It is said that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. It can be hard, to sum up, all of its elements without pontificating on philosophy and life, but thankfully, there are some wise minds that have done it for us.

Here, we present one hundred quotes about simplicity from a myriad of sources from prominent poets to celebrated thinkers, sharing their own ideas and insights on this timeless concept.

From pondering criticism to how best to live with intention, each quote provides its own unique perspective and elucidates the importance that simplicity has in our lives.

Read on and be inspired!

85+ Inspirational Quotes, Sayings & Captions About Simplicity

1. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Clare Boothe Luce
2. Simplicity is the trademark of genius. – Robin Sharma
3. Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things. – Isaac Newton
4. Simplicity is the key to brilliance. – Bruce Lee
5. Simplicity is the glory of expression. – Walt Whitman
6. In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
7. Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations. – Paul Rand
8. In simplicity there is truth. – River Phoenix
9. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo da Vinci
10. Simplicity is the soul of efficiency. – Austin Freeman
11. The ability to simplify means eliminating the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. – Hans Hofmann
12. Simplicity is the peak of civilization. – Jessie Sampter
13. Simplicity is the outcome of technical subtlety. It is the goal, not the starting point. – Maurice Saatchi
14. Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify. – Henry David Thoreau
15. Simplicity is the only thing that sufficiently reorients our lives so that possessions can be genuinely enjoyed without destroying us. – Richard Foster
16. Simplicity is the nature of great souls. – Papa Ramadas
17. A vocabulary of truth and simplicity will be of service throughout your life. – Winston Churchill
18. Simplicity is the most difficult thing to secure in this world; it is the last limit of experience and the last effort of genius. – George Sand
19. Simplicity is the key. – Ritchie Blackmore
20. The simplest things are often the truest. – Richard Bach
21. Simplicity is the friend of execution. – Sesan Kareem
22. Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art. – Frederic Chopin
23. Simplicity is the essence of happiness. – Cedric Bledsoe
24. Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things. – Isaac Newton
25. Simplicity is the end result of long, hard work, not the starting point. – Frederick Maitland
26. Simplicity is a prerequisite for reliability. – Edsger Dijkstra
27. It is always the simple that produces the marvelous. – Amelia Barr
28. People often associate complexity with deeper meaning, when often after precious time has been lost, it is realized that simplicity is the key to everything. – Gary Hopkins
29. It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials. – Bruce Lee
30. I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, and compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. – Lao Tzu
31. Order and simplification are the first steps toward the mastery of a subject. – Thomas Mann
32. Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. – Lin Yutang
33. Simplicity is a state of mind. – Charles Wagner
34. Understanding reduces the greatest to simplicity, and lack of it causes the least to take on the magnitude. – Raymond Holliwell
35. Simplicity is the outcome of technical subtlety. It is the goal, not the starting point. – Maurice Saatchi
36. The evolution of knowledge is toward simplicity, not complexity. – L. Ron Hubbard
37. Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification. – Martin H. Fischer
38. Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaning. – John Maeda
39. Life is really simple but we insist on making it complicated. – Confucius
40. Every solution to every problem is simple. It’s the distance between the two where the mystery lies. – Derek Landy
41. The simplicity of life, even the barest, is not a misery, but the very foundation of refinement; a sanded floor and whitewashed walls and the green trees, flowery meads, and living waters outside. – William Morris
42. The key to finding a happy balance in modern life is simplicity. – Sogyal Rinpoche
43. Simplicity is the beauty of life. – Lailah Gifty Akita
44. A life of simplicity and joy is the best statement of success. – Debasish Mridha
45. The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity. – Doug Horton
46. Never overlook the power of simplicity. – Robin S. Sharma
47. Simplicity in your nature brings simplicity to your life. – Nitin Namdeo
48. Simplicity carried to an extreme, becomes elegance. – Jon Franklin
49. Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. – E.F. Schumacher
50. Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information. – Edward Tuft
51. Simplicity does not precede complexity but follows it. – Alan Perlis
52. That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains. – Steve Jobs
53. Simplicity is the outcome of technical subtlety. It is the goal, not the starting point. – Maurice Saatchi
54. The aspects of things that are most important for us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity. – Ludwig Wittgenstein
55. The main purpose of science is simplicity and as we understand more things, everything is becoming simpler. – Edward Teller
56. Simplicity reveals the pure beauty of life. – Debasish Mridha
57. Simplicity is not about deprivation. Simplicity is about a greater appreciation for things that really matter. – Anonymous
58. I’ve always liked simplicity. – Marissa Mayer
59. Live simply. Dream big. Be grateful. Give love. Laugh lots. – Unknown
60. In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity. – Henry Wandsworth
61. Simplicity is the soul of efficiency. – Austin Freeman
62. Simplicity is not style, it is a state of harmony. – Naoto Fukasawa
63. A vocabulary of truth and simplicity will be of service throughout your life. – Winston Churchill
64. Simplicity is the key to brilliance. – Bruce Lee
65. There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness, and truth. – Leo Tolstoy
66. Live a life of simplicity so that you may live a life of greatness. – ATGW
67. One of the biggest accelerators to change is simplicity. – Dr. Henry Cloud
68. Live simply, so that others may simply live. – Mother Theresa
69. Nothing is more simple than greatness; indeed, to be simple is to be great. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
70. Some people try to make everything complicated, be the person who tries to make everything simple. – Dave Waters
71. It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials. – Bruce Lee
72. If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself. – Albert Einstein
73. Some people try to make everything complicated, we want to try and make everything simple. 
74. Sometimes the answer is right in front of you, and really it’s not even that hard. – Dwight Comer
75. The best things in life are free. – English Proverb
76. Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.  – Will Rogers
77. Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. – Albert Einstein
78. Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things. – Isaac Newton
79. With wisdom comes the desire for simplicity. – Brendon Burchard
80. The ability to simplify means eliminating the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. – Hans Hofmann
81. That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains. – Steve Jobs
82. Out of chaos, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. – Bruce Lee
83. A vocabulary of truth and simplicity will be of service throughout your life. – Winston Churchill
84. Simplicity is not the absence of clutter, that’s a consequence of simplicity. Simplicity is somehow essentially describing the purpose and place of an object and product. The absence of clutter is just a clutter-free product. That’s not simple. – Jonathan
85. Simplicity is not style, it is a state of harmony. – Naoto Fukasawa
86. Simplicity is not an objective in art, but one achieves simplicity despite one’s self by entering into the real sense of things. – Constantin Brancusi
87. One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple. – Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums
88. Like all magnificent things, it’s very simple. – Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting

Simplicity is an important concept for many of us for it allows us to remember moments of joy and importance in our lives. It provides clarity to the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Consider the 85+ quotes about simplicity – they offer a reminder that things can be simple, giving us the opportunity to pause and take in not just everyday moments but also the bigger moments of our life.

Life can be full, but there should be moments when we really take in all that is happening. Simplicity helps us do this.

Life never has to be overly complicated, but rather remembered in its simplest form so that we can look back at it with admiration and gratitude.