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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of evaluating possessions and keeping only what inspires joy.
Marie Kondo's quote outlines a meticulous method for decluttering, advocating for a hands-on approach to sorting through books. By physically handling each book and determining its value based on whether it inspires joy, individuals can create a more meaningful and organized living space. This process not only applies to books but can also serve as a metaphor for making deliberate choices about what we choose to keep in our lives.
Themes
DeclutterInspirationJoyOrganizationMinimalism
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop on minimalism, I shared the quote to emphasize the importance of only keeping items that bring joy.
More from Marie Kondo
All quotes →Keep 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.
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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.
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The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment.
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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.
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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.
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