200+ Minimalist Quotes to Inspire Your Minimalism Journey

This comprehensive list of the best minimalist quotes is sure to inspire you along your minimalist journey!

Whether you’re looking for quotes from the ‘Minimalism’ documentary, Marie Kondo quotes, or just inspiring minimalist quotes in general, you’ll be sure to find what you’re looking for here! There are even minimalism quotes from Aristotle and other people from before minimalism was even “a thing”.

I’ve also included book recommendations so if you particularly like a quote, you can check out the book it came from!

This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission if you use them, at no additional cost to you. See disclosure policy for details.

Minimalist Quotes

“More was never the answer. The answer, it turned out, was always less.”
― Cait Flanders, The Year of Less

“What is your heart worth?
What about your time?
What holds your heart, holds your attention.
What holds your attention, holds your time.
What holds your time, holds your life.
And if it’s possessions that holds these things,
It will demand it all.” 
― Eric Overby, Senses

“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

“Digital minimalism definitively does not reject the innovations of the internet age, but instead rejects the way so many people currently engage with these tools.” 
― Cal Newport, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

Read 10 Easy Ideas to Embrace Digital Minimalism

“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

Get these quotes about minimalism for your desktop background so you can see them every day!

“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

Read more about how to do a no spend year challenge

“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

“When you lead a minimalist lifestyle, you are never rich and never poor.” 
― Rajesh`, Random Cosmos

“The more we gave up, the more we gained.” 
― Courtney Ellis, Uncluttered: Free Your Space, Free Your Schedule, Free Your Soul

“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

“One can with but moderate possessions do what one ought.” 
― Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics

“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

“The numerous choices you have around yourself are often superficial; they don’t matter. The art lies in doing more with less. Minimal requirements, more work.” 
― Vishal Ostwal, Pocket Productivity: A Simplified Guide to Getting More Outcomes from Your Hard Work and Giving Your Hustle a Meaning

“Minimalism is the constant art of editing your life.” 
― Danny Dover, The Minimalist Mindset

“Reduce what you have. Decrease what you want.” 
― Jonathan Star, Tao Te Ching

“A well-used minimum suffices for everything.” 
― Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days

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“Minimalism means not trying to improve perfection.” 
― Bryant McGill, Simple Reminders: Inspiration for Living Your Best Life

“For everything we say yes to, we’re saying no to something else.” 
― Ryder Carroll, The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future

“Useless and precious objects. Taking up space. Taking up time.” 
― Maira Kalman, My Favorite Things

“If you have clutter in your real life, your tangible life, then it really adds to the emotional clutter in your mind.” 
― Giuliana Rancic, I Do, Now What?: Secrets, Stories, and Advice from a Madly-in-Love Couple

“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.

“Instead of trying to understand who we really are, we reach for the “Real Thing”. And when the goods we buy fail to match up to those deep desires, instead of giving up on material goods, we just keep banging our heads against the wall and buying more.” 
― James Wallman, Stuffocation, Living More with Less

“Some things cost way more when we keep them.” 
― Neeraj Agnihotri, Procrasdemon – The Artist’s Guide to Liberation From Procrastination

“Procrasdemon makes you waste your time on things that do not add value to your life.” 
― Neeraj Agnihotri, Procrasdemon – The Artist’s Guide to Liberation From Procrastination

“People are not disturbed by things, but by the views they take of them.”
—Epictetus, The Enchiridion

If you’re enjoying this, check out this list of quotes about simple living!

Marie Kondō Quotes About Minimalism

Marie Kondō is super wise when it comes to minimalism, decluttering, and organization.

Her books, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Spark Joy are trending since the launch of her popular show on Netflix! You can get them both HERE.

The thing is, Marie Kondō has tons of quotes on minimalism and minimalist sayings that will definitely inspire you!

