In this fast-paced world, we are always rushing from one task to the next.
We fill our schedule with countless things to do, commitments, and other obligations.
It’s even glorified to be busy and hustling all the time!
Society pushes us to do more and more and makes us feel that we should optimize every minute and fill our time with stuff to do.
And sometimes, in the chaos of our daily lives, we forget that we don’t have to always be productive.
We forget that life is passing by incredibly quickly and that we rarely take the time to focus on what matters to us.
Sometimes, all we really need to do is slow down, take care of ourselves, enjoy life, and relax.
Because as human beings, we need rest and downtime, and we cannot constantly be in a rush.
We need to embrace simple, slow living and become unbusy to finally enjoy the moment we are in, breathe, and appreciate life as much as we can.
In this article, I’ve selected 45 of my all-time favorite slow down quotes that always inspire me to enjoy life, relax, and slow down.
Why should you read slow down quotes?
When we rush all the time and are constantly busy, we often forget to pay attention to the little things in life that make us happy to be alive.
We don’t realize how many blessings there are in our lives.
We also exhaust ourselves, and our never-ending to-do lists and our overwhelming number of commitments may lead to burnout.
If you’ve clicked on this article, it means you probably want to embrace slow living or at least some aspects of it.
You want to find peace and balance in this world.
You want to have a moment to slow down and appreciate the good things in life.
But it’s easier said than done!
We all get carried away by daily life, so we regularly need to be reminded to slow down.
That’s why I often read inspiring quotes about slow living and enjoying life.
I absolutely love quotes as they motivate me to live by my values and be intentional with what I do with my time and energy.
If you too want to find inspiration to slow down and live in the present, this article is for you!
Feel free to read these slow down quotes to enjoy life and relax whenever you feel like you need a reminder to step back from the chaos!
45 slow down quotes that will remind you to enjoy life and relax
“Once she stopped rushing through life, she was amazed how much more life she had time for.” – Unknown
“We’re a species that rushes through everything, then complains that time flies.” – Steve Maraboli
“If you’re always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in? Slow down and enjoy the moment you’re in and live your life to the fullest.” – Nanette Mathews
“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” – Eddie Cantor
” …slow living is not about living your life in slow motion; it’s about doing everything at the right speed and pacing instead of rushing. By that same logic, slow living is not about losing time by going slowly; it’s about gaining time by doing the things that are most important to you.” – Kayleigh Dray
“Slowness is the forgotten dimension to time. Unlike chronological time, it is non-linear, time here and now, time that works for you, extraordinary time. So why be fast when you can be slow? Slowness is also about balance, so if you must hurry, then hurry slowly.” – Geir Berthelsen
“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.” – Lin Yutang
“When we rush, we skim the surface, and fail to make real connections with the world or other people.” – Carl Honoré
“Slowing down is not always easy, but there are many gems to be found at a gentler pace.”- Brittany Burgunder
“Slow living is about intention, spending more time on things that are important and less on things that aren’t.” – Brooke McAlary
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.” – Eckhart Tolle
“Slow living is just living slowly, in whatever and however way that means to you. It’s about knowing and passionately loving the things we value, and designing our lives to spend the most time possible enjoying them. It’s about having intentionality and consciousness in our activities, about escaping the mindless scrolling and unproductive multi-tasking and focusing on purposeful action. It’s about embracing the fact that you’re not doing it all – it’s about doing less, but better.” – Kayte Ferris
“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.” – Walter Hagen
“Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.” – Mae West
“Some of the secret joys of living are not found by rushing from point A to point B, but by inventing some imaginary letters along the way.” – Douglas Pagels
“In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention.” – Pico Iyer
“There is only today, with holes in our pockets, with time spilling out. We cannot keep it for tomorrow.” – Erin Loechner
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu
“Fast and Slow do more than just describe a rate of change. They are shorthand for ways of being, or philosophies of life. Fast is busy, controlling, aggressive, hurried, analytical, stressed, superficial, impatient, active, quantity-over-quality. Slow is the opposite: calm, careful, receptive, still, intuitive, unhurried, patient, reflective, quality-over-quantity. It is about making real and meaningful connections—with people, culture, work, food, everything. The paradox is that Slow does not always mean slow … It is also possible to do things quickly while maintaining a Slow frame of mind.” – Carl Honoré
