--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They learned to live contently with small…" description: "\"“They learned to live contently with small things, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy not respectabl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/david-paul-kirkpatrick-12013_beauty_they-learned-to-live-contently-with-smal_810806.jpg" --- # They learned to live contently with small things, to seek… ![“They learned to live contently with small things, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy not respectable, and to be rich not wealthy. They let the sacred and unconscious bloom amidst the common, rendering it all extraordinary.” quote by David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/david-paul-kirkpatrick-12013_beauty_they-learned-to-live-contently-with-smal_810806.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/david-paul-kirkpatrick-12013_beauty_they-learned-to-live-contently-with-smal_810806.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/david-paul-kirkpatrick-12013_beauty_they-learned-to-live-contently-with-smal_810806.jpg) > ““They learned to live contently with small things, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy not respectable, and to be rich not wealthy. They let the sacred and unconscious bloom amidst the common, rendering it all extraordinary.”” [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Finding value in modesty, focusing on inner quality over external status, and allowing deeper meaning to emerge in everyday life. **In simple terms:** Live modestly, seek depth, let the ordinary become extraordinary. Key Takeaway Embrace simplicity and depth. Themes simplicity inner worth mindfulness Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - daily routines - personal growth - creative work - community building Key Concepts philosophy aesthetic refinement spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How can you find elegance in daily tasks? - What small things can you cherish more? A Different Perspective May be idealistic; not all can access resources for refinement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Elegance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elegance/) [Elegance Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elegance-luxury-254679/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Respectable Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectable-rich-254680/) [Seek Elegance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seek-elegance-254678/) [Simplicity-in-life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simplicity-in-life/) [Small things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-things/) ## Related quotes > [To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/to-live-content-with-small-means-to-seek-elegance-rather-than-luxury-4/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [“people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/people-considered-them-very-respectable-not-only-because-most-of-them/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-bagginses-had-lived-in-the-neighbourhood-of-the-hill-for-time-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/to-live-content-with-small-means-to-seek-elegance-rather-than-luxury-2/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“Energy is Everything, including you, When your energy flows freely, your life flows easily”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-butterworth/energy-is-everything-including-you-when-your-energy-flows-freely-your/) [Hazel Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazel-butterworth/) > [“Simplifying your life is about simplifying yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamerlan-kuzgov/simplifying-your-life-is-about-simplifying-yourself/) [Tamerlan Kuzgov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamerlan-kuzgov/) > [“I may not be much, but I'm all I think about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lamott/i-may-not-be-much-but-i-m-all-i-think-about/) [Annie Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lamott/) > [“The most important things in life are family, love, friendship, good feelings, a healthy mind, garment for the body, a full belly and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cole-c-onele/the-most-important-things-in-life-are-family-love-friendship-good/) [Peter-Cole C. Onele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cole-c-onele/) > [“Love is Simple (The Sonnet) Truth is simple, Lies are complex. Light is simple, Darkness is complex. Honesty is simple, Deceit is complex. Humility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/love-is-simple-the-sonnet-truth-is-simple-lies-are-complex-light-is/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Simplicity; it looks just adorable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/simplicity-it-looks-just-adorable/) [sir kristian goldmund aumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/) > [“This is the beautiful secret of minimalism: It may seem like it’s about stuff, but once you’ve cut through the clutter and adopted a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-layne/this-is-the-beautiful-secret-of-minimalism-it-may-seem-like-it-s/) [Erica Layne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-layne/) > [“If we open our eyes to simplicity, we may discover serene pleasures scattered around us, quietly waiting to be noticed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhuwan-thapaliya/if-we-open-our-eyes-to-simplicity-we-may-discover-serene-pleasures/) [Bhuwan Thapaliya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhuwan-thapaliya/) > [“A Godly Person Is Living Simple And Yet Happy An Ungodly Person Is Living Luxuriously And Yet So Sad”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baba-tunde-ojo-olubiyo/a-godly-person-is-living-simple-and-yet-happy-an-ungodly-person-is/) [Baba Tunde Ojo-Olubiyo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baba-tunde-ojo-olubiyo/) > [A simple man will have only what he needs, and he will know the difference between what he needs and what he wants. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/a-simple-man-will-have-only-what-he-needs-and-he-will-know-the/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [“Take the time to observe the simple and ponder upon the seemingly insignificant. You’ll find a wealth of depth and beauty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-charlene/take-the-time-to-observe-the-simple-and-ponder-upon-the-seemingly/) [Melanie Charlene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-charlene/) ## More by David Paul Kirkpatrick > [“You are the apple of Love’s eye.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/you-are-the-apple-of-love-s-eye/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“The woman of her dreams went into her arms without shame or awkwardness as the boldness of Love overcame them both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/the-woman-of-her-dreams-went-into-her-arms-without-shame-or/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“Neither train nor plane, neither GPS nor human caress can take you to the address of happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/neither-train-nor-plane-neither-gps-nor-human-caress-can-take-you-to/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“There is peace in play.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/there-is-peace-in-play/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“When in doubt, look to Jesus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/when-in-doubt-look-to-jesus/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“He is Jesus, only. God has revealed Himself to us through Jesus. Jesus is what God wanted us to know and to love. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/he-is-jesus-only-god-has-revealed-himself-to-us-through-jesus-jesus/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“Through science, she could reach anyone at anytime around the world, but no one seemed to know what to say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/through-science-she-could-reach-anyone-at-anytime-around-the-world/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is a determination that there is something more important than fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-courage-is-a-determination-that/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“Every time, Love pushed down the door where her loneliness lived. The Music came and sealed the chamber of her heart. She was filled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/every-time-love-pushed-down-the-door-where-her-loneliness-lived-the/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“Somehow, the days of summer with their glimmering enchantment of dancing ladybugs and sailing clouds had faded into grey. Maddie’s heart had somehow faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/somehow-the-days-of-summer-with-their-glimmering-enchantment-of/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“And Love is the weaver of the sacred thread and the tapestry. For Love’s loom is the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/and-love-is-the-weaver-of-the-sacred-thread-and-the-tapestry-for-love/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“Small as a pea. Wider than the sea. This is where you and I came to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/small-as-a-pea-wider-than-the-sea-this-is-where-you-and-i-came-to-be/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“The Music blows wherever Music pleases, you hear it’s sound, but you cannot tell where the Music comes from or where the Music is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/the-music-blows-wherever-music-pleases-you-hear-it-s-sound-but-you/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“We are the archers with the bows that spring our children forward. Life does not go backward, nor does it tarry in yesterday. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/we-are-the-archers-with-the-bows-that-spring-our-children-forward/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“We are strangers to our own lives, setting out in the dark to look for the adobe of Love which we were meant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/we-are-strangers-to-our-own-lives-setting-out-in-the-dark-to-look-for/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) [Explore all 57 David Paul Kirkpatrick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) ## More Beauty quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/) [Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) [Tumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tumblr/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) [Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They learned to live contently with small things, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy not respectable, and to be rich not wealthy. They let the sacred and unconscious bloom amidst the common, rendering it all extraordinary.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Paul Kirkpatrick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/they-learned-to-live-contently-with-small-things-to-seek-elegance/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/they-learned-to-live-contently-with-small-things-to-seek-elegance/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/david-paul-kirkpatrick-12013_beauty_they-learned-to-live-contently-with-smal_810806.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/david-paul-kirkpatrick-12013_beauty_they-learned-to-live-contently-with-smal_810806.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/david-paul-kirkpatrick-12013_beauty_they-learned-to-live-contently-with-smal_810806.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They learned to live contently with small things, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather…” — David Paul Kirkpatrick", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Paul Kirkpatrick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They learned to live contently with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/they-learned-to-live-contently-with-small-things-to-seek-elegance/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/they-learned-to-live-contently-with-small-things-to-seek-elegance/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```