Here are some of the best Marie Kondō Quotes about minimalism:

“The best criterion for choosing what to keep and what to discard is whether keeping it will make you happy, whether it will bring you joy.” 
― Marie Kondō, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

“The best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one’s hand and ask: “Does this spark joy?”
If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it. This is not only the simplest but also the most accurate yardstick by which to judge.” 
― Marie Kondō, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” 
― Marie Kondō, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

“We should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of.” 
― Marie Kondō, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

“But when we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.” 
― Marie Kondō, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

“Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. By doing this, you can reset your life and embark on a new lifestyle.” 
― Marie Kondō, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

“Clutter is caused by a failure to return things to where they belong. Therefore, storage should reduce the effort needed to put things away, not the effort needed to get them out.” 
― Marie Kondō, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

“I have yet to see a house that lacked sufficient storage. The real problem is that we have far more than we need or want.” 
― Marie Kondō, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

“Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest.” 
― Marie Kondō, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

“Storage experts are hoarders.”
― Marie Kondō, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

“When your room is clean and uncluttered you have no choice but to examine your inner state.”
― Marie Kondō

The Minimalists’ Quotes

The Minimalists, Ryan Nicodemus & Joshua Fields Millburn played a HUGE part in the rise of minimalism in mainstream culture.

With the popularity of their documentary, ‘Minimalism: A Documentary About The Important Things’, they inspired an avalanche of decluttering and minimizing across the world!

This list contains ‘Minimalism’ documentary quotes, as well as quotes from their books, ‘Everything That Remains: A Memoir by the Minimalists’ and ‘Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life’

Quotes from the Minimalists:

“The point is that minimalism is a tool to help you achieve freedom. Freedom from fear, freedom from worry, freedom from overwhelm, freedom from guilt, freedom from depression, freedom from enslavement. Freedom. Real freedom.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus

“Minimalism looks different for everyone because it’s about finding what is essential to you.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life

“Minimalism is a tool to eliminate life’s excess, focus on the essentials, and find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life

“Minimalism is a tool we use to live a meaningful life. There are no rules. Rather, minimalism is simply about stripping away the unnecessary things in your life so you can focus on what’s important” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life

Find out what the opposite of minimalism is.

“Ultimately, minimalism is the thing that gets us past the things so we can focus on life’s most important things—which actually aren’t things at all.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life

“Minimalists search for happiness not through things, but through life itself; thus, it’s up to you to determine what is necessary and what is superfluous to your life.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life

“The things you own end up owning you.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

“We’re living our life depending on the space we’ve got rather than creating our space to fit our lives.”
― Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus, Minimalism: A Documentary About The Important Things

“Taking time for ourselves, especially when we’re overwhelmed and don’t want to, helps declutter the mind. Everyone has twenty minutes a day to clear their mental clutter.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

“… A home is a home for one reason: we call it home. The stuff doesn’t make it your home – you do”.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

“It is important to note that we don’t think that sentimental items are bad or evil or that holding on to them is wrong. We don’t. Rather, we think the pernicious nature of sentimental items – and overt sentimentality in general – is far more subtle. If you want to get rid of an item but the only reason you are holding on to it is for sentimental reasons – if it is weighing on you, if it’s an anchor – then perhaps it’s time to get rid of it, perhaps it is time to free yourself of the weight.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus

“Now, before I spend money I ask myself one question: Is this worth my freedom? Like: Is this coffee worth two dollars of my freedom? Is this shirt worth thirty dollars of my freedom? Is this car worth thirty thousand dollars of my freedom? In other words, am I going to get more value from the thing I’m about to purchase, or am I going to get more value from my freedom?” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

“Truthfully, though, most organizing is nothing more than well-planned hoarding.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

“Addition by subtraction.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

“Reject the basic assumptions of civilization, especially the importance of material possessions,” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

“It’s kind of sad how much value I was placing in the heaps of books I owned. Obviously it was more than their real value. The real value was in the words—in the act of reading—not in the physical books themselves. There’s no value in having a room full of books you don’t need—especially when other people can get value from those books.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

