Buy new:
$16.99$16.99
Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com
Save with Used - Good
$9.90$9.90
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: GREENWORLD GOODS
Return this item for free
We offer easy, convenient returns with at least one free return option: no shipping charges. All returns must comply with our returns policy.
Learn more about free returns.- Go to your orders and start the return
- Select your preferred free shipping option
- Drop off and leave!

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the authors
OK
Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists Paperback – January 1, 2014
Purchase options and add-ons
What if everything you ever wanted isn’t what you actually want? Twenty-something, suit-clad, and upwardly mobile, Joshua Fields Millburn thought he had everything anyone could ever want. Until he didn’t anymore.
Blindsided by the loss of his mother and his marriage in the same month, Millburn started questioning every aspect of the life he had built for himself.
Then, he accidentally discovered a lifestyle known as minimalism…and everything started to change.
That was four years ago. Since, Millburn, now 32, has embraced simplicity. In the pursuit of looking for something more substantial than compulsory consumption and the broken American Dream, he jettisoned most of his material possessions, paid off loads of crippling debt, and walked away from his six-figure career.
So, when everything was gone, what was left? Not a how-to book but a why-to book, Everything That Remains is the touching, surprising story of what happened when one young man decided to let go of everything and begin living more deliberately. Heartrending, uplifting, and deeply personal, this engrossing memoir is peppered with insightful (and often hilarious) interruptions by Ryan Nicodemus, Millburn’s best friend of twenty years.
- Print length232 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 2014
- Dimensions5 x 0.58 x 8 inches
- ISBN-101938793188
- ISBN-13978-1938793189
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Like Henry David Thoreau, but with Wi-Fi." -Boston Globe
"Paring down, branching out." -Chicago Tribune
"A better life, by having fewer possessions." -Seattle Times
"Minimalism has brought happiness to [these] two former executives." -Vancouver Sun
"They just might give you a hug." -Dayton Daily News
"Regaining control by limiting consumption and 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 Canada
"Minimalists make the most of living with very little." -Chicago Sun-Times
"The path to a richer, if less cluttered, life." -Globe & Mail
"Frugality so satisfying." -Wall Street Journal
"Passionate about helping people." -San Francisco Chronicle
"Minimalists maximize lives by letting go selectively." -Austin American-Statesman
"Meet Generation M." -Toronto Star
"By getting rid of everything they don't need, [The Minimalists] concentrate on the things in life that are truly important to them." -Missoulian
"Free up more time for your family and ultimately simplify your life." -Colorado Parent Magazine
"Living a better life...with less stuff." -National Post
"How to have it all, with less." -Huffington Post
"Helping us end our obsession with stuff." -LA Weekly
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Asymmetrical Press; First Edition (January 1, 2014)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 232 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1938793188
- ISBN-13 : 978-1938793189
- Item Weight : 8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5 x 0.58 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #525,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #8,802 in Motivational Self-Help (Books)
- #15,648 in Memoirs (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Joshua Fields Millburn is a New York Times–bestselling author, Emmy-nominated Netflix producer, writing instructor, podcaster, and international speaker. Best known as the frontman of the simple-living collective The Minimalists, Millburn is the author of five books, including a critically acclaimed memoir, "Everything That Remains." He has been featured in Time, The New Yorker, New York Times, New York Magazine, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Atlantic, LA Weekly, and other outlets. Born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1981, he currently lives in Ojai, California.
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.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this memoir refreshing and well-written, making them think about their own lives while providing practical guidance on minimalism. The book is funny in an offhand conversational way, and customers appreciate how it puts a face to the minimalist lifestyle. They find it easy to use and worth the money, with one customer noting how it helps them let go of things. The story quality receives mixed reactions.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book refreshing and worth their time and money, with one customer noting it's a must-read for those who are overworked.
