Paul Auster Quotes

Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires.

The Quaker upbringing was not strict, but it was frugal. Extremely frugal. One was always encouraged to give away one's worldly goods.

The more you learn to live without, the more you'll have to live with.

To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own in the midst of abundance.

It is the privilege of the gods to want nothing, and of godlike men to want little.

I'm not overly greedy.

I live a pretty simple life.

All of our technology is completely unnecessary to a happy life.

I love the idea of living a life that is completely humble and quiet.

Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.

Live simply so that others may simply live.

Holy poverty confounds cupidity and avarice and the cares of this world.

I try to be more mindful and less greedy.

I don't need to amass a ton of wealth for myself.

Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need - a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing.

But I can say that life is good to me. Has been and is good. So I think my task is to be good to it. So how do you be good to life? You live it.

If thou wilt make a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires.

Life becomes harder for us when we live for others, but it also becomes richer and happier.

Man falls from the pursuit of the ideal of plan living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. Man's happiness really lies in contentment.

Pray to God that your attachment to such transitory things as wealth, name, and creature comforts may become less and less every day.

O ye gods, grant unto me to have little and to want nothing.

When I look around, I begin to understand what Socrates meant when he said, 'How much there is in the world I do not want.'

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.

I really don't require a whole lot in life.

Something that has always puzzled me all my life is why, when I am in special need of help, the good deed is usually done by somebody on whom I have no claim.