“…success for me has little to do with money or possessions or status. Rather, success is a simple equation: Happiness + Growth + Contribution = Success.
That’s the only kind of success I know.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

“When I got rid of the majority of my possessions, I was forced to confront my darker side, compelled to ask questions I wasn’t prepared for: When did I give so much meaning to material possessions? What is truly important in life? Why am I discontented? Who is the person I want to become? How will I define my own success?” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

“Understand, every moth is drawn to light, even when that light is a flame, hot and burning, flickering, the fire tantalizing the drab creature with its blueish-white illumination. But when the moth flies too close to the flame, we all know what happens: it gets burned, incinerated by the very thing that drew it near.

For decades now, I have played the role of the moth, lured by the flame of consumerism, pop culture’s beautiful conflagration, a firestorm of lust and greed and wanting, a haunting desire to consume that which cannot be consumed, to be fulfilled by that which can never be fulfilling. A vacant proposition, leaving me empty inside, which further fuels my desire to consume.

Accepting the flame for what it is, then, is important: it is necessary and beautiful and, most of all, dangerous. Realizing this, becoming aware of the danger, is difficult to do. But this is how we wake up.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

“Ultimately most of us come to believe there’s more value in a paycheck—and all the stuff that paycheck can buy us—than there is in life itself.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

“20/20 Theory: basically, anything I jettison can be replaced for less than twenty dollars, in less than twenty minutes from my current location—if I discover I truly need to replace it.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

“We all know that possessions do not equal happiness. It’s just that we’ve been told this lie for so long that we start to believe it, our hearts start to buy into it, and it begins to affect the way we live our lives.” 
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

Joshua Becker Quotes About Minimalism

Joshua Becker is a famous minimalist and author of several books about minimalism, most notably, ‘The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own‘.

He also wrote ‘The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life‘, ‘Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life‘, and ‘Clutterfree with Kids‘.

With all his wisdom and experience in minimalism, Joshua Becker has tons of great minimalist living quotes!

“Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.” 
― Joshua Becker, Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life

“Owning less is better than organizing more.” 
― Joshua Becker, Clutterfree with Kids

“Don’t just declutter, de-own.” 
― Joshua Becker, Clutterfree with Kids

“Purposefully owning less begins to take us out of the unwinnable game of comparison.”
― Joshua Becker, The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own

“Remember, your memories are not stored in the object; the memories are in you.”
― Joshua Becker, The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own

“Sometimes, minimizing possessions means a dream must die. But this is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, it takes giving up the person we wanted to be in order to fully appreciate the person we can actually become.” 
― Joshua Becker, The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own

“…minimalism in the service of others is a logical extension of the same ethos of selflessness.” 
― Joshua Becker, The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own

“You don’t need more space. You need less stuff.” 
― Joshua Becker, The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own

“Our excessive possessions are not making us happy. Even worse, they are taking us away from the things that do. Once we let go of the things that don’t matter, we are free to pursue all the things that really do matter.” 
― Joshua Becker, The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own

“The best things in life aren’t things” 
― Joshua Becker, The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life

“It’s better to have extra time on your hands and extra money in your pocket than extra stuff in your closet.” 
― Joshua Becker, The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life

“Not every possession is belonging.” 
― Joshua Becker, The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life

“In our overcrowded homes today, most possessions are not truly “belongings.” They are only distracting us from the things that do belong.” 
― Joshua Becker, The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life

“One underappreciated benefit of minimalism is the ability to walk confidently through your bedroom with the lights off.” 
― Joshua Becker, The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life

“If you need nice things to impress your friends, you have the wrong friends.” 
― Joshua Becker, The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life

“Picture your dream home. I bet it’s not filled with clutter.” 
― Joshua Becker, The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life

“Let your regret about how much you have to throw away reinforce your determination not to buy so much in the future.” 
― Joshua Becker, The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life

“Minimizing forces us to confront our stuff, and our stuff forces us to confront ourselves.” 
― Joshua Becker, The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life

