Some truths take a lifetime to learn; others fit in a single sentence. Over the years, The Minimalists have collected more than a thousand pithy truths to live by. We call them Minimal Maxims. Here are five of my favorites:
Our memories are not in our things; our memories are inside us.
You cling to the things of the past because of the stories you assign to them. But letting go of a thing doesn’t mean letting go of the memory.
The fastest way to declutter an item is to leave it at the store.
Every purchase has the potential to become future clutter. Even if an item is on sale, you don’t have to buy it if you don’t need it. Sure, that clearance sign says “50% off,” but it’s 100% off if you leave it at the store.
You encourage what you tolerate.
You teach people how to treat you by what you allow. The boundaries of your discontent are marked by everything you tolerate.
Judgment is a mirror that reflects the insecurities of the judge.
Everything—and everyone—you criticize says more about you than the object of your condemnation. Your judgment reveals what you fear, resent, or reject about yourself.
You can’t change the people around you, but you can change the people around you.
You can’t force someone else to change. You can accept them as they are, set appropriate boundaries, and decide who gets your time.
—JFM
P.S. The maxim that ends every episode of our podcast is still my all-time favorite: Love people and use things, because the opposite never works. That one is self-explanatory.
