Quotes: W.H. Auden

"To ask the hard question is simple."

–– W.H. Auden (1907-1973), British-born American poet 

Quotes: Steve Jobs

"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 (1955-2011), American industrial designer and entrepreneur 

via: Commonplace Book 2022-2024, 2024, p. 180.

Quotes: Henri Matisse

"Be simple. Be good technically, and if there is something in you, it will come out." 

–– Henri Matisse (1869-1954), French visual artist 

via: Sketchbook 33, 2023, p. 74.

Quotes: 14th Dalai Lama

"If one's life is simple, contentment has to come. Simplicity is extremely important for happiness. Having few desires, feeling satisfied with what you have, is very vital..." 

–– 14th Dalai Lama (b. 1935), Tibetan Buddhist monk, born Tenzin Gyatso 

Source: Elle Decoration UK, April 2018, p. 23. 

via: Sketchbook 32, 2022, p. 140.

Quotes: John Cage

"If a thing can be said, it can be said simply."

–– John Cage (1912-1992), American composer, writer and artist 

via: Sketchbook 32, 2022, p. 13.

Quotes: Børge Ousland

Wellbeing is ...

"If I'm on an expedition, it can be as simple as a cup of lukewarm water – something you'd throw into the sink back at home. But, in a tent, when it is -40 degrees outside, it is the most wonderful thing. There is no wellbeing without a degree of suffering. Yet, wellbeing is also the ability to be present in your own life and to enjoy it. For me, that's the great thing about being an explorer. You are forced to be present in the moment; to focus on the the weather, the route or the terrain. On a good day, when the terrain isn't too dangerous, I will lift my head, take a good look around, and appreciate how privileged I am." 

–– Børge Ousland (b. 1962), Norwegian Polar explorer, writer and photographer 

Source: Elle Decoration UK, July 2017, p. 133. 

via: Sketchbook 31, 2021, p. 93.

Quotes: Antoni Tàpies

"Sometimes people have the idea that art should be highly refined. But I always believed that one could make art out of simple, humble things. Small things can be transcendental. They can change our way of looking at the world. I think it's important to make art out of almost anything." 

–– Antoni Tàpies (1923-2012), Spanish painter, sculptor, and art theorist

Source: Art Propelled October 18, 2018.

via: Sketchbook 30, 2018, p. 105.

Quotes: Shaker motto

"Whatever is fashioned, let it be plain and simple and for the good." 

–– Shaker motto 

via: Sketchbook 21, 2013, p. 99

Quotes: Albert Einstein

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." 

–– Albert Einstein (1879-1955), German-born American theoretical physicist