“If you’re not using the stuff in your home, get rid of it. You’re not going to start using it more by shoving it in a closet somewhere.” 
― Joshua Becker

“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.” 
― Joshua Becker

“The typical person saw over 5,000 advertisements yesterday telling them to buy something new. Here’s 1 with the opposite message: Buy Less.” 
― Joshua Becker

“Desiring less is even more valuable than owning less.”
― Joshua Becker

“Society says you need lots of stuff to be happy. They are wrong.” 
― Joshua Becker

“I have seen countless lives radically changed by the simple notion that we don’t need to own nearly as much stuff as we think we need.” 
― Joshua Becker

“Own less stuff. Enjoy more freedom. It really is that simple.” 
― Joshua Becker

“How to Handle Gifts as a Minimalist.
1) Needs over wants
2) Quality over quantity
3) Experiences over possessions
4) Gift list as early as possible 
5) Consumables over non consumables.” 
― Joshua Becker

“The minimalism that works for us is almost certainly going to look different than the minimalism that works for you.” 
― Joshua Becker

“Minimalism isn’t about owning less than you need. It’s about owning exactly what you need.” 
― Joshua Becker

“If you want to accomplish the most good for the most amount of people, own less stuff.” 
― Joshua Becker

“Time spent minimizing possessions is never wasted.” 
― Joshua Becker

Courtney Carver Quotes About Minimalism & Simple Living

Courtney Carver a simple living expert and author of the book ‘Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More‘. She is also the author of Simple Ways to Be More with Less and Mini-Missions for Simplicity: Small Actions for Massive Change

She also created Project 333 which started the whole capsule wardrobe revolution! Courtney is a wealth of wisdom on all things minimalism and simple living.

Here are some ‘Soulful Simplicity‘ quotes and other quotes by Courtney Carver for you to enjoy!

“Let the people in your life find their own way, just as you are finding yours. If you want others to see the joy in less, live joyfully with less.” 
― Courtney Carver, Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More

“Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are.” 
― Courtney Carver, Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More

“Diamonds are not my best friend but they used to be. It wasn’t just jewelry but all the things I bought to lift me up, prove my worth, and demonstrate my love. As I became more and more me and started experiencing the world from this new stuff-less place, I realized that diamonds are not this girl’s best friend.

My best friend is a magical rooftop sunrise. My best friend is the ocean. My best friend is a hike in the mountains. My best friend is a peaceful afternoon. My best friend is a really good book. My best friend is laughter. My best friend is seeing the world. My best friend is time with people I love. Diamonds have nothing on my best friends.” 
― Courtney Carver, Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More

“I finally figured it out. Instead of working so hard to make ends meet, work on having fewer ends.” 
― Courtney Carver, Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More

“If organizing your stuff worked, you’d be organized by now.” 
― Courtney Carver, Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More

You might also like minimalist wallpaper desktop backgrounds. See this curated list!

Erica Layne Quotes About Minimalism

Erica Layne is the author of the book ‘The Minimalist Way: Minimalism Strategies to Declutter Your Life and Make Room for Joy‘.

I love her concepts and ideas about how minimalism is about so much more than just stuff. You can (and should!) apply minimalism to every aspect of your life!

Here are a few inspiring minimalist lifestyle quotes from Erica Layne:

“This is the beautiful secret of minimalism: It may seem like it’s about stuff, but once you’ve cut through the clutter and adopted a new frame of mind, you learn that it’s barely about ‘the stuff’ at all.” 
― Erica Layne,  The Minimalist Way: Minimalism Strategies to Declutter Your Life and Make Room for Joy

“Bottom line: If our lives are burdened with clutter, we’re giving the best of ourselves away to the things that matter least.” 
― Erica Layne, The Minimalist Way: Minimalism Strategies to Declutter Your Life and Make Room for Joy

“Too many of us are over-committing to others and under-committing to ourselves. Let’s stop living at a frantic pace if our hearts are pulling us to a slower, more focused way of life. Let’s start honoring our own needs for rest, self-care, and balance. Let’s recommit to our own vision and finally listen to the voice inside.” 
― Erica Layne, The Minimalist Way: Minimalism Strategies to Declutter Your Life and Make Room for Joy

Francine Jay Quotes

Miss Minimalist, also known as Francine Jay, is the author of ‘Miss Minimalist: Inspiration to Downsize, Declutter, and Simplify‘ and ‘The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life‘.