"...this is an excellent book...." Read more
"...believe, and that is valid and I found it very worthwhile, and yes, entertaining (I read this over a weekend). 4.5/5 stars." Read more
"This is a brilliant and scientific approach to how to spend both critical resources - money and time - only on items and experiences that add value..." Read more
"...I love the message, I love your podcast, your humor, your friendship, I root for your future projects. YOU ROCK!!!..." Read more
Customers find the book enlightening and life-changing, with its powerful message making them reflect on their life priorities.
"...are aligned with what I believe to be one of the keys to a happy, fulfilling life. I can't recommend this book highly enough." Read more
"...journey, but along the way you begin to grasp a vision and direction for your own life...." Read more
"...I love the message, I love your podcast, your humor, your friendship, I root for your future projects. YOU ROCK!!!..." Read more
"Very good introduction, clarification, and understanding of what caused Joshua's personal choice to become a minimalist...." Read more
Customers praise the writing style of the book, finding it simple and relatable, with one customer noting it provides techniques for implementing minimalism in life.
"...The argument to pare down what we own to simplify our lives is very strong, and it makes sense...." Read more
"...Josh, I love your fusion of ornamental and practical writing, but I feel like you have overdone it at times...." Read more
"...Overall I loved how honest the writing felt and how openly the writers covered their stories. A recommended read." Read more
"This is a well written and interesting book. It kept my atention from page to page (I would say cover to cover but I read it on my kindle)...." Read more
Customers appreciate how the book puts a face to the minimalist lifestyle and provides fantastic insight into its true meaning.
"...Rather than a rehash of previous writings, this book goes deeper into what made the Minimalists and fills out their stories...." Read more
"...in winter , birds singing, frogs chirping, rain falling, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and the appreciation of the value that my family and dear..." Read more
"...The book (toward the end) does contain some valuable ideas on reducing consumerism during the Christmas season...." Read more
"...It’s a style for life coaching presentation but not maybe for memoir. Still, lots of value and content to consider...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's humor, finding it funny in an offhand conversational way, with one customer specifically mentioning the comical footnotes.
"...sometimes not worth it for a sentence or two, but still cool and funny comments, so it would flow better to see them right there right then - next..." Read more
"...He's clearly an intelligent and witty guy, but his ego is overpowering. He has an admirable ability to speak his truth...." Read more
"...Once he discovers minimalism the book really gets more personable and humorous. Definitely worth reading...." Read more
"Great book, good concept... nice guys who wrote it... The idea that we are a consumer society isn't new but I believe the notion that it really..." Read more
Customers find the book easy to use and freeing, with one customer noting how the how-to manual is artfully threaded throughout.
"...Since reading this book I have plunged into a new frame of living: a simpler and more meaningful existence...." Read more
"This book has helped me rid myself of a cars worth of things with many more to come in just 3 days since buying it..." Read more
"...'s comments thrown away to the back of the book is a miss, hassle to go back and forth, and sometimes not worth it for a sentence or two, but still..." Read more
"...This is a memoir as interesting as any, with a how-to manual artfully threaded throughout." Read more
Customers find the book worth the price, with one noting it's not about less, and another highlighting its infinite value of everything that remains.
"...There are some nuggets of wisdom that are worth the price of the book and that I have found myself holding onto and quoting to friends as my husband..." Read more
"...and scientific approach to how to spend both critical resources - money and time - only on items and experiences that add value to your life...." Read more
"...It's not about less, it's about making room for what is important and living your life more deliberately...." Read more
"...This book is relatable and of value." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the memoir's narrative, with some finding it great and appreciating its backstory, while others find it wordy and rambling.
"...I loved this book since it gives the back story of how they lived when mindlessly buying things and assuming material possessions would bring them..." Read more
"...Getting to that point, however, requires enduring a long, wordy story about the author's dysfuntional childhood, followed by his corporate success...." Read more
"...I love how this story ends and Josh's true talent for turning a phrase really shines in this memoir...." Read more
"...I liked learning more about the origin story in a single place. Can see parallels in my life." Read more
Reviews with images

Gracias!
