Allen Klein has been gathering quotations for 30 years and the harvesting of these verbal gems has been fruitful. A popular keynote speaker, he is often introduced as "Mr. Jollytologist" given the positivity of his perspective.

The quotations in The Joy of Simplicity have been organized in 13 themed chapters including Go with the Flow, Have Less, Keep It Simple, Seek Solitude, Slow Down, and Take a Break.

We were pleased that three chapters contained quotes on themes in our Alphabet of Spiritual Literacy: Being Present, Forgiveness, and Silence. Here is a brief sampler of material from the paperback:

  • "We do not remember days, we remember moments."
    — Cesar Pavese
  • "Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back.
    Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can't build on it; it's
    only good for wallowing in."
    — Katherine Mansfield
  • "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."
    — Robert Brault
  • "It isn't the great big pleasures that count the most; it's making a great deal out of the little ones."
    — Jean Webster
  • "The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook."
    — William James
  • "If there's one pitch you keep swinging at and keep missing, stop swinging at it."
    — Yogi Berra
  • "As great scientists have said and as all children know, it is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception, and compassion, and hope."
    — Ursula K. Le Guin