Editing Simple living (section)

{{Short description|Simplified, minimalistic lifestyle}}
{{Redirect|Simple life||Simple Life (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Gandhi spinning 1942.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Mahatma Gandhi]] [[Spinning wheel|spinning yarn]] in 1942. Gandhi believed in a life of simplicity and self-sufficiency.]]
'''Simple living''' refers to practices that promote [[simplicity]] in one's lifestyle. Common practices of simple living include reducing the number of possessions one owns, depending less on technology and services, and spending less money.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/choosingsimplici0000pier |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/choosingsimplici0000pier/page/304 304] |title=Choosing Simplicity|publisher=Gallagher Press |author=Linda Breen Pierce|year=2000|quote=Rather than being consumed by materialism, we choose to surround ourselves with only those material possessions we truly need or genuinely cherish|isbn=978-0967206714}}</ref><ref name=Howard>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AKHxP8xncfcC&pg=PT24 |title=Quotes about Happiness|author=Vernon Howard|quote=You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need|author-link=Vernon Howard}}</ref> In addition to such external changes, simple living also reflects a person's mindset and values.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.becomingminimalist.com/encouragement-for-your-first-step-towards-living-with-less/comment-page-1/ | title=Minimalism: 7 Reasons that Keep People from Getting Started | date=29 June 2011 }}</ref> Simple living practices can be seen in history, religion, art, and economics.

Adherents may choose simple living for a variety of personal reasons, such as [[spirituality]], [[health]], increase in [[quality time]] for family and friends, [[work–life balance]], personal taste, financial sustainability, increase in [[philanthropy]], [[frugality]], [[environmentalism|environmental sustainability]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Taylor|first=Matthew|date=2019-05-22|title=Much shorter working weeks needed to tackle climate crisis – study|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/22/working-fewer-hours-could-help-tackle-climate-crisis-study |access-date=2021-11-02|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> or reducing [[Stress (biology)|stress]]. Simple living can also be a reaction to [[economic materialism]] and [[consumer culture]]. Some cite [[sociopolitical]] goals aligned with environmentalist, [[Anti-consumerism|anti-consumerist]], or [[anti-war movement]]s, including [[Conservation (ethic)|conservation]], [[degrowth]], [[deep ecology]], and [[tax resistance]].<ref name="NWTRCC">{{cite web|url=https://nwtrcc.org/war-tax-resistance-resources/pamphlets/practical-war-tax-resistance-5/|title=Low Income/Simple Living as War Tax Resistance|date=January 2020 |publisher=NWTRCC}}</ref>