Wake up, get dressed, check the news, rush to get started on the day’s tasks — it’s a routine we likely all know too well. Some days it feels as though we don’t have a single moment to spare between sunup and sundown. And despite having spent the day out and about, we may go to bed without actually having noticed much of the world around us.
When’s the last time you took a second to really pay attention to the beauty in your surroundings? If you’re struggling to remember, you’re not alone. In a world that prioritizes productivity and busyness, slowing down and spending time with nature and our thoughts can feel counterintuitive or even a bit silly.
But let’s try framing it another way: as an act of rebellion. We can rebel against “hustle culture” and the strictures modern life placed on us by intentionally sprinkling in these quiet, mindful moments of observation and serenity.
To help you get in the right state of mind, here are 15 quotes about the importance of taking time out of our busy lives to be truly present in the world.
You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.Walter Hagen
Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.Allen Saunders
Close your eyes and turn your face into the wind. Feel it sweep along your skin in an invisible ocean of exultation. Suddenly, you know you are alive.Vera Nazarian
I dote on myself, there is that lot of me and all so luscious, / Each moment and whatever happens thrills me with joy, / … / A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books.Walt Whitman
Give me a quiet life, give me trees, the wind through them, give me a sea and the song it sings. Give me heartbeats shared with those I love, give me peace and a long deep sleep.Tyler Knott Gregson
There’s no time to be bored in a world as beautiful as this.Unknown
She often climbed up the hill and lay there alone for the mere pleasure of feeling the wind and of rubbing her cheeks in the grass. Generally at such times she did not think of anything, but lay immersed in an inarticulate well-being.Edith Wharton
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.Lao Tzu
Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast — you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.Eddie Cantor
Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.E.B. White
Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat. In our mad rush for progress and modern improvements, let’s be sure we take along with us all the old-fashioned things worthwhile.Laura Ingalls Wilder
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.John Lubbock
It always pays to dwell slowly on the beautiful things — the more beautiful the more slowly.Atticus
I fall in love every day. With new songs, dogs, scents, pieces of art, illusions, five-minute conversations, a sunset in my rearview mirror, a story. A written note. A daydream. What a pleasure it is.Victoria Erickson
The simplest things are overlooked. And yet, it is the simplest things that are the most essential.Thomas Lloyd Qualls
Featured image credit: freya-photographer/ Shutterstock
