Simple Quotes

After coming across some quotes on simplicity, I realized they would make a good follow up to the trilogy “How Radical Is That?,” “Intelligent Design,” and “Splash.” But the associations go deeper. They relate to my philosophy of art, my approach to the Parallel Audio Project, and to my aim in design. I was tempted to add further commentary, then on second thought, I’ll let the connections find their own path.

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” ― Confucius

“Any 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

“There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth.” ― Leo Tolstoy

“When the mathematician would solve a difficult problem, he first frees the equation of all incumbrance, and reduces it to its simplest terms. So simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real. Probe the earth to see where your main roots run.” ― Henry David Thoreau

“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.” ― John Maeda

“People who pride themselves on their complexity and deride others for being simplistic should realize that the truth is often not very complicated. What gets complex is evading the truth.” ― Thomas Sowell

“These times are too progressive. Everything has changed too fast. Railroads and telegraphs and kerosene and coal stoves — they’re good to have but the trouble is, folks get to depend on them.” ― Laura Ingalls Wilder

“When a thing is labeled complex, that’s just a roundabout way of saying you’re not observant enough to understand it.” ― A. Lee Martinez

“Life is indeed terribly complicated—to a man who has lost his principles.” ― G.K. Chesterton

These quotes evoke many connections with the current state of politics, our economic policies and our attitudes towards the role government. If only these ideas were being discussed by our politicians and the news media, then maybe we’d break the deadlock. Then maybe we’d move on to make progress.

The attributions to these quotes may be questionable, or fabricated. I vetted only one; it got eliminated. Something about the language didn’t ring true. I’m not the only one who questioned it. Read this account of finding the source of [Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication].

And in my search I came across an interesting site dedicated to the [Laws of Simplicity].