In an increasingly fast-paced world, the concept of slow living offers a breath of fresh air – a conscious shift towards a more mindful, intentional, and fulfilling lifestyle. This article provides a curated collection of insightful slow living quotes that inspire a simpler, less hurried life.
These wisdom-filled words will not only spark a contemplation about the essence of slow living but also guide you in embracing a lifestyle that values quality over quantity, presence over busyness, and ultimately, life’s simple pleasures over relentless striving.
So, sit back, take a deep breath, and let these words inspire you on your journey to a more unhurried and fulfilling life.
Slow Living Quotes
When you acquire less stuff you will actually get more of what you really want—more money, greater security, peace of mind, more time, more energy, and deeper relationships.
Peter Walsh
Strategy often beats sweat.
James Clear
If your home is peaceful, then the other areas of your life, such as your finances, emotions, relationships, and a sense of well-being will reflect that.
Peter Walsh
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
Lao Tzu
There is more to life than increasing its speed.
Mahatma Gandhi
The things that matter most should never be at the mercy of the things that matter least.
Goethe
Being in a hurry does not slow down time.
Mokokoma Mokhonoana
Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.
Mae West
We’re a species that rushes through everything, then complains that time flies.
Steve Maraboli
Living ‘Slow’ just means doing everything at the right speed – quickly, slowly, or at whatever pace delivers the best results.
Carl Honoré
For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.
Lily Tomlin
There is no hurry, and in a way there is no future. It is all here — so take it easy, take your time, and get acquainted with it.
Alan Watts
We may feel productive when we’re constantly switching between things, constantly doing something, but in all honesty, we’re not. We’re just distracted.
Leo Babauta
The best things in life aren’t things.
Art Buchwald
Ask anyone what makes them truly happy, and they won’t say their stuff.
Peter Walsh
Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.
William Morris
In order to seek one’s own direction, one must simplify the mechanics of ordinary, everyday life.
Plato
While you are alive collect moments not things, earn respect not money and enjoy love not luxuries.
Aarti Khurana
Live simply so that others may simply live.
Mahatma Gandhi
The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.
Marie Kondo
Take a deep breath. Get present in the moment and ask yourself what is important this very second.
Greg McKeown
The whole struggle of life is to some extent a struggle about how slowly or how quickly to do each thing.
Sten Nadolny
The greatest wealth is to live content with little.
Plato
The first principle of all action is leisure.
Aristotle
The action that follows deliberation should be quick, but deliberation should be slow.
Aristotle
Slow down to the speed of wisdom.
Vicki Robin
Americans need rest, but do not know it.
Bertrand Russell
It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.
Henry Ward Beecher
A person who knows who they are lives a simple life by eliminating from their orbit anything that does not align with his or her overriding purpose and values.
Kilroy J. Oldster
The cost of a thing is the amount of life which is required to be exchanged for it.
Henry David Thoreau
Minimalism is not that you should own nothing. But that nothing should own you.
Joshua Becker
Many a man thinks he is buying pleasure, when he is really selling himself to it.
Benjamin Franklin
A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest.
Albert Einstein
A person must be selective with their time and energy because both elements of life are limited.
Kilroy J. Oldster
Beware the barrenness of a busy life.
Socrates
The foundation of slow remains the same: a return to high-quality basics, a reevaluation of the largely unnecessary ‘must haves’ of modern life, and a focus on going small, local, and community based.
Brooke McAlary
Wisdom is not something we have to strive to acquire. Rather, it arises naturally as we slow down and notice what is already there.
Haemin Sunim
Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.
Thich Nhat Hanh
What fools call ‘wasting time’ is most often the best investment.
Nassim Taleb
In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention.
Pico Iyer
Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.
William Shakespeare
The central tenet of the slow philosophy is taking the time to do things properly, and thereby enjoy them more.
Carl Honoré
There is only today, with holes in our pockets, with time spilling out. We cannot keep it for tomorrow.
Erin Loechner
It is only when there is no goal and no rush that the human senses are fully open to receive the world.
Alan Watts
One must learn to be simple, anyone can manage to be complex.
Amit Kalantri
When the living gets unburdened with needs and desires, then life becomes simple and easy to carry.
Shashi
When things happen too fast, nobody can be certain about anything, about anything at all, not even about himself.
Milan Kundera
Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.
Søren Kierkegaard
The troubles of modern life come from being divorced from nature.
Isaac Asimov
I was rich, if not in money, in sunny hours and summer days, and spent them lavishly; nor do I regret that I did not waste more of them in the workshop or the teacher’s desk.
Henry David Thoreau
Sometimes I think there are only two instructions we need to follow to develop and deepen our spiritual life: slow down and let go.
Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Slow down. Life is crossing the road.
Debasish Mridha
The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.
Moliere
We need to learn the slow ‘yes’ and the quick ‘no.’
Tom Friel
Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference.
Tim Ferriss
Mindfulness is a state of mind you only can get to if you slow down.
Geir Berthelsen
We need, above all things, to slow down and get ourselves to amble through life instead of to rush through it.
Alan Watts
When I slow down, I can dive deeper—and that’s how I prefer to live.
Cait Flanders
Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Slowness is the forgotten dimension to time. Unlike chronological time, it is non-linear, time here and now, time that works for you, extraordinary time. So why be fast when you can be slow? Slowness is also about balance, so if you must hurry, then hurry slowly.
Geir Berthelsen
Smile, breathe and go slowly.
Thich Nhat Hanh
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
Confucius
Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.
Plato
Parting Words
As we draw to a close on our collection of slow living quotes, we hope they’ve stirred a longing for a simpler, less cluttered life. Remember, the essence of slow living isn’t about doing nothing—it’s about doing things intentionally and savoring each moment.
So, as you step back into the rhythm of your life, consider how you might incorporate these insights into your daily routine. After all, slow living is a journey, not a destination. It’s about finding joy in the journey and celebrating the beauty in life’s simple pleasures.
Take a breath, slow down, and start to live your life in the slow lane—you might just find it’s the richest, most fulfilling journey you’ve ever embarked upon.
Which of these slow living quotes resonated with you the most? Do you have any others you’d add to the list? Let us know in the comments!
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