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Duane Elgin

Duane Elgin Quotes

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Duane Elgin is an author who focuses on personal growth, social change, and sustainability. His works, such as 'The Living Universe' and 'Voluntary Simplicity', have had a profound impact on modern life philosophy.

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All Simplicity Simple Simple Living Mean Materials Persons Accumulation Approach Conscious Poverty

Famous Duane Elgin Quotes

“To live more voluntarily is to live more deliberately, intentionally and purposefully - in short, it is to live more consciously. We cannot be deliberate when we are distracted from life. We cannot be intentional when we are not paying attention. We cannot be purposeful when we are not being present.”

Attention Awareness Pay Attention Deliberate Distracted

Author:Duane Elgin

“To live more simply is to unburden our lives - to live more lightly, cleanly, aerodynamically. It is to establish a more direct, unpretentious and unencumbered relationship with all aspects of our lives: the things that we consume, the work that we do, our relationships with others, our connections with nature and the cosmos, and more.”

Life Our Lives Aspect Direct Connections Cosmos Our Relationship Relationships With Others

Author:Duane Elgin

“David Shi (historian of the simple life) describes the common denominator among the various approaches to simpler living as the understanding that the making of money and the accumulation of things should not smother the purity of the soul, the life of the mind, the cohesion of the family, or the good of the society.”

Should Mind Soul Understanding Simple Common Approach Various Purity Historian Accumulation Simple Life Common Denominator Cohesion

Author:Duane Elgin

“The character of a whole society is the cumulative result of the countless small actions, day in and day out, of millions of persons. Who we are as a society, is the synergistic accumulation of who we are as individuals... Small changes that seem insignificant in isolation can be great contributions when they are simultaneously undertaken by many others.”

Persons Whole Character Seems Action Individual Results Millions Environmental Contribution Who We Are Isolation Sustainability Insignificant Accumulation Cumulative Small Changes Small Actions

Author:Duane Elgin

“Simplicity means taking charge of a life that is too busy, too stressed, and too fragmented. An uncluttered simplicity means cutting back on trivial distractions, both material and non-material, and focusing on the essentials - whatever those may be for each of our unique lives.”

May Mean Cutting Materials Essentials Unique Busy Simplicity Distraction Stressed Too Busy Fragmented Taking Charge Unique Life

Author:Duane Elgin

“Simplicity means to feel such a sense of kinship with others that we choose to live simply so that others may simply live.”

Feels May Mean Simplicity Kinship Live Simply

Author:Duane Elgin

“Simplicity means to choose ways of living that touch the Earth more lightly and that reduce our ecological footprint.”

Way Mean Earth Simplicity Ecological Footprint Ecological Footprints

Author:Duane Elgin

“An elegant simplicity is an understated, organic aesthetic that contrasts with the excess of consumerist lifestyles. Drawing from influences ranging from Zen to the Quakers, it celebrates natural materials and clean, functional expressions, such as are found in many of the hand-made arts and crafts from this community.”

“To consciously evolve, we require clear vision of a compassionate future that draws out our enthusiastic participation in life.”

Vision Clear Draws Evolve Compassionate Participation Enthusiastic Clear Vision

Book:Awakening earth: exploring the evolution of human culture and consciousness

Source: Awakening earth: exploring the evolution of human culture and consciousness

“I feel more voluntary about my pleasures and pains than the average American who has his needs dictated by Madison Avenue (my projections, of course). I feel sustained, excited, and constantly growing in my spiritual and intellectual pursuits.”

Needs Feels Pain Spiritual Courses Pleasure Growing Intellectual Average Excited Pursuit Projection Avenues Pain And Pleasure Madison Madison Avenue

Author:Duane Elgin

“The character of a whole society is the cumulative result of countless small actions, day in and day out, of millions of persons.”

Persons Whole Character Action Results Millions Cumulative Small Actions

Author:Duane Elgin

“We are the leaders that we have been waiting for. We are the social innovators and entrepreneurs that we have been seeking.”

Has Beens Social Waiting Leader Entrepreneur Seeking Innovators

Author:Duane Elgin

“Only after people express their anger and sadness over the broken dreams of material prosperity will they turn to the task of building a sustainable economy.”

People Dream Turns Economy Sadness Building Materials Broken Tasks Prosperity Broken Dreams

Author:Duane Elgin

“The intention of this way of life [voluntary simplicity] is not to dogmatically live with less. It's a more demanding intention of living with balance. This is a middle way that moves between the extremes of poverty and indulgence.”

Way Moving Inspiring Poverty Middle Balance Intention Simplicity Extremes Indulgence Minimalism Simple Living Minimalist Living A Simple Life Middle Way

Author:Duane Elgin

“Simplicity of living, if deliberately chosen, implies a compassionate approach to life. It means that we are choosing to live our daily lives with some degree of conscious appreciation of the condition of the rest of the world.”

