Top 50 + Marie Kondo Quotes

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Who is Marie Kondo

Marie Kondo, also known as Konmari is a Japanese author and tv show host who was born on the 9th October 1984. She is one of the leading figures in organisation consultancy in the world and has written four books on the subject, which has sold in their millions. To highlight her appeal to the masses, her books have been translated into many languages, with one of her books released in 2011 called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, being published in over 30 countries around the world.

Her methods consist of putting all of a person’s belongings into categories and then one category at a time, keeping only those items which spark joy. It is at this point that a person would then choose a place to put or store them.

Expanding on her popularity, she opened an online store in 2019 and starred in a series on Netflix called Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. The series found critical acclaim, particularly in the US and UK, where she received a nomination for an Emmy Award.

It is this popularity and influence she has had on a generation of people around the world, that caused her to be listed in Time’s 100 most influential people of 2015.

Marie Kondo Quotes

1. “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.

2. “But when we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.

3. “The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.

4. “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.

5. “The best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one’s hand and ask: ‘Does this spark joy?’ If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it. This is not only the simplest but also the most accurate yardstick by which to judge.”

6. “Imagine what it would be like to have a bookshelf filled only with books that you really love. Isn’t that image spellbinding? For someone who loves books, what greater happiness could there be?”

7. “No matter how wonderful things used to be, we cannot live in the past. The joy and excitement we feel here and now are more important.

8. “People cannot change their habits without first changing their way of thinking.”

9. “Clutter is caused by a failure to return things to where they belong. Therefore, storage should reduce the effort needed to put things away, not the effort needed to get them out.”

10. “The true purpose of a present is to be received.”

11. “For books, timing is everything. The moment you first encounter a particular book is the right time to read it. To avoid missing that moment, I recommend that you keep your collection small.”

12. “But when we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.”

13. “When you come across something that you cannot part with, think carefully about its true purpose in your life. You’ll be surprised at how many of the things you possess have already fulfilled their role. By acknowledging their contribution and letting them go with gratitude, you will be able to truly put the things you own, and your life, in order. In the end, all that will remain are the things that you really treasure. To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose.”

14. “Visible mess helps distract us from the true source of the disorder.”

15. “I have yet to see a house that lacked sufficient storage. The real problem is that we have far more than we need or want.”

16. “People with large book collections are almost always diligent learners.”

17. “There’s no need to finish reading books that you only got halfway through. Their purpose was to be read halfway.”

18. “If sweatpants are your everyday attire, you’ll end up looking like you belong in them, which is not very attractive. What you wear in the house does impact your self-image.”

19. “It is the same with people. Not every person you meet in life will become a close friend or lover. Some you will find hard to get along with or impossible to like. But these people, too, teach you the precious lesson of who you do like, so that you will appreciate those.”

20. “We should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of.”

21. “Imagine what it would be like to have a bookshelf filled only with books that you really love. Isn’t that image spellbinding? For someone who loves books, what greater happiness could there be?”

22. “Clutter is caused by a failure to return things to where they belong. Therefore, storage should reduce the effort needed to put things away, not the effort needed to get them out.”

23. “From the moment you start tidying, you will be compelled to reset your life. As a result, your life will start to change. That’s why the task of putting your house in order should be done quickly. It allows you to confront the issues that are really important. Tidying is just a tool, not the final destination. The true goal should be to establish the lifestyle you want most once your house has been put in order.”

24. “I recommend you dispose of anything that does not fall into one of three categories: currently in use, needed for a limited period of time, or must be kept indefinitely.”

25. “Storage experts are hoarders.”

26. “Tidy a little a day and you’ll be tidying forever.”

27. “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.”

28. “No matter how wonderful things used to be, we cannot live in the past. The joy and excitement we feel here and now are more important.”

29. “To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose. To get rid of what you no longer need is neither wasteful nor shameful. Can you truthfully say that you treasure something buried so deeply in a closet or drawer that you have forgotten its existence? If things had feelings, they would certainly not be happy. Free them from the prison to which you have relegated them. Help them leave that deserted isle to which you have exiled them. Let them go, with gratitude. Not only you, but your things as well, will feel clear and refreshed when you are done tidying.”

