Minimalist Living Quotes

“The purpose of minimalist living is to get us to a point where every single thing we have in our homes is something that brings us ongoing joy or provides usefulness regularly.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“We need to stop allowing things to define us, and instead, allow our purpose to define who we are.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“When we are in uncharted territory, that part of our brain can kick in and tell us to hurry back to comfortsville. But in this case, we just listen to what our brain is telling us, and then respond “Thanks, but I’m going to stay here and get used to this new territory.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“How did I acquire this item? Am I afraid of forgetting something or someone if I get rid of this thing? Is there any guilt associated with getting rid of this item? Why? Am I afraid of hurting someone’s feelings if I get rid of this? If this item were broken or was stolen, would I feel a bit relieved?”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“Imagine your brain as a beautiful, calm harbor. You are the harbor master, so you can choose what ships can anchor in the harbor. You can’t control which ships sail by, but you can choose not to let certain ships into the harbor. Just like you choose what goes into your home and what goes into your schedule, you can choose what thoughts you allow to enter your harbor. You may not be able to keep certain thoughts from flitting by, but you can decide not to entertain certain thoughts. By choosing your thoughts and intentions carefully, you create a more peaceful inner life, a life that is more joyful and creative.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“I can't start anything productive without first clearing away the clutter in my work space, living area, and mind.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“Using this knowledge about the way we are wired to adapt to our environment looks like this: if you want to eat healthily, get rid of the junk food and replace it with wholesome food. If you want to improve your sleep, remove everything from your bedroom except your comfortable, well-clothed bed. If you’d like to be more sociable, remove your computer and books, and replace them with a big dinner table, games, and comfortable, welcoming décor. If you’d like to be more introspective, remove your big dinner table and games, and install an armchair and a nice lamp surrounded by books, notebooks, pens, and highlighters.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“Although the U.S. comprises only 5% of the world’s population, we are using 30% of the world’s resources and making 30% of the world’s waste.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“value doesn’t live in things – it lives in our relationship to those things and our relationships with each other. Relationships are intangible -- bonds built in our hearts and minds, and that is good news.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“Studies show that the top three things that bring lasting joy are relationships, meaning, and goals.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“His results suggested that “irrespective of personality, in situations that activate a consumer mind-set, people show the same sorts of problematic patterns in well-being, including negative affect and social disengagement.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“For me, minimalist living means keeping only what I actually use and enjoy on a regular or seasonal basis. Things I don't use and enjoy can go on to enrich someone else's life. I limit my sentimental items to one box so I can move without those things getting lost. The things that are important to my heart are people, not things.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“I believe that we are all creators. We create art, relationships, products, and experiences. We even create our own bodies by what food we put in them and how we train and exercise them. We create our emotions and moods by what thoughts we choose to dwell on. Everyone is creative.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“The average American watches almost three hours of television per day.[ 8] For someone born now who will live to age eighty, that’s a total of eight years of television watching –straight, not including time for sleeping. Said another way, TV-watching for the average American is like having a full-time, 40-hour-per-week job for over more than thirty years. If someone replaced this television time with growth activities, say, attending medical school or learning to compose music, he or she could become an expert in seven different fields according to Dr. K. Anders Ericsson’s theory of 10,000 hours.[ 9]”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“By letting go of the good, she’ll experience the great.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“According to Annie Leonard of the Story of Stuff Project, in the U.S. we are using more than our share of resources to make our products and support our lifestyle. Although the U.S. comprises only 5% of the world’s population, we are using 30% of the world’s resources and making 30% of the world’s waste. Globally, in the past thirty years, one third of the planet’s natural resource space has been consumed.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“a life that values relationships and experiences over ownership and consumerism can be freer and more fulfilling.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“value doesn’t live in things –it lives in our relationship to those things and our relationships with each other. Relationships are intangible --bonds built in our hearts and minds,”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“If someone replaced this television time with growth activities, say, attending medical school or learning to compose music, he or she could become an expert in seven different fields according to Dr. K. Anders Ericsson’s theory of 10,000 hours.[9]”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“Although the U.S. comprises only 5% of the world’s population, we are using 30% of the world’s resources and making 30% of the world’s waste. Globally,”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“Decide now to act. We must decide that a new identity as a minimalist will replace our old identification with our belongings and activities. To”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“Not what we have but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.” — Epicurus”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“value doesn’t live in things – it lives in our relationship to those things and our relationships with each other.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity

“Options are overrated; they tend to overwhelm us and lead to mediocre lives. When we have too many options, we spend our lives maintaining those options instead of exercising them.”
― Genevieve Parker Hill, Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity