Compiled by Darla Turlington

Biblical Sources

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. –Jesus Christ, Matthew 6:19-21

But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  –Jesus Christ, Matthew 6:33

So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. – Jesus Christ, Matthew 6:34

If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me. –Jesus Christ, Matthew 10:21

Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.–Philippians 4:11-13

Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; ⁷ for we brought nothing into the world, so that^[d] we can take nothing out of it;–I Timothy 6:6

Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” –Hebrews 13:5

Other Sources

Live simply that others might simply live. –Elizabeth Ann Seton, 18^th-19^th century Catholic Nun

The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the more free you are. –Mother Teresa, 20^th century Catholic Nun

Simplicity is the only thing that sufficiently reorients our lives so that possessions can be genuinely enjoyed without destroying us. –Richard Foster, 20^th-21^st century American Theologian and Author

Complete possession is proved only by giving. All you are unable to give possesses you. –Andre Gide, 18^th-19^th century French Author

Order your soul. Reduce your wants. –Augustine of Hippo, 4^th-5^th century Roman African Theologian

The world calls for, and expects from us, simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity towards all, especially towards the lowly and the poor, obedience and humility, detachment, and self-sacrifice. Without this mark of holiness, our word will have difficulty in touching the heart of modern man.–Pope Paul VI, 20^th century Italian Church Leader

Possessions are usually diminished by possession. –Friedrich Nietzsche, 19^th century German Philosopher

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. –Hans Hofmann, 19^th-20^th century American Artist

I am strongly drawn to the simple life and am often oppressed by the feeling that I am engrossing an unnecessary amount of the labor of my fellow. I regard class differences as contrary to justice and, in the last resort, based on force. I also consider that plain living is good for everybody, physically and mentally. –Albert Einstein, 19^th-20^th century German-born Theoretical Physicist

There are two ways to be rich: One is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little. –Jackie French Koller, 20^th-21^st century American Author

It could be said of him that while others chased the mirage of happiness, he was happy with being content. –Neel Mukherjee, 20^th-21^st century Indian/British Author

I have to remind myself to live simply and not to overindulge, which is a constant battle in a material world. –Sandra Cisneros, 20^th-21^st American Author

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. –Confucius, 6^th-5^th century Chinese Philosopher

Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. –Lao Tzu, 5^th century Chinese Philosopher

A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think. –Eleanor Roosevelt, 19^th-20^th century American First Lady and Diplomat

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, 20^th-21^st century American Businessman

Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy. –Isaac Newton, 17^th-18^th century English Mathematician

As we live and as we are, Simplicity – with a capital ‘S’ – is difficult to comprehend nowadays. We are no longer truly simple. We no longer live in simple terms or places. Life is a complex struggle now. It is now valiant to be simple: a courageous thing to even want to be simple. It is a spiritual thing to comprehend what simplicity means. –Frank Lloyd Wright, 19^th-20^th century American Architect

Expert: Someone who brings confusion to simplicity. –Gregory Nunn, 20^th-21^st century American Athlete

Simplicity before understanding is simplistic; simplicity after understanding is simple. –Edward de Bono, 20^th-21^st century English Psychologist

Everything is both simpler than we can imagine, and more complicated that we can conceive. –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 18^th-19^th century German Poet

Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification. –Martin H. Fischer, 19^th-20^th century American Physicist

Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things. –Isaac Newton, 17^th-18^th century English Mathematician 

How many undervalue the power of simplicity! But it is the real key to the heart. –William Wordsworth, 18^th-19^th century English Poet

It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary. –Paulo Coelho, 20^th-21^st century Brazilian Novelist

To be simple is the best thing in the world. –Gilbert K. Chesterton, 19^th-20^th century English Writer

Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful. –John Maeda, 20^th-21^st century American Designer

I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things in life which are the real ones after all. –Laura Ingalls Wilder, 19^th-20^th century American Author

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.  They seem to be the purpose of God for his whole creation.–Richard Holloway, 20^th century Scottish Writer and Cleric

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, 15^th-16^th century German Artist

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.–Leonardo da Vinci, 15^th-16^th century Italian Artist

Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.–Isaac Newton, 17^th-18^th century English Mathematician

The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.–Walt Whitman, 19^th century American Poet

In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 19^th century American Poet

I do believe in simplicity. …When the mathematician would solve a difficult problem, he first frees the equation of all incumbrances, and reduces it to its simplest terms. So simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real. Probe the earth to see where your main roots run. –Henry David Thoreau, 19^th century American Author

There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth.–Leo Tolstoy, 19^th-20^th century Russian Novelist

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, 19^th century Polish Composer

To me, the extraordinary aspect of martial arts lies in its simplicity. The easy way is also the right way.–Bruce Lee, 20^th century American Actor

I love the simplicity and freedom of running. A pair of shoes, and you are all set to explore new trails.–Rachel Boston, 20^th-21^st century American Actress

The key to a good meal is simplicity and the right seasoning.–Buddy Valastro, 20^th-21^st century American Chef