It's easy to get rid of things when there is an obvious reason for doing so. It's much more difficult when there is no compelling reason.
Marie KondoRead
The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Cleaning is about creating a joyful living space rather than just removing dirt.
Marie Kondo emphasizes that the process of cleaning goes beyond mere tidiness; it is about fostering an environment that brings joy and happiness. A well-organized space encourages a positive mindset and emotional well-being, suggesting that the act of cleaning should be a source of pleasure and satisfaction.
Themes
CleaningHappinessEnvironmentTidinessJoy
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about organizing your life, you might mention this quote to inspire your audience.
More from Marie Kondo
All quotes βKeep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. By doing this, you can reset your life and embark on a new lifestyle.
Marie KondoRead
Effective tidying involves only three essential actions. All you need to do is take the time to examine every item you own, decide whether or not you want to keep it, then choose where to put what you keep. Designate a place for each thing.
Marie KondoRead
Have gratitude for the things you're discarding. By giving gratitude, you're giving closure to the relationship with that object, and by doing so, it becomes a lot easier to let go.
Marie KondoRead
It's going to be labor-intensive and time-consuming, but you need to take all the books down and put them on the floor. Take them down and spread them in one area. Physically pick each book up, one by one. If the book inspires you, keep it. If not, it goes out. That's the standard by which you decide.
Marie KondoRead
A lot of people agree that tidying is connected to how we live, and even though, outside of Japan, houses might be bigger, people have more things than they need.
Marie KondoRead
Similar quotes
The right to happiness is fundamental; men live so little time and die alone.
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Beauty is being the best possible version of yourself, inside and out.
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This nice and subtle happiness of reading, this joy not chilled by age, this polite and unpunished vice, this selfish, serene life-long intoxication.
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Happiness comes most to persons who seek it least and think least about it. It is not an object to be sought, it is a state to be induced. It must follow and not lead. It must overtake you, and not you overtake it.
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Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble and grand. The word my grandfather uses is comfort. So there are cakes and pillows and colors galore, but underneath this more obvious patchwork quilt are places like a quiet room where you can go and hold someone's hand and not have to say anything. Give no story. Make no claim. Where you can live at the edge of your skin for as long as you wish.
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When your feeling down, do you know you can change it, like that. Put on a beautiful piece of music, start singing, that will change your emotion - or think of something beautiful, think of a baby, maybe one you love, really keep that thought in your mind, block out everything but that thought. I guarantee you'll start to feel good.
Bob ProctorRead