Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich (Revised edition) [Paperback]

Duane Elgin (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 21, 1998

When "Voluntary Simplicity" was first published in 1981, it quickly became recognized as a powerful and visionary work in the emerging dialogue over sustainable ways of living. Now, more than ten years later and with many of the planet's environmental stresses having become more urgent than ever, Duane Elgin has revised and updated his revolutionary book.

"Voluntary Simplicity" is not a book about living in poverty; it is a book about living with balance. It illuminates the pattern of changes that an increasing number of Americans are making in their everyday lives -- adjustments in day-to-day living that are an active, positive response to the complex dilemmas of our time. By embracing, either partially or totally, the tenets of voluntary simplicity -- frugal consumption, ecological awareness, and personal growth -- people can change their lives. And in the process, they have the power to change the world. First published in 1981, "Voluntary Simplicity" was instantly recognized as a visionary work. The "New York Times" called it "seminal"; the "Wall Street Journal" noted that it was "considered the movement's Bible." Revised in 1993 to address the trend toward downshifting, this pertinent book helps us to adjust our thoughts, habits, and goals and embrace the key elements of simplicity: frugal consumption, ecological awareness and personal growth.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin, first published in 1981 and revised in 1993, is the sacred text for those wanting to liberate themselves from enslavement to a job and the pursuit of status symbols. Elgin's work emerges from a concern for the environmental consequences of our mass consumption lifestyles. His book exhorts us to save the planet and our souls by "living with balance in order to find a life of greater purpose."

Review

"Promise Aheadis a corrective to the negative messages about the state of our world that are prevalent today. Elgin provides a compelling blueprint for the future that is both hopeful and doable. This book deserves the attention of our entire society." -- Larry Dossey, M.D., author of "Reinventing Medicine" and "Healing Words"

"Promise Aheadis a powerful message for our time, a seminal contribution to the new story, and essential reading for those dedicated to creating a world that works for all." -- David C. Korten, author of "The Post-corporate World" and "When Corporations Rule the World"

"Promise Aheadis essential reading for people flooded with information yet filled with confusion. Never before have humans had to function responsibly and gracefully as citizens of the whole earth. Thankfully, Duane Elgin has the courage and the credentials to provide us with a visionary andplausible road map into the deep future." -- Vicki Robin, coauthor with Joe Dominguez of "Your Money or Your Life"

"Promise Aheadoffers us a new framework for our conscious evolution. A gem to inaugurate the twenty-first century." -- Barbara Hubbard, author of "Conscious Evolution" and "The Evolutionary Journey"

"A copy of this book in every American household could change the course of history..." -- George Leonard, author of "The Transformation"

"A passionate and wide-ranging book that demonstrates the elegance of simplicity ..." -- Sam Keen, author of "Fire in the Belly"

"Duane Elgin already lives the future he writes about. Elgin writes with personality, passion, and persistence. The result is a well-reasoned and plausible promise that includes some mighty big challenges. Duane Elgin is calling us on a hero's journey where we can all be heroes." -- Robert Johansen, president, Institute for the Future

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Quill (William Morrow); Revised edition (October 21, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688121195
• ISBN-13: 978-0688121198
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #411,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Duane Elgin is an internationally recognized speaker and author. His books include The Living Universe, Promise Ahead, and Awakening Earth. In 2006, he received the international Goi Peace Award in recognition of his contribution to a global "vision, consciousness, and lifestyle" that fosters a "more sustainable and spiritual culture." He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

135 of 137 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Simple Book ... August 14, 2000

By Quaker Annie

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book, a gift from a friend, was a simple read - I am surprised by some of the reviews that confuse the thoughts in here with Marxism, since I didn't find much of that. In fact, Elgin's book is filled with quotes from world religions, citing the reasons we truly need to live a simpler life. I sat reading this book, surrounded with my stacks of books and clothing - "things" I do not need but want - and can afford to get. Halfway through reading, I felt supported in my firm desire (and so far feeble efforts) to continue unloading my home of excesses while downsizing my "wants."

Elgin offers this support in a gentle and convincing way - he offers no directions, for he says "Because simplicity has as much to do with each person's purpose in living as it does with his or her standard of living, it follows that there is no single, "right and true" way to live more ecologically and compassionately."

His goal is to move his readers to live more simply because it makes more sense, not because we are told we 'should' do so, or because it is a trend. He hopes to move us from within.

He offers compassionate, thoughtful reasons to live with less "things." He also gives a history of simplicity's roots - using thoughts from a diversity of views: Christian, Eastern, early Greek, Puritan, Transcendental, and (one of my favorites, of course!) Quakers. He recalls an experience he had with Elise Boulding, a well known Quaker, which helped move him more toward voluntary simplicity (worth reading the book just to experience this with him.)

It makes more sense, according to Elgin, for the good of the planet, of other human beings, of our children's future, of our own quality of life, now. And the reasons are many - not economical OR spiritual OR environmental OR community - but any and all of those (a reader can focus on one that moves the individual)

He offers information on ways of thinking and acting that lead to a simpler life, and though I fall way short in my own actions and behaviors, I never felt judged. I did feel moved. In his final section on revitalization, he offers ideas for how we might make simplicity happen. Most of what he says I liked, though I'm not fond of his idea that "voluntary" changes in consumption would be made if a higher tax was applied to "luxury goods, gasoline, alcohol and cigarettes." While that might make changes, they would certainly not be "voluntary." However, that is one small suggestion, not a fixed line.

I especially liked his People Living the Simple Life chapter, with bits from people who found easy ways to simplify their lives.

This book goes on my gift list for friends who need encouragement, not specific 'how-to directions', in living the simpler life.

69 of 74 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Calm, Patient Style Befitting the Subject Matter December 24, 2000

By Robert H. Nunnally Jr.

Format:Paperback

This is one of the landmark works of the simplicity movement. In contrast to the Dominguez' Your Money or Your Life, Mr. Elgin places his focus on describing the reasons for his advocacy for a voluntary alteration to a less consumptive lifestyle. The book's style is easy and accessible. The author uses a number of quotations and very brief anecdotes from survey respondents to make the argument that people should scale back into less material obsession and consumption as a way of attaining a more "conscious" life.

The reader is left convinced of the author's sincerity, and of the virtue of stepping away from rampant materialism, but the casual assumptions embedded in the book (the inherent error in modern corporate life, the somewhat leery viewpoint toward some forms of technology) seem a bit unexamined for a work considering the social implications of a more examined life.

Still, although I was not swept away with all the ideas herein, this is a well-written book with some real ideas, and deserves the cult status popularity it has achieved.

81 of 92 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Voluntary Simplicity:Toward A Way of Life... September 14, 2002

By "tonka66"

Format:Paperback

Elgin has been hailed, by some, as a guru of the simplicity movement, yet I was disappointed with the content of this book. He attempted to give a philosophical framework for the movement and did a good job exploring the possibilities of this type of lifestyle.

Yet, I found his philosophical examination of "religions" and the human condition to be lacking. He did a poor job of relaying the true messages of different spiritual pathways, and instead twisted them to match the simplicity movement. Furthermore, his attempts at showing what the simplicity movement will result in are at times accurate, yet often they are mere speculation. Elgin assumes that simplicity provides that satisfaction that the soul longs for, which simply isn't true. Simplicity can relieve stress, help our ecology, and help us live a more conscious and fruitful life. But ultimately, the soul longs for more than simplicity, decluttering, developing community and having more time.

I think this book would have hit the mark if the author would have spent less time trying to oversimply the spiritual pathways of the world, and instead given us more practical examples of the voluntary simplicity movement. More "how-to's" and less philosophy.