53 Favorite Quotes to Inspire You to Declutter

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Decluttering might feel like the hugest, most difficult job you must tackle in order to achieve the simple life you crave.  But is it really necessary?  Is it possible to design a simpler life even if you remain surrounded by clutter?


Here's the truth:  Clutter is an obstacle to a life of value and focus.  It's a thief that gets in the way of all that really matters.

  • Clutter steals your attention from more important things.
  • Clutter steals your time when you have to search for the belongings you need.
  • Clutter steals your effectiveness, because it makes every task harder. 
  • Clutter steals your comfort when you want space to think or relax.
  • Clutter steals your money when you add to it, maintain it, or insure it.
  • Clutter steals your purpose, because it makes you feel trapped and futile.
  • Clutter steals your joy, because clutter both manifests depression and causes it.

Decluttering literally removes these barriers and clears your path to a simpler life, which is why decluttering even a little can make such a big difference.


quote list



The quotes


A smart, pithy quote can be a great inspiration to declutter because it makes its point and then sticks with you.  I'm happy to share my favorites with you.


1.  Picture your dream home.  I bet it's not filled with clutter.  Joshua Becker

2.  Just like an undertow, clutter has an energetic drag on your life.  The good news is that you can throw yourself a life preserver by simplifying.  Laurel Vespi

3.  "Later" is the best friend of clutter.  Peter Walsh

4.  Your home is a living space, not a storage space.  Francine Jay

Your home is a living space, not a storage space. 

5.  He who buys what he does not need steals from himself.  Swedish proverb

6.  Let your regret about how much you have to throw away reinforce your determination not to buy so much in the future.  Joshua Becker

7.  The best way to find out what we need is to get rid of what we don't.  Marie Kondo

8.  I often ask myself "Will anyone I know be happier if I save this?"  Margareta Magnusson

9.  Simplicity boils down to two steps:  Identify the essential.  Eliminate the rest.  Leo Babauta

10.  How can you see all the beauty in your life when you're busy taking care of all the things you own?  Erica Layne

11.  Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.  Coco Chanel

12.  Once we give up being attached to physical possessions, we find the time and freedom to follow bigger dreams.  Joshua Becker

13.  Once I've cleared away the things I don't need, use, or love, my surroundings reveal the things that matter most to me.  Careful curation means that my space reflects my truest identity.  Gretchen Rubin

14.  Having a simplified, uncluttered home is a form of self-care.  Emma Scheib

Having a simplified, uncluttered home is a form of self-care.

15.  To know when you have enough is to be rich beyond measure.  Lao Tzu

16.  Instead of thinking I am losing something when I clear clutter, I dwell on what I might gain.  Lisa J. Shultz

17.  If you have to buy stuff to store your stuff, you might have too much stuff.  Courtney Carver

18.  You buy stuff with your time, not just with your money.  Allie Casazza

19.  It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly.  Bertrand Russell

20.  The more you have, the more you are occupied.  The less you have, the more free you are.  St. Teresa of Calcutta

21.  We are not what we own.  We are what we do, what we think, and who we love.  Francine Jay

22.  Stop trying to impress others with your stuff and start trying to impress them with your life.  Joshua Becker

23.  Your true life is not made up of the things you own.  Jesus (Luke 12:15)

24.  Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens.  It is those who have enough, but not too much, who are the happiest.  Peace Pilgrim

25.  If we all took only what is necessary to satisfy our own needs, giving the rest to those who lack, no one would be rich, no one would be poor, and no one would be in need.  St. Basil the Great

26.  I make myself rich by making my wants few.  Henry David Thoreau


a book and tea



27.  Clutter is not just the stuff on your floor – it's anything that stands between you and the life you want to be living.  Peter Walsh

28.  Where there is clutter, even valuable things lose their value.  Where there is clutter, even beautiful things become obscured.  Karen Kingston

29.  When we set out to simplify, what we're really saying is "I want to focus on the things that matter most to me."  Peter Bregman

When we set out to simplify, what we're really saying is "I want to focus on the things that matter most to me."

30.  Our excessive possessions are not making us happy.  Even worse, they are taking us away from the things that do.  Once we let go of the things that don't matter, we are free to pursue all the things that really do matter.  Joshua Becker

31.  When I declutter my home, I lighten my soul.  Erica Layne

32.  Holding on to things from the past is the same as clinging to an image of yourself in the past.  If you're the least bit interested in changing anything about yourself, I suggest you be brave and start letting things go.  Fumio Sasaki

33.  Decluttering is infinitely easier when you think of it as deciding what to keep, rather than deciding what to throw away.  Francine Jay

34.  You can't reach for anything new if your hands are still full of yesterday's junk.  Louise Smith

35.  The more we simplify our material needs, the more we are free to think of other things.  Eleanor Roosevelt

36.  It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.  J. R. R. Tolkien

37.  Clutter doesn't just occupy the house in which you live; it occupies your mind.  Avina Celeste

38.  Instead of asking, "What if I need this someday?" ask "What if someone else, today, needs it more?"  Julia Ubbenga

39.  Your home should be the antidote to stress, not the cause of it.  Peter Walsh

Your home should be the antidote to stress, not the cause of it.

40.  If you're not using the stuff in your home, get rid of it.  You're not going to start using it more by shoving it in a closet somewhere.  Joshua Becker

41.  Make room for things that matter by removing everything that doesn't.  Brian Gardner

42.  It is better to have fewer things of quality than too much expendable junk.  Rachel Zoe

43. Our memories are not in our things.  Our memories are inside us.  Joshua Fields Millburn

44.  Just because the space exists doesn't mean it has to be full.  Allie Casazza

45.  The more you own, the more it owns you.  Henry Rollins

46.  Actually spending ten minutes clearing off one shelf is better than merely fantasizing about spending a weekend cleaning out the basement.  Gretchen Rubin

47.  I would rather have extra space and extra time than extra stuff.  Francine Jay

48.  Want a cleaner home?  Own less stuff.  It works every time.  Joshua Becker

Want a cleaner home?  Own less stuff.  It works every time.

49.  Don't own so much clutter that you will be relieved to see your house catch fire.  Wendell Berry

50.  Simplicity doesn't change who you are.  It brings you back to who you are.  Courtney Carver

51.  The point of decluttering isn't to get rid of things you want to keep; it's to identify those things and then to make space to enjoy those things.  Dana K. White

52.  Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.  When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.  Lao Tzu

53.  In the end, a life is made up of the things we have done, not the things we have bought.  Gaby Hinsliff





Ready to declutter?


GOODBYE, CLUTTER book
Decluttering doesn't require stripping down to a bleak existence.  It's about finding that just-right mix of ease, comfort, and beauty.  It's about finding room for your life – your activities, your family, your friends, and a comfortable place to rest and recharge.


The true beauty of a decluttered home is that what remains will reflect the best parts of you.  The things you choose to keep will be the most useful, suitable, and highest quality items – your treasures.


Let my newest book, Goodbye Clutter,* inspire you and give you the practical advice you need to say goodbye to clutter and hello to the freedom that owning less provides.  It's available today as an e-book, or you can order it in paperback or hardcover.


* This blog is reader-supported.  If you buy through my links, I may earn a small commission.


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