--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To live more voluntarily is to live more…" description: "\"To live more voluntarily is to live more deliberately, intentionally and purposefully - in short, it is to live more consciously. We cannot be delibera..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2f/duane-elgin-19389_attention_to-live-more-voluntarily-is-to-live-more_3080235.png" --- # To live more voluntarily is to live more deliberately… ![“To live more voluntarily is to live more deliberately, intentionally and purposefully - in short, it is to live more consciously. We cannot be deliberate when we are distracted from life. We cannot be intentional when we are not paying attention. We cannot be purposeful when we are not being…” quote by Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2f/duane-elgin-19389_attention_to-live-more-voluntarily-is-to-live-more_3080235.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2f/duane-elgin-19389_attention_to-live-more-voluntarily-is-to-live-more_3080235.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2f/duane-elgin-19389_attention_to-live-more-voluntarily-is-to-live-more_3080235.png) > “To live more voluntarily is to live more deliberately, intentionally and purposefully - in short, it is to live more consciously. We cannot be deliberate when we are distracted from life. We cannot be intentional when we are not paying attention. We cannot be purposeful when we are not being present.” [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Living consciously requires deliberate, intentional, and purposeful attention, free from distraction. **In simple terms:** Being aware means acting with purpose. Key Takeaway Cultivate focus and presence. Themes mindfulness intentionality purpose presence Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - work - relationships - personal growth - decision making Key Concepts consciousness attention deliberation Questions to Reflect On - How can you reduce distractions daily? - What practices increase your presence? A Different Perspective Distractions can undermine even the best intentions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) [Deliberate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deliberate/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Paying Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paying-attention/) ## Related quotes > [I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-went-to-the-woods-because-i-wished-to-live-deliberately/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“The only sure path is to live consciously, moment to moment, as you let go of the outcome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-kasl/the-only-sure-path-is-to-live-consciously-moment-to-moment-as-you-let/) Charlotte Kasl > [Loving your life is about trusting your instinct, taking chances, losing and finding happiness cherishing memories and learning through experiences. It's long time journey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/loving-your-life-is-about-trusting-your-instinct-taking-chances/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The world we live in is the world we choose to live in, whether consciously or unconsciously. If we choose bliss, that's what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-we-live-in-is-the-world-we-choose-to-live-in-whether/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-went-to-the-woods-because-i-wished-to-live-deliberately-to-front-3/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [To live consciously means to seek to be aware of everything that bears on our actions, purposes, values, and goals—to the best of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-live-consciously-means-to-seek-to-be-aware-of-everything-that/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [“...time can be slowed if you live deliberately. If you stop and watch sunsets. If you spend time sitting on porches listening to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-christopher-greene/time-can-be-slowed-if-you-live-deliberately-if-you-stop-and-watch/) [Thomas Christopher Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-christopher-greene/) > [“We eat unconsciously, we speak unconsciously, we walk unconsciously and we do everything unconsciously because we are full of unconscious inside To change your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srinivart/we-eat-unconsciously-we-speak-unconsciously-we-walk-unconsciously-and/) [Srinivart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srinivart/) > [“Knowing death is nearby gives you a chance to live...deliberately." -Tristan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-fine/knowing-death-is-nearby-gives-you-a-chance-to-live-deliberately/) [Chelsea Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-fine/) > [“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-went-to-the-woods-because-i-wished-to-live-deliberately-to-front-2/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Laugh at the confusion, live consciously in the moment, and enjoy your life as it unfolds. You might not end up exactly where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/laugh-at-the-confusion-live-consciously-in-the-moment-and-enjoy-your/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [The most basic activism we can have in our lives is to live consciously in a nation living in fantasies. Living consciously is living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/the-most-basic-activism-we-can-have-in-our-lives-is-to-live/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-went-to-the-woods-because-i-wished-to-live-deliberately-to-front/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“We need to learn how to live consciously and, trusting ourselves, purposefully on that inevitable balance point between form and emptiness, relative and absolute,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lama-surya-das/we-need-to-learn-how-to-live-consciously-and-trusting-ourselves/) [Lama Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lama-surya-das/) > [“The Great Ones, the sages of every age, tell me what to look for. They say that the answer lies not elsewhere but right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-amberchele/the-great-ones-the-sages-of-every-age-tell-me-what-to-look-for-they/) J. C. Amberchele ## More by Duane Elgin > [Simplicity of living, if deliberately chosen, implies a compassionate approach to life. It means that we are choosing to live our daily lives with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/simplicity-of-living-if-deliberately-chosen-implies-a-compassionate/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [It seems to me that inner growth is the whole moving force behind voluntary simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/it-seems-to-me-that-inner-growth-is-the-whole-moving-force-behind/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Poverty is mean and degrading to the human spirit, whereas a life of conscious simplicity can have both a beauty and a functional integrity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/poverty-is-mean-and-degrading-to-the-human-spirit-whereas-a-life-of/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Simplicity means to feel such a sense of kinship with others that we choose to live simply so that others may simply live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/simplicity-means-to-feel-such-a-sense-of-kinship-with-others-that-we/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [An elegant simplicity is an understated, organic aesthetic that contrasts with the excess of consumerist lifestyles. Drawing from influences ranging from Zen to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/an-elegant-simplicity-is-an-understated-organic-aesthetic-that/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [“To live sustainably, we must live efficiently - not misdirecting or squandering the earth's precious resources. To live efficiently, we must live peacefully for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/to-live-sustainably-we-must-live-efficiently-not-misdirecting-or/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [The character of a whole society is the cumulative result of countless small actions, day in and day out, of millions of persons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/the-character-of-a-whole-society-is-the-cumulative-result-of/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Our life is frittered away by detail Simplify, simplify.” Or, as Plato wrote, “In order to seek one’s own direction, one must simplify the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/our-life-is-frittered-away-by-detail-simplify-simplify-or-as-plato/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Living simply is not about living in poverty or self-inflicted deprivation. It's about living an examined life where one has determined what is truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/living-simply-is-not-about-living-in-poverty-or-self-inflicted/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Simplicity of living means meeting life face to face. It means confronting life clearly, without unnecessary distractions. It means being direct and honest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/simplicity-of-living-means-meeting-life-face-to-face-it-means/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Voluntary simplicity has more to do with the state of mind than a person's physical surroundings and possessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/voluntary-simplicity-has-more-to-do-with-the-state-of-mind-than-a/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [To live more simply is to unburden our lives - to live more lightly, cleanly, aerodynamically. It is to establish a more direct, unpretentious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/to-live-more-simply-is-to-unburden-our-lives-to-live-more-lightly/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [I consciously started to live simply when I started to become conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/i-consciously-started-to-live-simply-when-i-started-to-become/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [We live almost completely immersed in a socially constructed reality that so fully absorbs our energy and attention that virtually none remains to experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/we-live-almost-completely-immersed-in-a-socially-constructed-reality/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [When a person's primary objective is to maximize material pleasures while minimizing discomforts, then life becomes a constant process of "pushing" (trying to push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/when-a-person-s-primary-objective-is-to-maximize-material-pleasures/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) [Explore all 32 Duane Elgin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To live more voluntarily is to live more deliberately, intentionally and purposefully - in short, it is to live more consciously. 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