Possessed by Our Possessions

“Anything that you cannot relinquish when it has outlived its usefulness possesses you, and in this materialistic age a great many of us are possessed by our possessions.”

Peace Pilgrim, Steps Toward Inner Peace

Peace Pilgrim spent close to three decades walking across the United States with nothing but the clothes she wore and what fit in her pockets. She wrote that, for her, what she wanted and what she needed had become exactly the same thing. That’s an extreme version of simple living, and she was the first to say most of us, especially people raising families, need more than she did.

But the line above isn’t really about owning almost nothing. It’s about a test you can run on anything you own: has this thing outlived its usefulness, and if so, can I let it go? She wasn’t against stuff. In the same passage she says things are there for use, and it’s fine to use them. The trouble starts when the use is over and the thing stays anyway.

You probably know the feeling. The treadmill that’s now a coat rack. The box of cables for devices you don’t have. The bread maker from three kitchens ago. None of it is doing anything for you, and yet getting rid of it feels oddly hard. That small resistance is what she means by being possessed. The thing has a grip on you, not the other way around.

She also had a gentle idea about where things should go next: pass them on to someone who does need them. That takes a lot of the sting out of letting go. You’re not throwing away your past. You’re putting something back to work.

How to live it this week

Pick one shelf, drawer, or closet corner. Not a whole room. Something you can finish in twenty minutes.

Ask one question of each item. “Is this still useful to me right now?” Not “could it be useful someday” and not “did it cost a lot.” Just right now.

Notice the ones you hesitate on. If something is clearly done being useful and you still can’t put it in the bag, write down why. Guilt, money, a person it reminds you of. Naming it usually loosens it.

Give it a next home within 48 hours. A neighbor, a friend who mentioned needing one, a local buy-nothing group, or a donation drop-off. Things left in a “to donate” bag in the trunk have a way of moving back inside.

One shelf won’t change your life. But it shows you how it feels to own your things instead of the reverse, and that feeling tends to spread to the next shelf on its own.

Want more lines like this? Browse our decluttering quotes and the full list of simple living quotes, or read why possessions can keep you from living freely.