Most of this page's content from http://www.awakeningearth.org 

• "Give me neither poverty nor wealth." Proverbs 30:8 
  
• "Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where it grows rusty and moth-eaten, and thieves break in to steal it. Store up treasure in heaven....For wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:19-21
  
  
• "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" Matthew 6:25
  
  
• "If a man has enough to live on, and yet when he sees his brother in need shuts up his heart against him, how can it be said that the divine love dwells in him?" 1 John 3:17
  
  
• "Voluntary simplicity involves both inner and outer condition. It means singleness of purpose, sincerity and honesty within, as well as avoidance of exterior clutter, of many possessions irrelevant to the chief purpose of life. It means an ordering and guiding of our energy and our desires, a partial restraint in some directions in order to secure greater abundance of life in other directions. It involves a deliberate organization of life for a purpose. Of course, as different people have different purposes in life, what is relevant to the purpose of one person might not be relevant to the purpose of another....The degree of simplification is a matter for each individual to settle for himself."
  
  -- Richard Gregg
  
  
•  "Life is occupied in both perpetuating itself and in surpassing itself; if all it does is maintain itself, then living is only not dying."
  -- Simone de Beauvoir
  
• "Art is the elimination of the unnecessary."  -- Pablo Picasso

Traits of those choosing a simpler life: 

• Tend to invest the time and energy freed up by simpler living in activities with their partner, children and friends (walking, making music together, sharing a meal, camping, etc.), or volunteering to help others, or getting involved in civic affairs to improve the life of the community.
  
• Tend to work on developing the full spectrum of their potentials: physical (running, biking, hiking, etc.); emotional (learning the skills of intimacy and sharing feelings in important relationships); mental (engaging in life-long learning by reading, taking classes, etc.) ; and spiritual (for example, learning to move through life with a quiet mind and compassionate heart).
  
• Tend to feel an intimate connection with the earth and a reverential concern for nature. In knowing that the ecology of the earth is a part of our extended "body," people tend to act in ways that express great care for its well-being.
  
  
• Tend to feel connected with and a compassionate concern for the world's poor. In feeling a sense of kinship with people around the world, a simpler life fosters a concern for social justice and equity in the use of the world's resources.
  
  
• Tend to lower their overall level of personal consumption--buy less clothing (with more attention to what is functional, durable, aesthetic, and less concern with passing fads, fashions and seasonal styles); buy less jewelry and other forms of personal ornamentation; buy fewer cosmetic products and observe holidays in a less commercialized manner.
  
  
• Tend to alter their patterns of consumption in favor of products that are durable, easy to repair, non-polluting in their manufacture and use, energy-efficient, functional and aesthetic.
  
  
• Tend to shift their diet away from highly processed foods, meat, and sugar toward foods that are more natural, healthy, simple, and appropriate for sustaining the inhabitants of a small planet.
  
  
• Tend to reduce undue clutter and complexity in their personal lives by giving away or selling those possessions that are seldom used and could be used productively by others (for example, clothing, books, furniture, appliances, and tools).
  
  
• Tend to use their consumption politically by boycotting goods and services of companies whose actions or policies they consider unethical.
  
• Tend to recycle metal, glass and paper and to cut back on consumption of items that are wasteful of non-renewable resources. 
  
• Tend to pursue contributory livelihood or work that directly contributes to the well-being of the world and enables a person to use more fully his or her creative capacities in ways that are fulfilling.
  
  
• Tend to develop personal skills that contribute to greater self-reliance and reduce dependence upon experts to handle life's ordinary demands (for example, basic carpentry, plumbing, appliance repair, gardening, crafts, and others).
  
  
• Tend to prefer smaller scale, more human-sized living and working environments that foster a sense of community, face-to-face contact, and mutual caring.
  
  
• Tend to alter male/female roles in favor of nonsexist patterns of relationship.
  
  
• Tend to appreciate the simplicity of nonverbal forms of communication--the eloquence of silence, hugging and touching, the language of the eyes.
  
  
• Tend to participate in holistic health-care practices that emphasize preventive medicine and the healing powers of the body when assisted by the mind.
  
  
• Tend to involve themselves with compassionate causes such as protecting rainforests, saving animals from extinction, etc. and tend to use nonviolent means in their efforts.
  
  
• Tend to change transportation modes in favor of public transit, car pooling, smaller and more fuel efficient autos, living closer to work, riding a bike and walking.
  
  
• Because there is a tendency to emphasize the external changes that characterize simpler living, it is important to reiterate that this approach to life is intended to integrate both inner and outer aspects of existence into a satisfying and purposeful whole.
  

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