Francine Jay’s quotes about minimalism and simple living are some nuggets of gold to inspire you on your minimalist journey!

“My goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do.” 
― Francine Jay, Miss Minimalist: Inspiration to Downsize, Declutter, and Simplify

“What is minimalism then? It’s living lightly and gracefully on the earth – it’s uncovering who you are.”
― Francine Jay

“Minimalism is asking why before you buy.”
― Francine Jay

“Your home is living space, not storage space.” 
― Francine Jay

“Generally speaking, our stuff can be divided into three categories: useful stuff, beautiful stuff, and emotional stuff.” 
― Francine Jay, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life

“Ask each item, “What are you and what do you do?” “How did you come into my life?” “Did I buy you, or were you given to me?” “How often do I use you?” “Would I replace you if you were lost or broken, or would I be relieved to be rid of you?” “Did I ever want you in the first place?” Be honest with your answers–you won’t hurt your stuff’s feelings” 
― Francine Jay, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life

“Anything you use often, and which truly adds value to your life, is a welcome part of a minimalist household” 
― Francine Jay, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life

“The problem: we put more value on our stuff than on our space” 
― Francine Jay, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life

“As we examine our things with a critical eye, we may be surprised how much of it commemorates our past, represents our hopes for the future, or belongs to our imaginary selves. Unfortunately, devoting too much of our space, time and energy to these things keeps us from living in the present.” 
― Francine Jay, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life

Laurie Buchanan’s Minimalist Quotes

Laurie Buchanan has a PhD in holistic health and brings her wisdom about minimalism, self discovery and transformation into her books: ‘Note to Self: A Seven-Step Path to Gratitude and Growth‘ and ‘The Business of Being: Soul Purpose in and Out of the Workplace‘

Here are some popular Laurie Buchanan quotes:

“A minimalist by intent, I live a beautiful life with fewer things—simple, yet full.” 
― Laurie Buchanan, PhD

“Minimalism is about creating space to live simply and meaningfully; it’s about living intentionally.” 
― Laurie Buchanan, PhD

“Clearing clutter—be it physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual—brings about ease and inspires a sense of peace, calm, and tranquility.”
― Laurie Buchanan, PhD

“My creative muse is wabi-sabi, a practice where inessentials are trimmed away or eliminated. The intersection where wabi (minimal) and sabi (functional) meet is the platform for my creativity: space and quiet solitude, simplicity.” 
― Laurie Buchanan, PhD

“As a minimalist, I find empty space to be one of my greatest luxuries.” 
― Laurie Buchanan, PhD

“In my life, I’ve found that when I align my wants and my needs, less becomes more.” 
― Laurie Buchanan, PhD

Lisa J. Shultz Quotes

Lisa J. Shultz is the author of ‘Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.‘

She makes some excellent points about how to get rid of things in your pursuit of living with less. I really like her view on minimalism:

“I consider minimalism not as a destination but rather as a tool and a mindset to reduce distractions and overwhelm. It is not a competition. You are a winner if you find the amount of stuff and size of your home to be perfect for you and your lifestyle and situation. You only lose if you never consider the potential benefits of decluttering and leave your loved ones with messes and burdens.” 
― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

“Minimizing can be exhilarating. If you continue decluttering, you just might find a zest for life that you didn’t know existed under all that stuff!” 
― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

“Instead of thinking I am losing something when I clear clutter, I dwell on what I might gain.” 
― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

“I asked myself, “Who would I be if I weren’t busy? What would be left of my life and me after I removed excess stuff from my home and allowed my day to have unscheduled open spaces?” 
― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

