59 Quotes On Finding Joy in the Simple Things

As you become more conscious of yourself and the world around you, you begin to notice beauty, joy and happiness hidden in the most simplest of things.

It’s easy to miss these things when you are lost in your mind, living a life of delusion, but once you become present even for a few seconds, a whole new world opens up to you. And when that happens, you start to find joy in the seemingly mundane things that you otherwise took for granted. Even a simple activity like sitting in a garden, drinking coffee, watching the sunrise or reading a book can fill your senses with extreme joy and happiness.

Quotes on finding joy in the simple things

The following is a collection of quotes that will help you rediscover the simple joys of life.

Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.

– Marcus Aurelius (from the book Meditations)

If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently.

– Bill Watterson

Lie on your back and look up and see the Milky Way. All the stars like a splash of milk in the sky. And you see them slowly move. Because the Earth is moving. And you feel like you’re lying on a giant spinning ball in space.

– Mohsin Hamid

A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest.

– Albert Einstein

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter. To be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring – these are some of the rewards of the simple life.

– John Burroughs, Leaf and Tendril

A nice warm shower, a cup of tea, and a caring ear may be all you need to warm your heart.

– Charles F. Glassman

“Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.”

– A.A. Milne

See the world through the eyes of your inner child. The eyes that sparkle in awe and amazement as they see love, magic and mystery in the most ordinary things.

– Henna Sohail

Cherish simple things such as family, friends and love, because great things appear simple from far away. Place your simple things in the best light; there’s enough sunshine for all of them.

– Val Uchendu

The world is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.

– W.B. Yeats

I have never been drawn to luxury. I love the simple things; coffee shops, books, and people who try to understand.

– R. YS Perez

If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields, has the power to move you, if the simple things of Nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.

– Eleonora Duse

Whoever loves and understands a garden will find contentment within.

– Chinese proverb

We have grown dull toward this world in which we live; we have forgotten that it is not normal or scientific in any sense of the word. It is fantastic. It is a fairy tale through and through. Elephants? Caterpillars? Snow? At what point did you lose your wonder of it all?

– John Eldredge

You don’t need fancy things to feel good. You can hug a puppy. You can buy a can of paint and surround yourself with color. You can plant a flower and watch it grow. You can decide to start over and let other people start over too.

– Joan Bauer

There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they’re absolutely free. Don’t miss so many of them.

– Jo Walton

I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.

– Emma Goldman

A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books.

– Walt Whitman

There is nothing quite like the smell of rain on a grass field after a sunny spell.

– Fuad Alakbarov

The very fact of snow is such an amazement.

– Roger Ebert

Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury – to me these have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best for both the body and the mind.

– Albert Einstein

I wake up in the morning and I see that flower, with the dew on its petals, and at the way it’s folding out, and it makes me happy.

– Dan Buettner (Thrive: Finding Happiness The Blue Zones Way)

Thought is the greatest of pleasures – pleasure itself is only imagination- have you ever enjoyed anything more than your dreams?

– Gustave Flaubert

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.

– Cicero

“Sometimes the best thing that can happen to a person is to have a puppy lick your face.”

– Joan Bauer

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

– J.R.R. Tolkien

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”

– Laura Ingalls Wilder

For awhile, I was left with nothing on the physical plane. I had no relationships, no job, no home, no socially defined identity. I spent almost two years sitting on park benches in a state of the most intense joy.

– Eckhart Tolle (from the book The Power of Now)

A big group of daily friends or a white painted house with bills and mirrors, are not a necessity to me – but an intelligent conversation while sharing another coffee, is.

– Charlotte Eriksson

Not everyone will appreciate the beauty of their surroundings like you do. Spend time with those that do.

– April Mae Monterrosa

Forget about the money for a moment. Lose yourself in the wilderness, listen to the music of the softly blowing winds, feel the rain on your bare skin, let the mountains take the burden off your shoulders.

– Kiran Bisht

We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.

– Bill Watterson

I’ve learnt to gather simplicity from grasshoppers. I like their naive indecisive minds never knowing exactly when to stop chirping, and I envy their ability to be able to mingle with the green…

– Munia Khan

Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning sun can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day – like writing a poem, or saying a prayer.

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them.

– Paulo Coelho

If you have time, a lot of things are enjoyable. Making a woodblock, or collecting the wood for the fire, or even cleaning things – it’s all enjoyable and satisfying if you give yourself time.

– Andy Couturier

“Sometimes it is the smallest thing that saves us: the weather growing cold, a child’s smile, and a cup of excellent coffee.”

– Jonathan Carroll

Sometimes, the simple things are more fun and meaningful than all the banquets in the world.

– E.A. Bucchianeri

Those who decide to use leisure as a means of mental development, who love good music, good books, good pictures, good company, good conversation, are the happiest people in the world. And they are not only happy in themselves, they are the cause of happiness in others.

– William Lyon Phelps

A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man marvels at the commonplace.

– Confucius

My goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do.

– Francine Jay, Miss Minimalist

She often climbed up the hill and lay there alone for the mere pleasure of feeling the wind and of rubbing her cheeks in the grass. Generally at such times she did not think of anything, but lay immersed in an in an inarticulate well-being.

– Edith Wharton (from the book – The Age of Innocence.)

Connecting with those you know love, like and appreciate you restores the spirit and gives you energy to keep moving forward in this life.

– Deborah Day

We can never sneer at the stars, mock the dawn, or scoff at the totality of being.

– Abraham Joshua Heschel

Let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things.

– Kakuzō Okakura (The Book of Tea)

The grandeur of God reveals itself through simple things.

– Paulo Coelho

How can one stand in a field of red poppies and not want to live forever?

– Marty Rubin

Don’t you feel you get value for your day if you’ve actually watched the sun rise?

– AJ Vosse

You take all this for granted. You do it every day of your life; eating with your loved ones around you, but you hardly ever stop to think about what a gift it is. How fortunate we are to have this quiet time at the end of the day.

– Lesley Crewe

Every evening when I walk down the dried-out riverbed, enjoying the last rays of sunshine on my bare skin, I feel a deep inner peace coming up straight from my heart.

– Nina Hrusa

A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Some of the greatest poetry is revealing to the reader the beauty in something that was so simple you had taken it for granted.

– Neil deGrasse Tyson

Simple things bring infinite pleasure. Yet, it takes us a while to realize that. But once simple is in, complex is out – forever.

– Joan Marques

I love to draw – pencil, ink pen – I love art. I can look at a piece of sculpture or a painting and totally lose myself in it.

– MJ

Here’s to the moments when you realize the simple things are wonderful and enough.

– Jill Badonsky

I hope these simple things are what I forever love about life, for then I will be happy no matter where I find myself.

– R. YS Perez

You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.

– Eckhart Tolle

Gain strength. Suck up energy. Make a point of appreciating the fragrance of the flowers and the beauty of the sunset. It is like armor. When you take a moment to practice my message you can then be armed with an ability to be detached. One is meant to forgive, and be compassionate.”

– Hope Bradford (The Living Word of Kuan Yin)

What could be better than to sit besides the fire with a book and a glowing lamp while the wind beats outside the windows.

– Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary

The true miracle is not walking on water or walking in air, but simply walking on this earth.

– Thich Nhat Hanh

From time to time, to remind ourselves to relax and be peaceful, we may wish to set aside some time for a retreat, a day of mindfulness, when we can walk slowly, smile, drink tea with a friend, enjoy being together as if we are the happiest people on Earth.