Quotes and stories for a simpler life.
-
Sit on a Pumpkin
Thoreau would rather have a plain seat to himself than a fancy one in a crowd. Here’s a one-week way to find the pumpkin version of your own life.
-
A Thatched Roof Once Covered Free Men
Seneca, one of the richest men in Rome, knew what a marble house really costs. Here’s a one-week way to make your home work for you.
-
The Sweet, Simple Things
Laura Ingalls Wilder was still learning, at 50, that the small things are the real ones. Here’s a one-week way to notice them.
-
His That Enjoys It
Franklin said wealth belongs to whoever enjoys it, not whoever owns it. Here’s a one-week way to collect on what you already have.
-
Positive Hindrances
Thoreau said many comforts don’t just fail to help, they get in the way. Here’s a one-week trial to find out which of yours still earn their keep.
-
The Gift to Be Simple
A Shaker song from 1848 calls simplicity a gift and promises “the place just right.” Here’s how to make one small spot in your home feel that way this week.
-
Possessed by Our Possessions
Peace Pilgrim had a simple test for anything you own: has it outlived its usefulness, and can you let it go? Here’s how to run it on one shelf this week.
-
A Faculty for Idleness
Robert Louis Stevenson thought extreme busyness was a sign something was running low. Here’s how to practice a little idleness this week.
-
Is This the Condition That I Feared?
Seneca’s advice for anyone afraid of having less: practice it for a few days, then ask whether it was really so bad. Here’s how to try it this week.
-
The House Shelters Day-Dreaming
Gaston Bachelard said the chief benefit of a house is a quiet place to dream. Here is how to claim a small dreaming spot in your own home this week.
-
The Maximum of Well-Being
“Since consumption is merely a means to human well-being, the aim should be to obtain the maximum of well-being with the minimum of consumption.” E. F. Schumacher, Small Is Beautiful (1973). One concrete way to get more well-being from less stuff this week.
-
A Nobler Art of Leaving Things Undone
“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is a nobler art of leaving things undone.” Lin Yutang, The Importance of Living (1937). One concrete way to practice leaving the nonessential undone this week.
Have a downsizing story?