of faith, we substitute work; instead of depth, we substitute speed; instead of love, we substitute money; instead of prayer, we substitute busyness.
From Richard Swenson in Margin/The Overload Syndrome: Learning to Live Within Your Limits
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