Love People, Use Things: Because the Opposite Never Works | Joshua Fields Millburn - Ryan Nicodemus

**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**

"The Minimalists show you how to disconnect from our conditioned material state and reconnect to our true essence: love people and use things. This is not a book about how to live with less, but about how to live more deeply and more fully."
―Jay Shetty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Like a Monk

AS SEEN ON THE NETFLIX DOCUMENTARIES MINIMALISM & LESS IS NOW

How might your life be better with less?

Imagine a life with less: less stuff, less clutter, less stress and debt and discontent―a life with fewer distractions. Now, imagine a life with more: more time, more meaningful relationships, more growth and contribution and contentment―a life of passion, unencumbered by the trappings of the chaotic world around you. What you’re imagining is an intentional life. And to get there, you’ll have to let go of some clutter that’s in the way.

In Love People, Use Things, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus move past simple decluttering to show how minimalism makes room to reevaluate and heal the seven essential relationships in our lives: stuff, truth, self, money, values, creativity, and people. They use their own experiences―and those of the people they have met along the minimalist journey―to provide a template for how to live a fuller, more meaningful life.

Because once you have less, you can make room for the right kind of more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Minimalists show you how to disconnect from our conditioned material state and reconnect to our true essence: love people and use things. This is not a book about how to live with less, but about how to live more deeply and more fully."
―Jay Shetty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Like a Monk

"Joshua and Ryan have penned an urgent manifesto for the growing movement away from the material and toward the meaningful. An important book for our current moment."
―Cal Newport, New York Times bestselling author of A World Without Email and Digital Minimalism

"Love People, Use Things is essential reading. The personal stories that led Joshua and Ryan to minimalism resonated with me in a deep way. The Minimalists have added tremendous value to my life."
―Jennette McCurdy

"In a society where we are continually bombarded with messages telling us to consume more and more The Minimalists make the point that none of this consumption has actually made any of us happier. This is not a new idea even in the west where Diogenes & Epicurus taught us that the only true road to happiness was to appreciate what we have. Alas the teachings of Epicureans have been forgotten or distorted and the Eastern traditions, until recently, were alien to the American psyche. Part memoir, part parachute from a world gone mad Love People, Use Things: Because The Opposite Never Works is a necessary book for our times. Joshua & Ryan urge us to leap off the hedonic treadmill and escape to a simpler, richer, more fulfilling life. Highly recommended. "
―Adrian McKinty, New York Times bestselling author of The Chain


*PRAISE FOR THE MINIMALISTS*

“These guys are rock stars!” ―Dave Ramsey

“The Minimalists speak eloquently about the spiritual, emotional, and financial liberation that can come with shedding your addiction to excess stuff. They are not monks, and they are not living on one grain of rice a day―they are just regular guys who changed their lives by getting rid of a lot of excess stuff.” ―Elizabeth Gilbert, Author of Eat, Pray, Love

“Like Henry David Thoreau, but with Wi-Fi.” ―Boston Globe

“When it’s cool to have nothing.” ―New York Times

“[With the] charm of their buddy-act, The Minimalists have become the [minimalist] movement’s American ringleaders.” ―New York Magazine

“Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus are gradually converting me to the view that the less material things one possesses, the better. These guys are funny, dogma-free exemplars of a less-is-more lifestyle that actually sounds sane as they explain it. It impacts me more and more every week.” ―Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“It’s about more than possessions: it’s about reaching into your value system.” ―Las Vegas Review-Journal

“Regaining control by limiting consumption and by living more meaningful lives.” ―Forbes

“The best way to find happiness is to get rid of almost everything.” ―CBS This Morning

“Perhaps it’s a good time to sit back and look at how we can all live with less.” ―USA Today

“Less has become so much more … Let’s call it minimalism+.” ―Elle

“Two former corporate professionals who willingly walked away from handsome salaries and material-laden lifestyles at the end of their 20s to live ‘a meaningful life’ with less stuff.” ―Business Insider

“By getting rid of everything they don’t need, [The Minimalists] can concentrate on the things in life truly important to them.” ―Missoulian

“Free up more time for your family, and, ultimately, simplify your life.” ―Colorado Parent Magazine

“Serious wisdom about living a happier life.” ―Miami New Times

“How to have it all, with less.” ―Huffington Post

“Poster boys for the minimalist movement.” ―Epoch Times

“The joy of living with less.” ―BBC

“[The Minimalists] inspire readers to take stock of their earthly possessions and question what is truly necessary to live a good life.” ―Library Journal

“[The Minimalists] offer lessons on things like solitude, volunteerism, the importance of community, and other aspects of a more meaningful life.” ―Houston Press

“A recipe to living more deliberately.” ―SF Weekly

“The poster children for living life more deliberately.” ―Louisville.com

“With minimalism, you celebrate having less because you recognize what you do have is what’s most important.” ―Fast Company

“Minimalism might sound austere, but it doesn’t have to be. … It’s not about living with nothing―it’s about living with enough.” ―Manchester Evening News

“The country’s leading evangelists on the virtues of living with less.” ―Slate

“The joy of having less.” ―Today show

“Why having less stuff makes you happier.” ―Washington Post

About the Author

Joshua Fields Millburn is a bestselling author, writing instructor, and international speaker. He is best known as one half of TheMinimalists.com, where he and Ryan Nicodemus write about living a meaningful life with less stuff. His books include Everything That Remains: A Memoir; Essential: Essays by The Minimalists; Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life; and As a Decade Fades: A Novel. He has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Time, Forbes, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times, Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, Vancouver Sun, Village Voice, L.A. Weekly, and many other outlets.
 

Ryan Nicodemus, better known as one half of The Minimalists, writes about living a meaningful life for more than 2 million readers at TheMinimalists.com.

Nicodemus left his six-figure corporate career at age 30 and went on to become a well-known author and speaker. He has been featured on CBS This Morning, ABC, NBC, FOX, NPR, CBC Radio, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Forbes, Elle Canada, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Austin American-Statesman, Seattle Times, Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, Vancouver Sun, National Post, LA Weekly, Zen Habits, and various other outlets.

Born in 1981, Nicodemus lives in Missoula, Montana, by way of Dayton, Ohio.