“Human beings can only truly cherish a limited number of things at one time. As I am both lazy and forgetful, I can’t take proper care of too many things.”

I’m sure most of us have been scolded for not tidying up our rooms, but how many of our parents consciously taught us how to tidy as part of our upbringing?

The true purpose of a present is to be received.

When people revert to clutter no matter how much they tidy, it is not their room or their belongings but their way of thinking that is at fault.

Just because you dispose of something does not mean you give up past experiences or your identity.

Follow your intuition and all will be well.

Even if we remain unaware of it, our belongings really work hard for us, carrying out their respective roles each day to support our lives.

But when we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.

In Japan, we say that words make our reality. The words we see and with which we come into contact tend to bring about events of the same nature.

The best method is to experiment and enjoy the process.

Your real life begins after putting your house in order.

Tidying is just a tool, not the final destination. The true goal should be to establish the lifestyle you want most once your house has been put in order.

Warranties are only used once a year if at all. What point is there in carefully sorting and separating them when the odds that they will be needed are so low?

Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. By doing this, you can reset your life and embark on a new lifestyle.

Our parents demanded that we clean up our rooms, but they too, had never been trained in how to do that. When it comes to tidying, we are all self-taught.

Putting your house in order is the magic that creates a vibrant and happy life.

We may think that we have stored things to suit our behavior, but usually we have unconsciously adjusted our actions to match where things are stored.

Don’t play with something you should cherish for life.

I wanted him [my father] to cherish and approve of me, not as he had when I was a child, but as the woman I was, who had her own mind and had made her own choices.

Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.

Cherish the things you love. Cherish yourself.

She loves you. Do you even know what to do with that?” I kissed the top of her head. “Cherish it like it’s the most precious thing on the face of the earth.

To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose. To throw away what you no longer need is neither wasteful nor shameful.

I understood that pain was real and sometimes things didn’t last. Sometimes you just had to enjoy it while it lasts and cherish it when it’s gone.

Cherish that which is in you and shut out that which is without, for much knowledge is a curse.