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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.

Duane Elgin

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Duane Elgin
Age: 81
Born: 1943
Born: January 1
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Things
Simple
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Various
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More quotes by Duane Elgin

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Voluntary simplicity has more to do with the state of mind than a person's physical surroundings and possessions.
Duane Elgin
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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?
Duane Elgin
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Simplicity means to choose ways of living that touch the Earth more lightly and that reduce our ecological footprint.
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.
Duane Elgin
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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.
Duane Elgin
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To consciously evolve, we require clear vision of a compassionate future that draws out our enthusiastic participation in life.
Duane Elgin
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I consciously started to live simply when I started to become conscious.
Duane Elgin
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To me, voluntary simplicity means integration and awareness in my life.
Duane Elgin
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We are the leaders that we have been waiting for. We are the social innovators and entrepreneurs that we have been seeking.
Duane Elgin
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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.
Duane Elgin
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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.
Duane Elgin
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It seems to me that inner growth is the whole moving force behind voluntary simplicity.
Duane Elgin
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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.
Duane Elgin
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The character of a whole society is the cumulative result of countless small actions, day in and day out, of millions of persons.
Duane Elgin
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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.
Duane Elgin
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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.
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.
Duane Elgin