“Clutter may rob us of the life we imagined or prevent us from creating a new vision for our future.” 
― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

“I am becoming better at releasing the “what-ifs” that clog my closets.” 
― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

“We all have a million things vying for our attention. If you tell yourself that you don’t have enough time to clear out your junk, you might be delaying the well-being and relief you could experience by tackling it. If not now, when?” 
― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

“As I declutter and downsize, I gradually discover more of my essence and my purpose.” 
― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

“When I own less, fewer things go wrong and need to be fixed. I have more space: openings in my calendar, room in my home, and calm in my heart.” 
― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

“For me, decluttering and downsizing has caused shifts in my thinking and my habits. I don’t have to declutter; I choose to declutter.” 
― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

“My choice of a lighter lifestyle has brought me a greater sense of well-being. In a world that often seems stressful and chaotic, that’s a feeling I cherish.” 
― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

“If we want more healing and peace in the world, let us each start with our homes, our relationships, our mindsets, and ourselves.” 
― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

Other Minimalism Quotes You May Enjoy

“It is not daily increase but daily decrease; hack away the unessential.”
― Bruce Lee

“Perhaps, it is not necessary to have so many things. Perhaps, it is not necessary to do so many things. Do we really need it all? Or are we drowning ourselves in things and busyness?” 
― Akiroq Brost

“You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need.”

—Vernon Howard

“Happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have.”
—Rabbi Hyman Schachtel

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.”
—Will Rogers

“Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.”
—Edwin Way Teale

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
—Socrates

“I am a minimalist. I like saying the most with the least.” 
― Bob Newhart

“Eyes blinded by the fog of things
cannot see truth.
Ears deafened by the din of things
cannot hear truth.
Brains bewildered by the whirl of things
cannot think truth.
Hearts deadened by the weight of things
cannot feel truth.
Throats choked by the dust of things
cannot speak truth.” 
― Harold Bell Wright

“I’ve found that the less stuff I own, the less my stuff owns me.” 
― Nathan W. Morris

“It’s not always that we need to do more but rather that we need to focus on less.” 
― Nathan W. Morris

“Edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It’s your masterpiece after all.” 

― Nathan W. Morris

“A great principle of minimalism is using the minimum amount of resources, which accords perfectly with our present-day need for sustainability.” 
― Dr Prem Jagyasi

“If I had to own a car, I rather have a small one… A small trunk will constantly remind me to pack light and remain minimalist.” 
― Rodolfo Peon

“In the elimination of things, you will find yourself cutting unnecessary items and overhead from your life and business.”
― Richie Norton

“Finding peace of mind usually demands that we lose some things and some people.” 
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

“Whenever we buy something we do not need, we waste not only money but also time.” 
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

“The 5 Principles of JOMO:
1. JOMO is the opposite of FOMO (the Fear Of Missing Out).
2. JOMO is intentionally choosing what to keep and what to give.
3. JOMO is choosing to ignore the Joneses (NOT just NOT keep up).
4. JOMO is framing the moment to keep the big picture dream in focus.
5. JOMO is the art of improved results with minimalism over maximalism.” 
― Richie Norton

“Declutter your mind, your heart, your home. Let go of the heaviness that is weighing you down. Make your life simple, but significant.” 
― Maria Defillo

“It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.”
— Henry Ward Beecher

“Minimalism is a repeated, daily choice to be intentional about what you allow into your life—and this is so much more important than a one-off decluttering binge.”

