22 Uplifting Quotes That Will Inspire You to Notice More Beauty in Your Life
Looking for a little inspiration to appreciate life’s simple pleasures? These quotes have been hand-picked to help you to slow down and find beauty in the everyday moments that can easily go unnoticed when you’re rushing through life.
The words of these great poets, artists, thinkers and teachers all point towards the same idea: that noticing is a skill that can be learned, a muscle that can be trained.
Mindfulness is a great way to develop your sensitivity to beauty. Being mindful involves making a conscious effort to focus on the present moment. It helps you to experience your life more fully right now rather than racing ahead worrying about the future or ruminating over the past.
The more you practice mindfulness, the more you’ll realise that you don’t have to travel to exotic places, seek out big thrills or buy tickets for expensive events to experience beauty and joy. When you know how to look they can be found in even the most ordinary of situations.
And the good news is that the more you practise noticing and savouring what’s good in your life, the more you’ll naturally find a sense of gratitude arising too. You’ll realise that, even when life is hard, there are still small, good moments to enjoy.
1. “Beauty does not reserve itself for special elite moments or instances; it does not wait for perfection but is present already secretly in everything.” - John O’Donohue
2. "The key to knowing joy is being easily pleased" - Mark Nepo
3. "the more you study delight, the more delight there is to study" – Ross Gay
4. “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our sense to grow sharper." - Variously attributed to W.B. Yeats, Bertrand Russell and Eden Philpotts
5. “If you’re not watchful, the wonderful is made mundane. But on a good day the mundane can be made miraculous.” - Ella Frances Sanders
6. "be joyful though you have considered all the facts." - Wendell Berry
7. "Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day." — Alice Morse Earle
8. "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns or rejoice because thorns have roses." — Alphonse Karr
9. "The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it." — Thich Nhat Hanh
10. “The little things? The little moments? They aren't little." — Jon Kabat-Zinn
11. “There’s always a sunrise and always a sunset and it’s up to you to choose to be there for it… put yourself in the way of beauty.” - Cheryl Strayed
12. “Some people could be given an entire field of roses and only see the thorns in it. Others could be given a single weed and only see the wildflower in it. Perception is a key component to gratitude. And gratitude a key component to joy.” - Amy Weatherly
13. “The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” - Henry Miller
14. “With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.” - Max Ehrmann
15. “Even if you find yourself knee-deep in mud, on this breath, it’s worth saying there is beauty in this corner of the field.” - Sarah Blondin
16. "If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate … joy is not made to be a crumb" - Mary Oliver
17. “Our sense of enchantment is not triggered only by the grand things; the sublime is not hiding in distant landscapes. The awe-inspiring, the numinous, is all around us, all the time. It is transformed by our deliberate attention.” - Katherine May
18. “Beauty is the harvest of presence.” - David Whyte
19. “When we are consumed - partially or wholly - by the dark, it may be that we need to squint or use a magnifying lens to see the small pins of light, but they are there.” - Ella Frances Sanders
20. “Joy isn’t hard to find at all. In fact, it’s all around us” - Ingrid Fetell Lee
21. “There are flowers everywhere for those who want to see them.” - Henri Matisse
22. “Don’t hunt for diamonds. Get fascinated by pebbles. The world is already more interesting than anyone can possibly imagine. You just need to pay attention.” - Russell Davies
Still need convincing that there may be more little pleasures lurking in your life that you imagined?
This short video from The School of Life explains why small pleasures are a big deal.
Want to receive more inspiring words like these?
Sign up to my newsletter to receive mindfulness tips, inspiration and news straight to your inbox.