30. “All you need to do is take the time to sit down and examine each item you own, decide whether you want to keep or discard it, and then choose where to put what you keep.”

31. “When we disperse storage of a particular item throughout the house and tidy one place at a time, we can never grasp the overall volume and therefore can never finish. To escape this negative spiral, tidy by category, not by place.”

32. “By starting with the easy things first and leaving the hardest for last, you can gradually hone your decision-making skills, so that by the end, it seems simple.”

33. “What was it that motivated you to tidy in the first place? What do you hope to gain through tidying? Before you start getting rid of things, take the time to think this through carefully. This means visualizing the ideal lifestyle you dream of.”

34. “The ultimate secret of success is this: If you tidy up in one shot, rather than little by little, you can dramatically change your mind-set.”

35. “Can you place your hand on your heart and swear that you are happy when surrounded by so much stuff that you don’t even remember what’s there?”

36. “When your room is clean and uncluttered, you have no choice but to examine your inner state.”

37. “Your real life begins after putting your house in order.”

38. “As for you, pour your time and passion into what brings you the most joy, your mission in life.”

39. “My filing method is extremely simple. I divide them into two categories: papers to be saved and papers that need to be dealt with. Although my policy is to get rid of all papers, these are the only categories I make for those that can’t be discarded.”

40. “Letting go is even more important than adding.”

41. “When you attend a seminar, do so with the resolve to part with every handout distributed. If you regret recycling it, take the same seminar again, and this time apply the learning. It’s paradoxical, but I believe that precisely because we hang on to such materials, we fail to put what we learn into practice.”

42. “I’m sure most of us have been scolded for not tidying up our rooms, but how many of our parents consciously taught us how to tidy as part of our upbringing?”

42. “I’m sure most of us have been scolded for not tidying up our rooms, but how many of our parents consciously taught us how to tidy as part of our upbringing?”

44. “The lives of those who tidy thoroughly and completely, in a single shot, are without exception dramatically altered.”

45. “After all, our possessions very accurately relate the history of the decisions we have made in life.”

46. “Putting your house in order is the magic that creates a vibrant and happy life.”

47. “Reducing the amount of stuff in our space also reduces the amount of dust, and we actually clean more often.”

48. “It is not memories but the person we have become because of those past experiences that we should treasure.”

49. “Repetition and wasted effort can kill motivation, and therefore it must be avoided.”

50. “We amass material things for the same reason that we eat—to satisfy a craving. Buying on impulse and eating and drinking to excess are attempts to alleviate stress.”

51. “Ah! This is just the amount I need to live comfortably. This is all I need to be happy. I don’t need anything more.”

52. “The key is to store things standing up rather than laid flat. Some people mimic store displays, folding each piece of clothing into a large square and then arranging them one on top of the other in layers. This is great for temporary sales displays in stores, but not what we should be aiming for at home, where our relationship with these clothes is long term.”

53. “A person’s awareness and perspective on his or her own lifestyle are far more important than any skill at sorting, storing, or whatever.”

54. “If you live with your family, first clearly define separate storage spaces for each family member.”

55. “Start with clothes, then move on to books, papers, komono (miscellany), and finally things with sentimental value.”

56. “The process of deciding what to keep and what to discard will go much more smoothly if you begin with items that are easier to make decisions about. As you gradually work toward the harder categories, you will be honing your decision-making skills. Clothes are the easiest because their rarity value is extremely low.”

57. “We may think that we have stored things to suit our behavior, but usually we have unconsciously adjusted our actions to match where things are stored.”

58. “If you are aiming for an uncluttered room, it is much more important to arrange your storage so that you can tell at a glance where everything is than to worry about the details of who does what, where, and when.”

59. “Sorting papers rule of thumb: Discard everything once.”

60. “There are three approaches we can take toward our possessions: face them now, face them sometime, or avoid them until the day we die.”

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