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 finding meaning and purpose in 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 – and honouring these priorities daily through your actions, habits and choices. If you’re curious to understand more about building a life of purpose, you might enjoy this article, What Is Intentional Living? A Beginner’s Guide to a Meaningful Life.

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 intentional living quotes that I’ve chosen for this article represent a snapshot of how I believe living intentionally can benefit our lives.

30 INTENTIONAL LIVING QUOTES FOR YOUR BEST LIFE

Here are 30 quotes about simplifying and living intentionally to make space and find focus and clarity – 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)

The secret sauce of intentional living is knowing where and how to spend your time. Time, after all, is perhaps your most limited resource. 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. This is why I don’t believe that living intentionally is about living a perfect life, free of mistakes and changes of direction. A life on purpose is a life of direction with flexibility, seizing opportunities and not being afraid to take a different path if you don’t like your current trajectory. Here are some lessons I learned 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. There will never be a better time or a better you to take action and make change. Take little steps today that feel comfortable to you, but just make a start. Trust your gut.

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

Yes, simplifying life isn’t easy. It can require soul-searching, going against the cultural norm and reassessing every aspect of your life, but the end goal is worth it.

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

Every day that you live is a day that makes up your life so let’s make those days (and your life) mean something. Yes, of course, some days are better than others and we’ve all had moments when we think that tomorrow will be a better day… and maybe it will be. But each day I like to be grateful, learn something new, be aware of my mindset and surroundings and remember to love and laugh. And, don’t forget, 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. It truly can turn a bad day upside down and give you something to focus on even if life feels heavy.

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

There are so many temptations and distractions in life. We feel called to do this, have that, be all things to all people. Comparison, envy, an eternal quest for satisfaction and validation. Instead, an intentional life encourages you to really consider what’s important, your core values and beliefs. Stop with the rush and the feelings of not being good enough and focus on your inner self. Try crafting a personal mission statement to make friends with your essential self.

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. When I do this in my own life I feel lighter and more liberated. Whilst there are many tasks and responsibilities we can’t avoid as adults, I do feel that we’re more in control of our choices and actions than we often believe.

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

If rushing isn’t taking you where you want to go, I hear you. When life is feeling busy, remember this intentional living quote, take your foot off the pedal and try the slow lane instead.

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

Defining your values is the cornerstone of an intentional life. I can’t stress this enough so if you can’t immediately pinpoint your values, don’t be surprised if living a life on purpose feels ambitious and impractical. Start with defining your values and then the rest will follow.

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 to the small, simple things instead of chasing, doing and achieving. After all, for most of us, life is made up of the ordinary moments, not the extraordinary.

13. “The key is not to prioritise your schedule but to schedule your priorities.” (Steven Covey)

A popular intentional living quote but with good reason. What are your priorities and do you honour them often enough?

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

Our busy, noisy world is full of distractions calling out for our time, energy and attention but this is how we miss the important things in life. Avoid multi-tasking and cluttering your mind. Be mindful. Be present.

15. “Although difficult, change is always possible. What holds 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)

Have courage to say no sometimes. Try it this week. It get easier with practice.

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)

Do you know what direction you want to be moving? Is your week going as you’d like it to, what about those goals you set for the new year, or that bad habit you’ve been trying to break? Regardless of how you feel about those things right now, what can you do for tomorrow and the next day to move you towards your goals, plans and dreams?

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)

Whilst this may be obvious, how many of us still don’t take action?

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

One of my favourite quotes and a constant reminder that life is largely what you make it. What do you want to make yours?

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

This can be applied to so many aspects of life. Let’s learn from our mistakes, make wiser decisions, try a new approach, shift our mindset, find a different way.

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

Actions speak louder than words. It’s easy to say things, far tougher and often a test of character, to follow them through.

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)

This is physics, but also the foundation of living intentionally.

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

This is probably a key message I’d love for you to take away. Life is for living, the best you can, whenever you can. Take bold, brave action. Notice I didn’t say big. Even small changes can be life-changing like these microhabits.

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? What would make life meaningful for YOU?

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. I’ve found that clearing clutter and living a more minimalist and simple life has given me space to live life to the fullest.

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

Change your thoughts, change your perspective, change your decisions and actions.

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)

I love this list and wouldn’t want to change it in anyway. You deserve the best so go start giving yourself the best!

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, let go of 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.
• I like to share intentional living quotes on the Balance Through Simplicity Facebook page and on Instagram. Why not connect with me there so you can be reminded to live simply and intentionally?

SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE INTENTIONAL LIVING QUOTES

Do you have any intentional living quotes to add to this list? I’d love to hear from you so please share your favourite(s) in the comments at the end of this article.