5 Quotes About Simplicity that Go Beyond ‘Keep it Simple Stupid’ 

6 May 2024

The world is inundated with information.

It’s noisy.

Busy.

That’s why simple is powerful.

Clear-cut.

Bolder.

The ability to break things down into their simplest form and identify what to ignore and what to focus on is what creates a competitive advantage. 

Better small business marketing starts with filtering out the noise. It’s about focussing on the core principles of what grows a business. Simplicity as a strategy has value in all elements of a small business. That’s why it matters. 

Here are some of our favourite quotes that capture the value of simplicity. 

  1. Most geniuses—especially those who lead others—prosper not by deconstructing intricate complexities but by exploiting unrecognized simplicities.
    — Andy Benoit

  2. I believe the way toward mastery of any endeavour is to work toward simplicity; and replace complex technology with knowledge. The more you know, the less you need. From my feeble attempts at simplifying my own life I’ve learned enough to know that should we have to, or choose to, live more simply, it won’t be an impoverished life but one richer in all the ways that really matter.
    — Yvon Chouinard

  3. Oh, it’s very simple. My secret had been I know what to ignore.
    — Francis Crick on the secret to winning

  4. Believe it or not, art direction has almost nothing to do with artistry, and everything to do with solving big, scary, complex problems with simple ideas.
    — Stuart Lonsdale

  5. Remember, complexity normally offers the easy way out.
    — Ken Segall

Simplicity works because it’s hard. Our default is to want to do more and to let our complexity bias win. These quotes show us that those who succeeded in business knew this. 

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