There is beauty in simplicity and once you learn to see it, you’ll be able to appreciate life more. Everything doesn’t always have to be grand or extra, it only needs to be true and pure. These simplicity quotes will remind you what the word really means and how it will inspire you. Happy reading!
Simplicity Quotes
1. I have three things to teach Simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. – Lao Tzu
2. Simplicity reveals the pure beauty of life. – Debasish Mridha
3. Simplicity is not about deprivation. Simplicity is about a greater appreciation for things that really matter.
4. With wisdom comes the desire for simplicity. – Brendon Burchard
5. I’ve always liked simplicity. – Marissa Mayer
6. Live simply. Dream big. Be grateful. Give love. Laugh lots.
7. Never overlook the power of simplicity. – Robin Sharma
8. Out of chaos, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. – Bruce Lee
9. Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance. – Coco Chanel
10. I always go for simplicity. – David Bailey
11. Make it simple but significant.
12. There is beauty in simplicity.
13. Simplicity is the soul of efficiency. – Austin Freeman
14. Simplicity is not style, it is a state of harmony. – Naoto Fukasawa
15. A vocabulary of truth and simplicity will be of service throughout your life. – Winston Churchill
16. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity. – Henry David Thoreau
17. There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth. – Leo Tolstoy
18. Live a life of simplicity so that you may live a life of greatness.
19. One of the biggest accelerators to change is simplicity.- Dr Henry Cloud
20. Keep things simple.
21. Live simply, so that others may simply live. – Mother Theresa
22. Nature teaches us simplicity and contentment because in its presence we realize we need very little to be happy. – Mark Coleman
23. In zen, poverty is voluntary, and considered not really as poverty so much as simplicity, freedom, unclutteredness. – Alan Watts
24. In everything, love simplicity. – Saint Francis De Sales
25. The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go. – Steve Maraboli
26. Our joy comes from living our own lives simply never from demanding that others live simply or from ever making any demands whatsoever upon others. – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
27. Simplicity is the trademark of genius. – Robin Sharma
28. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo da Vinci
29. For every problem there is a solution which is simple, clean and wrong. – Henry Louis Mencken
30. Nature is pleased with simplicity. – Isaac Newton
31. A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think. – Eleanor Roosevelt
32. 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
33. 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
34. 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. Schumacker
35. A vocabulary of truth and simplicity will be of service throughout your life. – Winston Churchill
36. A taste for simplicity cannot last for long. – Eugene Delacroix
37. Anything simple always interests me. – David Hockney
38. As beautiful as simplicity is, it can become a tradition that stands in the way of exploration. – Laura Nyro
39. 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
40. Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity. – Plato
41. Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information. — Edward Tuft
42. Don’t make the process harder than it is. — Jack Welch
43. Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. — Robert Brault
44. Enjoy the simple, the natural and the plain. Along with that comes the ability to do things spontaneously and have them work. — Benjamin Hoff
45. Everything is both simpler than we can imagine, and more complicated that we can conceive. – Goethe
46. 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
47. 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
48. Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers. — Herbert Hoover
49. From native simplicity we arrive at more profound simplicity. — Albert Schweitzer
50. For the more limited, if adequate, is always preferable. – Aristotle
51. 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
52. 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
53. How many things are there which I do not want. – Socrates
54. I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things in life which are the real ones after all. — Laura Ingalls Wilder
55. I believe that the apple shuffle is an excellent compromise among the conflicting requirements of simplicity, elegance, size, battery life, and function. — Donald Norman
56. 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
57. I despise simplicity. It is the negation of all that is beautiful. — Norman Hartnell
58. I don’t need a lot of money. Simplicity is the answer for me. — Linda McCartney
59. I have a simple philosophy. Fill what’s empty. Empty what’s full. And scratch where it itches. — Alice Roosevelt Longworth
60. 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
61. 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
62. 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
63. I take a simple view of living. It is, keep your eyes open and get on with it. — Sir Laurence Olivier
64. I wish I had invented blue jeans. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity all I hope for in my clothes. — Yves Saint Laurent
65. 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
66. If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life. — Wu-Men
67. Is it not in the most absolute simplicity that real genius plies its pinions the most wonderfully? — E. T. A. Hoffmann
68. 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
69. It is simplicity that makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when addressing popular audiences. – Aristotle
70. Let us learn to live simply, so that others may simply live. — Mahatma Gandhi
71. Life is beautiful in its simplicity. — Thomas Matthiessen
