Quotes About Simplicity

Perfection is not when there is no more to add, but no more to take away." –Antoine de Saint-Exupéry French writer, author of The Little Prince

It is vain to do with more what can be done with less. —WILLIAM OF OCCAM (1300–1350), originator of "Occam's Razor

THE KEY TO having more time is doing less, and there are two paths to getting there, both of which should be used together: (1) Define a to-do list and (2) define a not-to

Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with coarse and rough dress, saying to yourself the while: 'Is this the condition that I feared?'" —Seneca

Then, I did what I often do—whether considering a business decision, personal relationship, or otherwise—I asked myself the one question that helps answer many others . . . What would this look like if it were easy?

I also have in mind that seemingly wealthy, but most terribly impoverished class of all, who have accumulated dross, but know not how to use it, or get rid of it, and thus have forged their own golden or silver fetters. —HENRY DAVID THOREAU (1817–1862)

I have recommended Kevin Kelly's "1,000 True Fans" to literally millions of people. Many guests in this book have done the same. "If you only read one article on marketing, make it this one" is my common wording. Here's a highly simplified synopsis: "Success" need not be complicated. Just start with making 1,000 people extremely, extremely happy.

One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference. Being busy is a form of laziness—lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.

What Is Zen?: Plain Talk for a Beginner's Mind by Norman Fischer.

NR: To prevent work for work's sake, and to do the minimum necessary for maximum effect ("minimum effective load").

Nuestro objetivo no es crear un negocio lo más grande posible, sino un negocio que nos moleste lo menos posible.

If the commitment is to a long-term goal and not to a series of smaller intermediate goals, then only one decision needs to be made and adhered to. Clear, simple, straightforward. Much easier to maintain than having to make small decision after small decision to stay the course when dealing with each step along the way. This provides far too many opportunities to inadvertently drift from your chosen goal. The single decision is one of the most powerful tools in the toolbox.

Learn more, know less.

Thoreau writes, 'The really efficient laborer will be found not to crowd his day with work, but will saunter to his task surrounded by a wide halo of ease and leisure. There will be a wide margin for relaxation to his day. He is only earnest to secure the kernels of time, and does not exaggerate the value of the husk.' Think

If you can't define or act upon it, forget it.

A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over, beginning with a working simple system."—John Gall

The Art of Simple Food by Chez Panisse founder Alice Waters lined

Perfection is not when there is no more to add, but no more to take away.

When you have the best and tastiest ingredients, you can cook very simply and the food will be extraordinary because it tastes like what it is." And: "Good cooking is no mystery. You don't need years of culinary training, or rare and costly foodstuffs, or an encyclopedic knowledge of world cuisines. You need only your own five senses.

How is it different and why should I buy it? ONE sentence or phrase, folks. Apple did an excellent job of this with the iPod. Instead of using the usual industry jargon with GB, bandwidth, and so forth, they simply said, "1,000 songs in your pocket.

A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone." –Henry David Thoreau

Try one or more of Chade-Meng Tan's suggested exercises, starting on page 154. They are simple and brilliant. I practice a few times per week, often in the sauna.