Ifs World Mean Conditions Degrees Approach Conscious Simplicity Appreciation Chosen Daily Life Compassionate Simple Living Choosing To Live

Author:Duane Elgin

“Voluntary simplicity has more to do with the state of mind than a person's physical surroundings and possessions.”

Mind Persons States Simple Simplicity Possession State Of Mind Surroundings Simple Living

Author:Duane Elgin

“As my spiritual growth expanded and developed, voluntary simplicity was a natural outgrowth. I came to realize the cost of material accumulation was too high and offered fewer and fewer real rewards, psychological and spiritual.”

Real Spiritual Growth Realizing Natural Simple Materials Cost Rewards Simplicity Psychological Spiritual Growth Fewer Accumulation Simple Living

Author:Duane Elgin

“It seems to me that inner growth is the whole moving force behind voluntary simplicity.”

Whole Seems Moving Force Growth Simple Behinds Simplicity Simple Living Inner Growth

Author:Duane Elgin

“I consciously started to live simply when I started to become conscious.”

Simple Conscious Simple Living Live Simply

Author:Duane Elgin

“To me, voluntary simplicity means integration and awareness in my life.”

Mean Simple Awareness Simplicity Integration Simple Life Simple Living

Author:Duane Elgin

“Poverty is mean and degrading to the human spirit, whereas a life of conscious simplicity can have both a beauty and a functional integrity that elevates the human spirit.”

Humans Mean Spirit Simple Poverty Integrity Conscious Simplicity Human Spirit Simple Living Degrading

Book:Voluntary Simplicity Second Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich

Source: Voluntary Simplicity Second Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich

“In a world where nearly one billion people live near the edge of physical survival the relevance of intentional simplicity by the more affluent people of the world cannot be over estimated.”

People World Simple Survival Simplicity Edges Billions Relevance Simple Living Affluent

Author:Duane Elgin

“We live almost completely immersed in a socially constructed reality that so fully absorbs our energy and attention that virtually none remains to experience the wonder of our existence.”

Reality Energy Existence Attention Wonder Remains

Author:Duane Elgin

“Simplicity of living means meeting life face to face. It means confronting life clearly, without unnecessary distractions. It means being direct and honest in relationships of all kinds. It means taking life as it is.”

Kind Mean Faces Honest Direct Meetings Simplicity All Kinds Distraction Unnecessary Face To Face Confronting

Author:Duane Elgin

“Our life is frittered away by detail Simplify, simplify.” Or, as Plato wrote, “In order to seek one’s own direction, one must simplify the mechanics of ordinary, everyday life.”

Life Is Order Our Lives Ordinary Everyday Details Everyday Life Plato Mechanic Simplify

Book:Voluntary Simplicity Second Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich

Source: Voluntary Simplicity Second Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich

“Compassion will no longer be seen as a spiritual luxury for a contemplative few; rather it will be viewed as a social necessity for the entire human family.”

Humans Spiritual Spirituality Social Compassion Luxury Contemplative Human Family

Book:Awakening earth: exploring the evolution of human culture and consciousness

Source: Awakening earth: exploring the evolution of human culture and consciousness

“Living simply is not about living in poverty or self-inflicted deprivation. It's about living an examined life where one has determined what is truly important and enough … and then just let go of all the rest.”

Important Self Enough Poverty Letting Go Determined Deprivation Just Let Go Self Inflicted Examined Life

Author:Duane Elgin

“If the material consumption of a fraction of humanity is already harming the planet, is there an alternative path that enables all of humanity to live more lightly upon the Earth while experiencing a higher quality of life?”

Ifs Earth Humanity Quality Path Planets Materials Higher Alternatives Consumption Quality Of Life Fractions

Book:Voluntary Simplicity Second Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich

Source: Voluntary Simplicity Second Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich

“The essence of voluntary simplicity is living in a way what is outwardly simple and inwardly rich.”

Way Simple Rich Essence Simplicity

Author:Duane Elgin

“When a person's primary objective is to maximize material pleasures while minimizing discomforts, then life becomes a constant process of "pushing" (trying to push away from discomforts) and "grabbing" (trying to acquire or hold on to that which gives pleasure). With the loss of inner balance that accompanies a habitual "pushing and grabbing" approach to life, a deeper pain ensues-that of becoming aware of the ultimate unsatisfactoriness of the pleasure-seeking/pain-avoiding process itself.”

About the Author

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Quotes: 30

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Simplicity Simple Simple Living Mean Materials Persons Accumulation Approach Conscious Poverty

Popular Topics

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Books & Sources

Voluntary Simplicity Second Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly RichRelated source material

Awakening earth: exploring the evolution of human culture and consciousnessRelated source material

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