Elegance
Moving toward a more profound, rich-in-all-the-ways-that-are-important, life.
OK, this video tees up this essay, Elegance. This was fun to put together.*
I have been thinking about elegance, which has evolved into this messy elegance project. This essay, updated just a bit, was first posted on my Profound Living blog here on September 21, 2018.
el·e·gance
1. the quality of being graceful and stylish in appearance or manner; style.
synonyms: style, stylishness, grace, gracefulness, taste, tastefulness, sophistication.
2.the quality of being pleasingly ingenious and simple; neatness.
The first known use of the term “elegance” was in 1510 according to Merriam-Webster, but in 1504 according to the Oxford English Dictionary, though it was spelled “elygance”. It was borrowed from the French, “elegance”, which in general meant, “desirable or agreeable refinement”.
I like the term “simplicity” better than the term “minimalism” and the term “elegance” has some qualities of simplicity that I want to explore. All three of these ideas – at their essence, involve removing all that gets in the way of living life fully and deeply, and instead keeping and acquiring just what will facilitate what is meaningful – move us toward a more profound, rich-in-all-the-ways-that-are-important, life. St. Teresa of Avila, said, “The closer one approaches to God, the simpler one becomes”. Occam’s Razor , also called the “law of parsimony” says that if there are two competing theories, the simpler explanation is the one to be preferred. Audrey Hepburn’s iconic “LBD” worn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, has been a prototype for elegance ever since.
Seeking the simple and elevating the elegant are ways to get to the core, to the center, of what really matters.
Simplicity and elegance have much in common. They are, perhaps, the same, but with different emphases. They both suggest a lack of embellishment. They both use just what is needed, and nothing more. Both remove that which is not needed. Both the simple and the elegant can be costly or inexpensive, of high quality or utilitarian quality. An elegant shirt is a simple one. Elegance has more of a sense of “grace” and “sophistication” and simple may or may not be graceful or sophisticated or stylish. An elegant solution is, perhaps, a simple explanation after fully considering a complex issue. A simple solution may be that too, but may also be a simple explanation, simply considered.
Thoreau wished for simple life, to live life most fully. As he famously said:
- “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms...”
Photo by Yilei (Jerry) Bao on Unsplash
Though most people will not choose to live a “Spartan-like” life, as Thoreau explored, perhaps some may think about a more “elegant life”. Such a life would be built not on the idea that “the one with the most toys wins”, but on the idea, perhaps, that the one with the most elegant life, lives most richly.
We will continue to explore these powerful and beautiful ideas of minimalism, simplicity, and elegance.
I would love to hear your thoughts about this essay, elegance, and messy elegance.
Here are some prompts.
Where have you felt elegant?
Where have you observed it?
What qualities of elegance did you notice?
The best way to leave a comment and to become part of the conversation is to hop over to my Substack, Profound Living with Michael Kroth, where it will be easy to add to and comment on this and future essays.
Here's the link:
Profound Living with Michael Kroth
I'd love to hear your thoughts, experiences, and ideas about this essay or messy elegance.
Notes
*The video will refer to my words of the year in 2004 and 2005, but they were actually in 2024 and 2025.
This essay was originally posted on my blog, Profound Living with Michael Kroth, on September 21, 2018.
More about the LBD here.
Here is a link to Judith Valente’s Substack newsletter and to her essays on Medium. She’s a gem.
Dictionary, O. E. “elegance, n.” , Oxford University Press.
Elegance. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21, 2018, from
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elegance
Seeking the simple and elevating the elegant are ways to get to the core, to the center, of what really matters.