― Jennifer – SimplyFiercely.com

“Be honest and realistic about how much you need to be happy. Minimalism isn’t about depriving yourself but at the same time, don’t be afraid to create boundaries. It might feel counterintuitive but there is actually a lot of freedom in having fewer options.”
― Jennifer – SimplyFiercely.com

“Often removing is improving.” 
― Freequill

“Learn to live with less so that you appreciate more.” 
― James Ryan

“Imagine you are going on vacation to a fun place where you can relax, eat well and enjoy your hobbies… What would you put in your suitcase? Now, let’s imagine you decide to live a permanently fun life where you live… What are you waiting to get rid of what did not fit in your luggage?” 
― Rodolfo Peon

“How much does he lack himself, he who must have many things?” 
― Sen no Rikyū

“There’s a fine line between minimalism and not trying very hard.” 
― Tom Pappalardo

“There are two ways to be rich: One is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little.” 
― Jackie French Koller

“Minimalism is saying all by saying nothing.” 
― Will Advise

“There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth.”
― Leo Tolstoy

“Having more and more won’t solve the problem, and happiness does not lie in possessions, or even relationships: The answer lies within ourselves. If we can’t find peace and happiness there, it’s not going to come from the outside.”
— Tenzin Palmo

“Collect moments, not things.”
— Paulo Coelho

“Less is more.”
— Robert Browning

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.”

— Will Rogers

“Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
— William Morris

“We go on multiplying our conveniences only to multiply our cares. We increase our possessions only to the enlargement of our anxieties.”
— Anna C. Brackett

“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
— Lao Tzu

“Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.”

— Epicurus

“It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.”
— Henry Ward Beecher

“The people who are rebelling meaningfully don’t buy a lot of stuff.”
— David Foster Wallace

“The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the more free you are.”
— Mother Teresa

“Minimalism is not the lack of something. It is simply the perfect amount of something.”
— Najahyia Chinchilla

“Minimalism is the pursuit of the essence of things, not the appearance.” 
— Claudio Silvestrin

“Minimalism is about creating complete harmony and not about making simple.“
— Naoto Fukasawa

“Also minimalism is a term that all of us who share so little in common and who are lumped together as minimalists are not terribly happy with.”
— Ann Beattie

“Minimalism is not defined by what is not there but by the rightness of what is and the richness with which this is experienced.”
— John Pawson

“It is preoccupation with possession, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly.”

— Bertrand Russell

“The less I needed, the better I felt.”
— Charles Bukowski

“The more I threw away, the more I found.”
— Don DeLillo

“I’ve learned that minimalism is not about what you own, it’s about why you own it.”
— Brian Gardner

“Everything we need is within us.”
— ATGW

“Fill your life with lost of experiences, not lots of things. Have incredible stories to tell, not incredible clutter in your closets.”
— MarcAndAngel

“I make myself rich by making my wants few.”
— Henry David Thoreau

Anonymous Minimalist Quotes

“Have less. Do more.”
— Anonymous

“Enjoy your favorite things every day by only owning your favorite things.” — Anonymous

“Life is a balance of holding on and letting go.”
— Anonymous

“Live with less.”
— Anonymous

“Minimalism, as a lifestyle, is the art of letting go.”

— Anonymous

“The more stuff you own, the more your stuff owns you.”
— Anonymous

“Minimalism is not subtraction for the sake of subtraction. Minimalism is subtraction for the sake of focus.”
— Anonymous

“All you need is less.”
— Anonymous

“The majority of things that you have now is future trash.”
— Anonymous

“Don’t buy things you don’t need.”
— Anonymous

“Declutter your stuff. Uncover your life.”
— Anonymous

“Fall in love with less.”
— Anonymous

“Minimalism is living with what you need and what you love. That’s it.”

— Anonymous

“Quality not quantity.”
— Anonymous

“Surround yourself with the things you love. Discard the rest.”
— Anonymous

“Own less stuff. Find more purpose.”
— Anonymous

“Never underestimate the importance of abandoning crap you don’t need.”
— Anonymous

“Maybe the life you’ve always wanted to live is buried underneath everything you own.”
— Anonymous

“One in, one out”
― Anonymou

“It’s better to donate than accumulate.”
— Anonymous

Which minimalist quote resonates with you most? Did I miss any good ones?

More About Minimalism:
Design Your Dream Minimalist Kitchen
Minimalist Gift Ideas
Frugal Minimalist Living
Hosting a Minimalist Dinner Party