30 INTENTIONAL LIVING QUOTES TO INSPIRE YOUR BEST LIFE

Words are powerful. Here are 30 intentional living quotes to inspire your best life. I hope they help motivate, guide and encourage you to stop living on auto-pilot and start living intentionally and on purpose.

WHAT IS INTENTIONAL LIVING?

From decluttering our homes to setting purposeful goals for the future, living intentionally is a powerful way of simplifying life and carving out more time, energy, space and freedom for what matters.

Intentional living is about making a series of small, deliberate decisions about what serves and supports you to create your best life by doing what we can to keep out or let go of the things that distract us or get in our way.

It’s about getting clear on your priorities and doing something to honour them as often as possible.

This isn’t a magic recipe for an easy life but it does help to get the most out of your life. Instead of living a life on auto-pilot, you’re choosing to live a life on purpose. This could be applied to your home, your time, your spending habits, self-care practices, your work and career and more.

The quotes that I’ve chosen here represent a snapshot of how I believe living intentionally can benefit our lives.

Let me know in the comments if these intentional living quotes resonate with you and if you have any more to add to this collection. I’d love to hear them!

Further reading: What is Intentional Living – a guide for beginners

30 INTENTIONAL LIVING QUOTES TO INSPIRE YOUR BEST LIFE

Here are 30 quotes about living intentionally and simplifying what you can to make space – in your home, heart, schedule and mind.

My life and my priorities might be different to yours but I hope these quotes give you something to reflect upon as you go about your day. Enjoy…

1. The busier you are, the more intentional you must be. (Michael Hyatt)

Time management and productivity are made so much easier if you know what’s important, what you’ve got to do and how to get it done, effectively.

2. What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. (Zig Ziglar)

The benefit is always as much in the journey as it is in reaching your destination. Here are some lessons I learnt as I simplified my own life.

3. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. (Arthur Ashe)

Stop waiting or making excuses. Take little steps today that feel comfortable to you, but just make a start.

4. Simplicity is complex. It’s never simple to keep things simple. Simple solutions require the most advanced thinking. (Richie Norton)

Yes, but the end goal is worth it.

5. Intentional days create a life on purpose. (Adrienne Enns)

And those intentional days begin with a morning routine that truly supports you.

6. This is a wonderful day. I haven’t seen this one before. (Maya Angelou)

Gratitude helps us appreciate what we have instead of chasing what we don’t. One of the greatest shifts towards a simpler life has been shifting my mindset daily towards gratitude.

7. Hold close to your essential self. (Shauna Niequist)

8. It’s not about ‘what can I accomplish?’ but ‘what do I want to accomplish? Paradigm shift. (Brené Brown)

Defining your priorities in life is one of the cornerstones of intentional living. Try these simple questions to explore your own priorities.

9. The slower the living, the greater the sense of fullness and satisfaction. (Ann Voskamp)

Take your foot off the pedal and try the slow lane.

10. When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier. (Roy E. Disney)

11. From the spark may burst a mighty flame. (Dante)

Yes, if you give it space to breathe. A little bit like living a clutter-free life gives you space to breathe. 

12. I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness — it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude. (Brené Brown)

How to be present in life and pay attention the small, simple things instead of chasing, doing and achieving.

13. The key is not to prioritize your schedule but to schedule your priorities. (Steven Covey)

What are your priorities and do you honour them often enough?

14. Wherever you are, be all there. (Jim Elliot)

Avoid multi-tasking and cluttering your mind. Be mindful. Be present.

15. Although difficult, change is always possible. What hold us back from making the changes we desire are our own limiting thoughts and actions. (Satsuki)

Does your mindset support or hinder you to get the most out of life?

16. Saying no to one thing is saying yes to the possibility of another. (Ellie Roscher)

17. Instead of working so hard to make ends meet, work on having fewer ends. (Courtney Carver)

Less is usually always more.

18. The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

19. If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place. (Nora Roberts)

20. Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make us. (Richie Norton)

21. If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. (Tony Robbins)

22. You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do. (C.G. Jung)

23. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story. (Cheryl Strayed)

Our mindset shapes our thoughts, decisions and actions. Is fear holding you back, making you feel less than you are, uncertain or anxious about the future? Consider how these negative thoughts are affecting your daily actions.

24. Every action has an impact, choose wisely the impact you want to have. (Mindy Hall)

25. It’s never too late to begin living more courageously. (Brendon Burchard)

26. Make your life a meaningful one. (Sunday Adelaja)

What kind of impact do you want to have on the world? What legacy do you want to leave behind?

27. When you get right down to it, intentional living is about living your best story. (John C. Maxwell)

And you are the author of that story. You choose how it goes…

28. Life itself is a privilege, but to live life to the fullest — well, that is a choice. (Andy Andrews)

Self-development and personal growth will help you live life to the fullest. Try this free 30-day personal growth challenge to get started!

29. Remember this maxim: When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. (Wayne Dyer)

30. Note to self: None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an afterthought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else. (Nanea Hoffman)

Self-care is important. Try these tips for some simple daily self-care habits.

INTENTIONAL LIVING RESOURCES

If you’ve been inspired by these intentional living quotes and would like to learn more about living intentionally in your own life, here are some helpful resources to guide you:

• 14 ways to be intentional every day – ideas to try every day
• How less can be more – the benefits of simplifying life
• 6 self-care habits for your daily life – simple tips to look after yourself
• 7 ways to be intentional with your time – time management and productivity tips, the simple and intentional way

As a writer, I love words and the power behind them. I find they help focus the mind and succinctly sum up a point view or capture a poignant message.

If you love words and quotes, hop over to Wisdom Quotes for more motivational and inspirational quotes on the message of simplicity and intentionality.

HOW TO USE THESE QUOTES

Here are some ideas on how to use these intentional living quotes to help you create your best life.

• Use them as journal prompts: If you enjoy journaling, why not take these quotes and use them as a journal prompt for your day? Journaling is a wonderful way of reconnecting with yourself and exploring how you’re thinking and feeling. Try these journaling tips for beginners if you’d like to start a regular journaling practice.
• Add them into your diary or your planner: Over the next 30 days, every time you open your diary for the day, you’ll see them and be reminded to slow down, avoid clutter and focus on what’s important.
• Write them out onto post-it notes: Stick them on the front of your fridge, your nightstand or the bathroom mirror. Put them in places where you’ll see them as a little reminder as you go about your day.