“Sometimes our stop-doing list needs to be bigger than our to-do list.” – Patti Digh
“Most people’s minds are almost always too busy for them to feel their skins being caressed by the wind or the sun.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
“Doing a huge number of things doesn’t mean you’re getting anything meaningful done.” – Leo Babauta
“Slow living provides an opportunity to step back, pay attention, and question the ways we use technology, to recalibrate our relationship with the constantly switched-on, logged-in world.” – Brooke McAlary
“If people just took it a day at a time, they’d be a lot happier.” – Richard Bachman
“When things happen too fast, nobody can be certain about anything, about anything at all, not even about himself.” – Milan Kundera
“It is important from time to time to slow down, to go away by yourself, and simply be.” – Eileen Caddy
“We need to learn the slow ‘yes’ and the quick ‘no’.” – Tom Friel
“The central tenet of the slow philosophy is taking the time to do things properly, and thereby enjoy them more.” – Carl Honoré
“In the 1980s, simplicity was seen primarily as “downshifting” or pulling back from the rat race of consumer society. Several decades later, there is a growing recognition of simplicity as “upshifting”—or moving beyond the rat race to the human race.” – Duane Elgin
“Slow Living means structuring your life around meaning and fulfillment. Similar to ‘voluntary simplicity‘ and ‘downshifting,’ it emphasizes a less-is-more approach, focusing on the quality of your life…Slow Living addresses the desire to lead a more balanced life and to pursue a more holistic sense of well-being in the fullest sense of the word. In addition to the personal advantages, there are potential environmental benefits as well. When we slow down, we often use fewer resources and produce less waste, both of which have a lighter impact on the earth.” – Beth Meredith and Eric Storm
“The world may feel like it’s spinning out of control, but you don’t have to. Anchor into your breath. Slow your pace so that you can remain clear.” – Hania Khuri-Trapper
“The foundation of slow remains the same: a return to high-quality basics, a reevaluation of the largely unnecessary ‘must haves’ of modern life, and a focus on going small, local, and community based.” – Brooke McAlary
“Slow down in your pursuit of happiness and it’s more likely to catch up with you.” – Ernie J Zelinski
“The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.” – Molière
“Don’t be in a hurry to achieve your dreams. Take a day to play with your kids and relax – your dreams will still be there tomorrow.” – Lindsey Rietzsch
“We need, above all things, to slow down and get ourselves to amble through life instead of to rush through it.” – Alan Watts
“Slow living isn’t about determining how little we can live with – it’s about working out what we simply can’t live without.” – Nathan Williams
“There is no hurry, and in a way there is no future. It is all here – so take it easy, take your time, and get acquainted with it.” – Alan Watts
“It is only when there is no goal and no rush that the human senses are fully open to receive the world.” – Alan Watts
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“When we are calm, unhurried, and free from stress and distractions the brain slips into a richer, more nuanced mode of thought. Some call this Slow Thinking, and the best minds have always understood its power.” – Carl Honoré
“We may feel productive when we’re constantly switching between things, constantly doing something, but in all honesty, we’re not. We’re just distracted.” – Leo Babauta
“When you’re working at an unsustainable pace, when you feel emotionally flooded, when things are moving so fast you can’t keep up, then you need to add Stillness to your day. The goal is to take however much time you need to quiet your mind.” – Darcy Luoma
“The world may feel like it’s spinning out of control, but you don’t have to. Anchor into your breath. Slow your pace so that you can remain clear.” – Hania Khuri-Trapper
“Slow down. Life is crossing the road.” – Debasish Mridha
Final thoughts on these inspiring quotes
I hope these 45 slow down quotes inspire you and that they remind you of how important it is to take a step back, relax, and enjoy life.
In this modern world, it’s never easy to make the decision to slow down and actually do it.
But we need to do it if we want to appreciate every moment and find balance.
We need stillness to enjoy the little things in life, feel rested, and avoid burnout.
If you want to read more inspiring quotes, read my other blog posts filled with precious wisdom to live more intentionally:
- 42 inspiring quotes about being intentional to live a life you love
- 50 simplicity quotes to get inspired to live a minimalist life
- 43 sustainability quotes that will inspire you to save the planet
- 56 inspiring quotes about self-love and worth
What are your favorite slow down quotes that have really helped you enjoy life and relax?
Bombard us with slow down quotes in the comments!
And don’t forget to share this article with your friends to remind them to slow down, breathe, and appreciate the moment!