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Simplicity Quotes

Lao Tzu Quote on Simplicity, Patience, and Compassion

    “I have just three things to teach:
    Simplicity, patience, compassion.
    These three are your greatest treasures.
    Simple in actions and in thoughts,
    You return to the source of being.
    Patient with both friends and enemies,
    You accord with the way things are.
    Compassionate toward yourself,
    You reconcile all beings in the world.”

    ~ Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

    Beyond the Quote (147/365)

    Your first greatest treasure: Simplicity. Simplicity in thought is a sign of mental clarity. Complicated in thought is a sign of confusion. Simplicity in action is a result of simplicity in thought. Complicated actions are a result of confused or unclear thoughts. Albert Einstein was famous for saying, “If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.” This is true for all knowledge and insight in life. If you can’t break it down and explain it simply, you don’t fully understand it.

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    Steve Jobs Quote on Simplicity and How Simple Can Be Harder Than Complex

      “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

      Beyond the Quote (42/365) Part 2: On Simplicity

      Read First: Steve Jobs Quote on Focus and Working Hard To Keep Thinking Clean (Part 1)

      Once we become aware of the fact that we’re in the midst of a full-blown battle for attention and that we’re literally being wired to enjoy distractions, we can start taking the proper steps to regain control.  If we don’t even know we’re in a battle or that we’re being rewired, after all, how can we know to do anything about it?  If we want to produce the best work of our lives then blocking out distractions and focusing our attention on the deep and thoughtful type of work is key.

      Read More »Steve Jobs Quote on Simplicity and How Simple Can Be Harder Than Complex

      Steve Jobs Quote on Focus and Working Hard To Keep Thinking Clean

        “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

        Beyond the Quote (41/365) Part 1: On Focus

        The ability to focus, or more clearly stated, the ability to block out distractions—especially in today’s world—is absolutely critical in producing the best work of your life.  Think about it.  Distractions are the things that take your attention elsewhere—away from what it should be/ could be doing.  And when your attention is over there, it’s certainly not over here—focused on the deep, thoughtful work that requires long chains of uninterrupted time for thought, flow, play, introspection, and execution.  And the more that your attention ends up over there in distraction, either deliberately or unexpectedly, the work you could be doing over here gets sidetracked and lost.

        Read More »Steve Jobs Quote on Focus and Working Hard To Keep Thinking Clean

          “Living closer to nature helps simplify because nature itself, though complex, keeps us in tune with basic rhythms and pleasures that never change and that provide grounding. When our family moved next to a farm, we found simplicity in the food we ate and in new sources for our entertainment and pleasure. Learning how to ride a horse is a complicated process, but riding is a simple pleasure that offers lasting satisfaction.”

          Thomas Moore, Original Self | ★ Featured on this book list.

            “Simplifying the externals allows us to cultivate a rich inner and outer life.  A cluttered existence may keep us busy, but busyness doesn’t mean that we are fully engaged in what we are going.  Usually, just the opposite, we feel busy because we are neurotically active at things that don’t matter much in the long run.  It does little good to be successful in a business that requires sixty hours of work a week, while the simple pleasures of home life are neglected.  A complicated person can simplify life and in that simplicity find a sharp articulation of values.  Complicated lives often do the opposite: they show to what extent the person is lost in the busyness of the world.”

            Thomas Moore, Original Self | ★ Featured on this book list.

              “Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists of the elimination of nonessentials.” ~ Lin Yutang, Chinese author and philosopher

                “You can only lose what you cling to.” ~ Buddha

                  “We tend to get what we expect – both from ourselves and from others. When we expect more, we tend to get more; when we expect less, we tend to get less.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

                    “Why do we have to grow up? I know more adults who have the children’s approach to life. They’re people who don’t give a hang what the Joneses do. You see them at Disneyland every time you go there. They are not afraid to be delighted with simple pleasures, and they have a degree of contentment with what life has brought – sometimes it isn’t much, either.” ~ Walt Disney

                      “It’s more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long difficult words but rather short easy words like ‘What about lunch?'” ~ Winnie-the-Pooh