72. Live simply so that others may simply live. — Mahatma Gandhi
73. Live simply that others might simply live. — Elizabeth Seaton
74. Making the simple complicated is commonplace, making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity. — Charles Mingus
75. Man is an over complicated organism. If he is doomed to extinction he will die out for want of simplicity. — Ezra Pound
76. Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. — Lao Tzu
77. 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
78. 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 meagre life than the poor. — Henry David Thoreau
79. My philosophy? Simplicity plus variety. — Hank Stram
80. Nature is what we know yet have not art to say so impotent our wisdom is to her simplicity. — Emily Dickinson
81. 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
82. Nobility of spirit has more to do with simplicity than ostentation, wisdom rather than wealth, commitment rather than ambition. — Riccardo Muti
83. No simplicity of mind, no obscurity of station, can escape the universal duty of questioning all that we believe. — William Kingdon Clifford
84. Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
85. Nothing is as simple as we hope it will be. — Jim Horning
86. Nothing is true, but that which is simple. — Johann Wolfgang
87. Of manners gentle, of affections mild, in wit a man, simplicity a child. — Alexander Pope
88. Organic architecture seeks superior sense of use and a finer sense of comfort, expressed in organic simplicity. — Frank Lloyd Wright
89. Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify. — Henry Thoreau
90. Part of the problem today is that we have a surplus of simple answers and a shortage of simple problems. — Syracuse Herald
91. Plain question and plain answer make the shortest road out of most perplexities. – Mark Twain
92. Progress is man’s ability to complicate simplicity. — Thor Heyerdahl
93. Purity and simplicity are the two wings with which man soars above the earth and all temporary nature. — Thomas Kempis
94. Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves. — Edwin Way Teale
95. Seek simplicity but distrust it. — Alfred North Whitehead
96. Simple pleasures are the last healthy refuge in a complex world. — Oscar Wilde
97. Simple truths are a relief from grand speculations. – Vauvenargues
98. Simplicity and naturalness are the truest marks of distinction. — W. Somerset Maugham
99. Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art. — Frank Lloyd Wright
100. Simplicity, clarity, singleness. These are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy. — Richard Halloway
101. 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
102. Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it. — Alan Perlis
103. Simplicity in character, in manners, in style, in all things the supreme excellence is simplicity. — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
104. 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
105. Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. — Edsger Dijkstra
106. 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
107. Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by product of a good idea and modest expectations. — Paul Rand
108. Simplicity is the key. — Ritchie Blackmore
109. Simplicity is the nature of great souls. — Papa Ramadas
110. Simplicity of character is no hindrance to the subtlety of intellect. — John Morley
111. Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought. — William Hazlitt
112. 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
113. Simplicity is indeed often the sign of truth and a criterion of beauty. — Mahlon Hoagland
114. Simplicity is natures first step, and the last of art. — Philip James Bailey
115. Simplicity is the essence of happiness. — Cedric Bledsoe
116. 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
117. Simplicity makes me happy. — Alicia Keys
118. Simplicity should not be identified with bareness. — Felix Adler
119. Simply the thing that I am shall make me live. — William Shakespeare
120. Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time. — Arnold Glasow
121. 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
122. The aspects of things that are most important to us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity. — Ludwig Wittgenstein
123. The farther you go, the less you know. — Lao Tsu
124. The faultless formulas of television–the ones that last–are simple. — Dick Clark
125. The guiding motto in the life of every natural philosopher should be, Seek simplicity and distrust it. — Alfred North Whitehead
126. The great artist and thinker are the simplifiers. — Henri Frederic Amiel
127. The great seal of truth is simplicity. — Herman Boerhaave
128. The little things are infinitely the most important. — Arthur Conan Doyle
129. The main purpose of science is simplicity and as we understand more things, everything is becoming simpler. — Edward Teller
130. The obvious is that which is never seen until someone expresses it simply. — Kahlil Gibran
131. The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest. — Thomas More
132. The poems, all three hundred of them, may be summed up in one of their phrases, let our thoughts be correct. – Confucius
133. The pure and simple truth is rarely pure, and never simple. — Oscar Wilde
134. 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
135. The simplest things are often the truest. — Richard Bach
136. The simplest things give me ideas. — Joan Miro
137. The spirit’s foe in man has not been simplicity, but sophistication. — George Santayana
138. The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn’t simple. — Doris Janzen Longacre
139. The whole is simpler than the sum of its parts. — Willard Gibbs
140. There is a certain majesty in simplicity which is far above all the quaintness of wit. — Alexander Pope
141. 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
142. There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth. — Leo Nikolaevich Tolstov
143. 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.