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2017I am a huge fan of Joshua and Ryan and have been since early on in their public journey toward minimalism. The first book I remember reading on the subject (called simple living back then) was a book called Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter by Elaine St. James and was published in 1994. I read it shortly after it was published and the ideas really resonated with me. Fast forward about 15 years and The Minimalists stepped into the spotlight, sharing their experiences and thoughts on paring down our material possessions to only what is useful or brings us joy. They go beyond our "things" and their impact on our lives to explore how to live the life we want and make room (and time) for the things/people who are important to us.
I loved this book since it gives the back story of how they lived when mindlessly buying things and assuming material possessions would bring them happiness and contentment. They walk the reader through the catalysts that turned their old assumptions upside down and how they approached creating the life that would bring them the serenity they were looking for. This tome is a wonderful blend of the "why" and the "how" so no matter where you are on your journey, there is something here for you.
I have been working incorporating many of the principles explained here for about 20 years, while living in suburbia with my husband and daughter. While Joshua and Ryan were, and are, in a different place in their lives, the principles apply to both of us and can be used to live a minimalistic life however each individual defines it.
There are some nuggets of wisdom that are worth the price of the book and that I have found myself holding onto and quoting to friends as my husband and I are finally downsizing our home to 1/3 of what we live in now and are doing so joyfully:
1) On keeping things just in case we might need it some day : The 20/20 Theory: "basically, anything I jettison can be replaced for less than twenty dollars, in less than twenty minutes from my current location -- IF I discover I truly need to replace it."
2) "most organizing is nothing more than well-planned hoarding."
3) "These days I know that every dollar I spend adds immense value to my life. There is a roof over my head at night, the books or the music I purchase add unspeakable value to my life, the few clothes I own keep me warm, the experiences I share with others at a movie or a concert add value to my life and theirs, and a meal from China Garden with my best friend becomes far more meaningful than a trip to the mall ever could."
For those just exploring what minimalism means and how they can incorporate it into their lives to people who believe in the principles but need a booster shot of motivation (and to remember that they are not alone in their beliefs), this is an excellent book. I have given three copies as gifts to people who want to understand how I try to live since it's so appealing to them. I am not perfect, and I do fall back into old, traditional habits from time to time, but the ideas expressed by Joshua and Ryan are aligned with what I believe to be one of the keys to a happy, fulfilling life.
I can't recommend this book highly enough.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2014This is a very convincing book on adopting an alternative lifestyle that is very different from what the author's believe is the current "American Dream," the dream of wealth, material goods, and consumerism at its most rabid form. The argument to pare down what we own to simplify our lives is very strong, and it makes sense. We absolutely attach meaning to things, and it is emotional to part with material possessions but ends up feeling very liberating when all is said and done.
The more difficult aspect of this book, and the one that I particularly struggle with, is following your passions in terms of "work," or rather, how we make do financially. The authors are able to adopt a freeing, very liberal lifestyle because they are authors, and much of what they cherish towards the end of the book is a direct result of their new profession, rather than perhaps following their passion. I believe there is a difference here.
At the end of the day, not everyone is passionate about being a janitor or a garbageman, but they are nonetheless important in our society, even a minimalist society. I am glad these two get to write, but I find it extremely difficult to apply to my own life in terms that make sense. I am not an author, nor do I have an e-commerce business which I can operate while traveling the continent and the world over. I feel passionate about some things, but those pursuits are not particularly liberating in the sense that I can live in a Montana cabin for 6 months. I see this part of the book as an unanswered question for the majority of readers.
Another aspect that I think the authors missed is how environmentalism and urbanism play into their concepts of minimalism. Reducing waste, recycling, and protecting the beautiful wilderness with which the authors clearly enjoy are all concepts that very much align with the principles of minimalism. But we are all new to this and after two years of this new lifestyle I should not expect the authors to address this. Perhaps in their next book Josh and Ryan will have begun to embrace the enormous environmental impacts that minimalism can contribute to.
