My Ten Favorite Quotes from The Minimalists’ Book Love People, Use Things

The Minimalists’ book Everything That Remains introduced me to minimalism back in December 2014, and completely changed the trajectory of my life. After watching their most recent documentary Less is Now, I was excited to read their most recent book Love People, Use Things.

The book takes readers through seven aspects of relationships: stuff, truth, self, values, money, creativity, and people. While I am familiar with much of The Minimalists’ origin story, both Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus were extremely vulnerable in revealing additional aspects of their lives, such as their struggles with chronic health issues, infidelity, and drug abuse.

I am a collector of quotes and this book did not disappoint in its richness of depth and reflection about minimalism, simplicity, and living a more meaningful life. Here are my ten favorite quotes in the order they appeared in the book.

1. “Our material possessions are a physical manifestation of our internal lives.”

A chaotic, cluttered home is a physical manifestation of the stress, anxiety, and clutter that we are experiencing on the inside. And the more clutter we have, the more stressed we become. It is a cyclical relationship, a downward spiral that can cause our lives to feel out of control. But step by step, we can begin to let go of that which is cluttering our homes, calendars, and heads, to find the peace and freedom we seek.

2. “Not buying something is your future self letting go of that thing in advance.”

One of my favorite quotes from The Minimalists is “It’s 100% off if you don’t buy it.” But this takes it a step further by inviting the reader to think of their future selves. Advertisers and one-click purchasing tells you that you need it, and you need it now. The only future you are concerned with is the moment that you get the item that you desire. But what if we realized that not buying something now was releasing the burden on our future selves to let go of something we never needed in the first place?

3. “If there is a core message within minimalism, it’s this: you probably don’t need that.”

My five-year old son recently learned about “needs” and “wants” in kindergarten. It made my minimalist heart happy. But now he will catch me saying that I “need” him to brush his teeth or put his shoes on and he will quickly remind me that it is a want, not a need. Minimalism allows us to more easily distinguish between wants and needs, and realize that in a get-it-now consumerist culture, we can choose to pause, consider whether the item is something that aligns with our values, and make an informed decision.

4. “Minimalism is a practice of intentional living. While it starts with the stuff, it’s ultimately a stewardship program for one’s life.”

Sometimes we forget that we are, in fact, stewards of our lives. When we steward something we are taking responsibility for the management of resources. When it comes to our lives, I believe that being good stewards means we are managing our most precious resources of our time, money, energy, focus, and attention.

5. “Both pleasure and happiness are fleeting, which is precisely why neither is a noble goal. But if you live a life that’s congruent with your values, you will experience happiness. Hence, happiness is not the goal—living a meaningful life is.”

Love People, Use Things explains the difference between pleasure, happiness, contentment, and joy. We tend to use them interchangeably, but there are important nuances. While our culture focuses primarily on pleasure and happiness, living a life congruent with our values and full of meaningful helps us realize that happiness is a by-product, not the end goal.

6. “If we don’t question everything we bring into our lives, we’ll allow anything in.”

At the heart of minimalism is the intentionality behind how we spend our time, money, energy, focus, and attention. Pausing and asking ourselves why we are making the decisions we make allows us to be more mindful and to live without regrets. There are many questions that can serve us in the decisions that we make (check out this resource for fifty of them), but the bottom line is that while questioning takes more time, it helps ensure that we bring into our lives that which aligns with our values.

7. “The most genuine way to live is to align your short-term actions with your long-term values. You want to make your future self proud of your present self.”

Again, The Minimalists encourage us to look at our future selves by aligning our actions with our values. They offer a values worksheet to help with discovering your values, so that you can assess your daily activities and identify any gaps between your short-term actions and your long-term values. Understanding your values is key to an intentional, purpose-filled life.

8. “Every time we sign on the dotted line, every time we spend recklessly, every time we bring home something we can’t afford, we are asking our future self to take responsibility for our current decisions.”

The Minimalists spend a section of the book on finances and the statistics on debt, and for good reason. According to a May 2021 survey by the Federal Reserve, “More than one-fourth of adults had one or more bills that they were unable to pay in full that month or were one $400 financial setback away from being unable to pay them.” Our decisions to “keep up with the Joneses” and live outside our means that we burden our future selves with the responsibility of payment, which adds to our stress and discontent.

9. “Our glowing screens have gotten in the way of everything, and we’re addicted to our distractions. Scrolling is the new smoking.”

This quote was a gut punch for me, because if there’s anything that I have a tendency to use mindlessly, it’s social media. Distractions have always existed, but technology has changed the enticement of distractions exponentially. I have to constantly remind myself of why I am using social media, and take breaks when needed to reset my relationship with my phone.

10. “Minimalism allows us to eliminate the excess stuff so we can sort through the excess baggage in our heads and hearts.”

One of the misconceptions about minimalism is that it’s all about stuff: how much you have (or don’t), how much you buy, and what it says about you. I would argue that while many people start removing their excess physical possessions and reconsidering their purchasing habits, the momentum found from these decisions allows us to uncover the baggage we’ve been carrying in our heads and hearts. And for me, that’s been the most rewarding aspect of minimalism by far.

If you are looking for a book about minimalism with a fresh perspective outside of the typical focus on decluttering, I would highly recommend Love People, Use Things. Which of the above quotes is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Minimalism is a lifestyle of self-inquiry. If you want some inspiration for questions to help you live more intentionally and make decisions more mindfully, check out my free resource 50 Questions Minimalists Ask.