144. 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
145. Three rules of work, out of clutter find simplicity, from discord find harmony, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. — Albert Einstein
146. 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
147. 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
148. To simplify complications is the first essential of success. — George Earle Buckle
149. Understanding reduces the greatest to simplicity, and lack of its causes the least to take on the magnitude. — Raymond Holliwell
150. 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
151. 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
152. 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
153. We struggle with the complexities and avoid the simplicities. — Norman Vincent Peale
154. 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
155. When the subject is strong, simplicity is the only way to treat it. — Jacob Lawrence
156. When thought is too weak to be simply expressed, it’s clear proof that it should be rejected. — Luc De Clapiers
157. 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
158. You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. — Vernon Howard
159. You know you’ve achieved perfection in design, not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away. — Anotine de Saint-Exupery
160. Consider the benefits of owning fewer possessions less to clean, less debt, less to organize, less stress, more money, and energy. – K. Collins
161. You can’t experience simple joys when you’re living life with your hair on fire. – Emily Ley
162. Jesus modeled a very simple life. You don’t see him collecting things. He spent his time and energy on relationships because he knew they were more important than all the stuff in the world. – Rick Warren
163. I feel rich because I have enough. Your enough will be different from my enough, which will be different from that guy over there’s enough. But the less you need, the sooner you will feel rich. – Anita Dhake
164. People who decide to live a simple life reduce their material possessions and overall consumption and become satisfied with the things that they need and not with what they want. – Ryan Cooper
165. It is time to stop responding to every new message or other demands on your time and those who want your immediate attention. This technique applies to work, at home, time already set aside to exercise or whatever. Your need is to approach a higher level of simplicity, not a more complicated routine. – Byron Pulsifer
166. Hard work, nothing to divert my thought, clear air and simple food made my life very pleasant. – Thomas Edison
167. Happiness consists not in having much, but in being content with little. – Marguerite Gardiner
168. By eliminating these distractions and simplifying our lives, we are able to think more clearly, be less stressed, and have more time to focus on the things that really matter to us, such as spending time with our loved ones, creativity, dreams, health, travel, and giving back. – Pia Edberg
169. Within six months, we had gotten rid of 50 percent of our belongings. We quickly began seeing the benefits of minimalism and developing a philosophy for how simpler, more purposeful living is something everyone can benefit from. – Joshua Becker
170. Another common misconception is that simple living involves depriving oneself of the material benefits of modern life. Deprivation is not a part of the true meaning of simplicity. Voluntary is a key element of the philosophy of simple living. Living without adequate food, shelter, clothing, and medical care is not simple living. Nor is it voluntary simplicity, it is involuntary poverty. – Linda Breen Pierce
171. Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. – Confucius
172. 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
173. Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things. – Isaac Newton
174. It is always the simple that produces the marvelous. – Amelia Barr
175. Simplicity is a prerequisite for reliability. – Edsger Dijkstra