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Duane Elgin

Duane Elgin Books

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“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.”

PersonsWholeCharacterSeemsActionIndividualResultsMillionsEnvironmentalContributionWho We AreIsolationSustainabilityInsignificantAccumulationCumulativeSmall ChangesSmall Actions
Author:Duane Elgin
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“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.”

ArtMadeHandsFoundCommunityNaturalInfluenceExpressionMaterialsCleanSimplicityDrawingLifestyleCelebrateCraftsExcessAestheticContrastElegantQuakerUnderstatedArts And CraftsNatural Materials
Author:Duane Elgin
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“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.”

HumansMeanSpiritSimplePovertyIntegrityConsciousSimplicityHuman SpiritSimple LivingDegrading
Book:Voluntary Simplicity Second Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich
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“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 IsOrderOur LivesOrdinaryEverydayDetailsEveryday LifePlatoMechanicSimplify
Book:Voluntary Simplicity Second Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich
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“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?”

IfsEarthHumanityQualityPathPlanetsMaterialsHigherAlternativesConsumptionQuality Of LifeFractions
Book:Voluntary Simplicity Second Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich
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“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.”

GivingTryingPersonsPainProcessLossPleasureMaterialsBecomingBalanceApproachUltimateConstantSeekingDeeperObjectivesPrimariesAcquirePushingMaterialismAvoidingDiscomfortAccompanyHabitualGrabbingMinimizingPleasure Seeking
Author:Duane Elgin
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