In all, a very thoughtful book. It does come off preachy at times, but it is because of their passion and it feels oddly appropriate. The authors are sharing what they believe, and that is valid and I found it very worthwhile, and yes, entertaining (I read this over a weekend).
4.5/5 stars.
Top reviews from other countries
-
NiciReviewed in Germany on June 27, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Tolles Buch!
Ich mag den Schreibstil sehr und die Kommentare seines Freundes zwischendurch sind wirklich witzig. Das gute ist, dass die Kommentare mit einer Zahl versehen und hinten im Buch nachzulesen sind, sodass der Lesefluss nicht gestört wird, wenn man die Kommentare gerade nicht lesen möchte. Das hin und her swichen zwischen Text und Kommentaren ging im ebook prima.
Joshua Fields Millburn beschreibt sein Leben - oder zumindest den Teil, wie er zum Minimalismus kam. Ich konnte das alles sehr gut mitfühlen. Das Buch hat mich sehr zum Nach- und Überdenken meines eigenes Lebens und meiner eigenen Prioritäten gebracht.
-
Luci HoepersReviewed in Brazil on January 2, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Love people and Use Things
This book isn't a guideline to minimalism. It's about the author's journey through minimalism and how their lives are post decluttering and letting go.
It's a beautiful journey and very inspirational. You'll rethink many of your possessions and see life with fresh eyes.
In case you want to start the minimalist lifestyle, I suggest reading "Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life" and leave this book for later.
- MARTINOL ClarisseReviewed in France on August 9, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Warm and liberating
I know they won't like the word but these guys became my joyful gurus. Awesome book. I have to experience mother friendship so I am in the middle of decluttering but I trust myself and this reading mysteriously arrived when I most needed it. Thank u so much.
- vikas kumar mahavarReviewed in India on June 29, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Very relatable "STUFF"
The author expressed clearly what I felt about my own life. Very relatable indeed. Thanx for this book. Got a lot of clarity.
- McGurkReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Read it, it's worth it
Anyone familiar with The Minimalists website run by Joshua Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus will recognise much of this book as ground already covered in essays posted on the site. To that extent this book is a bit of a re-hash of existing material. What makes the book interesting and worthwhile though is that, rather than a series of short and discreet musings, or any kind of gung-ho exhortation: "you've got to do this and all the problems of your life, the third world and the rest of the solar system will be solved in 27 easy steps starting on Monday morning![just $44.99]", which is all too prevalent even in the more cerebral and laid back minimalism section of the self-help and self-development literature, you actually get a coherent narrative of how someone discovered some life-changing ideas and tried to apply them to their own life.
If that sounds narcissistic - it, strangely, does not come across like that. And though the book does very much focus on Joshua's "story" of how he discovered minimalism and used it to get out his particular rut, the fact that it is a brief story told simply and well, makes it much more enjoyable to read, and to glean the essential lessons to start you thinking about whether this all may really be relevant for you. I must confess to being a reader of their blog, as well as Leo Babauta's Zen Habits, and while minimalism has in the past seemed an attractive idea (usually bathed in California sunshine at the end of some distant and imagined journey very different from my current life) this book got me thinking about how I might do my own changes, right here, right now, as the saying goes.
Of the two it is clear that Joshua is the writer, and so it is mainly his story, with Ryan relegated to a kind of footnote commentary (David Foster Wallace as the model?) which is often very amusing and also light relief as Joshua can occasionally get a bit, um, earnest. While I for one would have liked a bit more from Ryan, what there is works really well, as does the overall format of the book.
I have a healthy dislike for a lot of this navel-gazing self-help stuff, but as I discovered from their website, these guys are a lot more real-world, the book is enjoyable, and thought-provoking, and very much worth a read.