We lead busy lives. We jump from work to family, to friends, to appointments, to shopping… And so the list goes on.
There is always something that needs doing. Always somewhere to be and something to tick off the list. It’s exhausting, both mentally and physically.
But, what if you slowed down and lighten the load, just enough to enjoy life a little more? To watch more sunsets, sip more coffee, and find a little bit of calm.
These slow down quotes are a gentle reminder that you can afford to step back and slacken the reigns. And yet still achieve everything you want out of life.
Why is It Important to Slow Down?
Life really does pass by so quickly. Children grow up and leave home. Friends move to new places. Elderly relatives slip away. And you’re left sitting there, wondering where the time went.
Whilst you can’t stop these things from happening, and you can't make time stand still, you can embrace the here and now. You can slow down and enjoy life, for every amazing moment it has to offer.
Next time you’re in a rush, stop and think, do you really need to run out the door? Or could you hold off for half an hour to read a few pages of your favorite book? And do you really need to race home after work? Or could you take the scenic route and sing your heart out to your favorite playlist?
You might think that by taking things slower, you’re just wasting time. But what if, in all the chaos, in all the clocking in and out and mounting pressures, you’re instead wasting the time you have?
Life is undeniably precious. And with every hour of every day, there are memories to make and hold onto. Surely, that's reason enough to rush a little less and enjoy a little more.
Make time for the things you love, the people you love. And live for the now, by slowing down and taking in every beautiful moment, starting with these 37 slow down quotes.
37 Slow Down Quotes to Enjoy Your Life
- “For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.” – Lily Tomlin
- “Sometimes our stop-doing list needs to be bigger than our to-do list.” – Patti Digh
- “Slow down you're doing fine… You can't be everything you want to be before your time.” – Billy Joel
- “When we rush, we skim the surface, and fail to make real connections with the world or other people.” – Carl Honoré
- “Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still.” – Chinese proverb
- “Never be so busy as not to think of others.” – Mother Teresa
- “I think there are only two instructions we need to follow to develop and deepen our spiritual life: slow down and let go.” – Oriah Mountain Dreamer
- “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
- Slowing down is sometimes the best way to speed up.” – Mike Vance
- “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
- “It's important to slow down, every now and then, for no other reason than to call someone to say ‘Hi'.” – Simon Sinek
- “Being Slow means that you control the rhythms of your own life. You decide how fast you have to go in any given context. If today I want to go fast, I go fast; if tomorrow I want to go slow, I go slow. What we are fighting for is the right to determine our own tempos.” – Carlo Petrini
- “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
- “Tea time is a chance to slow down, pull back and appreciate our surroundings.” – Letitia Baldrige
- “Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.” – Mae West
- “Wisdom is not something we have to strive to acquire. Rather, it arises naturally as we slow down and notice what is already there.” – Haemin Sunim
- “Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you.” – John De Paola
- “Once she stopped rushing through life, she was amazed how much more life she had time for.” – Unknown
- “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
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
- “We're a species that rushes through everything, then complains that time flies.” – Steve Maraboli
- “Go with the slow.” –Unknown
- “Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
- “The action that follows deliberation should be quick, but deliberation should be slow.” – Aristotle
- “If people just took it a day at a time, they’d be a lot happier.” – Richard Bachman
- “Taking the long way home… I slow my pace down… I take a moment to just stop and look around me… For the first time in a long time, I can… smell the coffee.” – Alexandra Potter
- “Be a curator of your life. Slowly cut things out until you’re left only with what you love, with what’s necessary, with what makes you happy.” – Leo Babauta
- “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.” – Eckhart Tolle
- “When things happen too fast, nobody can be certain about anything, about anything at all, not even about himself.” – Milan Kundera
- “Slow living is about intention, spending more time on things that are important and less on things that aren’t.” – Brooke McAlary
- “Shifting the mind into lower gear can bring better health, inner calm, enhanced concentration and the ability to think more creatively.” – Carl Honoré
- “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
- “Sometimes I think there are only two instructions we need to follow to develop and deepen our spiritual life: slow down and let go.” – Oriah Mountain Dreamer
- “Slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects.” – Greg Mortenson
- “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu
- “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
- “It is important from time to time to slow down, to go away by yourself, and simply be.” – Eileen Caddy
Final Thoughts on Slowing Down and Enjoying Life
Whatever you’re doing in life, take time to do it a little slower. Spend that extra hour with friends. Walk round the supermarket at a leisurely pace. And do some site seeing on your way home, even if you’ve lived in the same place your whole life.
Life isn’t a race. And it won’t make you any happier to treat it as one. So slow down and enjoy it. Run late occasionally, cancel trips and make more time to embrace the things you love doing instead. Check out these 17 rules for slowing down and start embracing more of those amazing moments.
And if you want more inspirational quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 35 Inspirational Have a Great Day Quotes and Sayings
- 97 Overthinking Quotes to Stop Living in Your Head
- 67 Priority Quotes on How to Identify What’s Truly Important
Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then check out and recite these 57 affirmations for success.
Rebel Jones has been writing from a young age. She first used poetry to organise words – the rhythm and flow brought peace to her chaos. But as she developed (both as a person and as a writer), she embraced her offbeat thought process and found her own style and tone. Writing is definitely her happy place and one that she’s happy to share with the world.
