--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Destroy or build. Crazy or noncrazy. I'm…" description: "\"Destroy or build. Crazy or noncrazy. I'm not nostalgic about the old city. I don't enjoy it that much.\" — Ai Weiwei" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f5/ai-weiwei-824_cities_destroy-or-build-crazy-or-noncrazy-i-m-n_1561940.png" --- # Destroy or build. Crazy or noncrazy. I'm not nostalgic… ![“Destroy or build. Crazy or noncrazy. I'm not nostalgic about the old city. I don't enjoy it that much.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f5/ai-weiwei-824_cities_destroy-or-build-crazy-or-noncrazy-i-m-n_1561940.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f5/ai-weiwei-824_cities_destroy-or-build-crazy-or-noncrazy-i-m-n_1561940.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f5/ai-weiwei-824_cities_destroy-or-build-crazy-or-noncrazy-i-m-n_1561940.png) > “Destroy or build. Crazy or noncrazy. I'm not nostalgic about the old city. I don't enjoy it that much.” [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts destruction and creation, questioning nostalgia for old environments and expressing ambivalence toward them. **In simple terms:** Destruction vs creation, no nostalgia for old city. Key Takeaway Embrace change, evaluate what to keep or discard. Themes urbanism nostalgia change art politics Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - city planning - personal reflection - artistic projects - community development Key Concepts Sociology cultural heritage urban renewal Questions to Reflect On - What parts of the old city truly serve the community? - How can we balance preservation with progress? A Different Perspective Nostalgia can blind judgment of present value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Build Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build-crazy-5860663/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy/) [Destroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroy/) [Destroy Build](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroy-build-993043/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Nostalgic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgic/) [Old City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-city-1597118/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not nostalgic about the old city. I don't enjoy it that much. It was just a city with one emperor and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-not-nostalgic-about-the-old-city-i-don-t-enjoy-it-that-much-it/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [A writer's job is to destroy and then to build the thing back up again by a chosen means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/a-writer-s-job-is-to-destroy-and-then-to-build-the-thing-back-up/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [I could only destroy to build.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-polunin/i-could-only-destroy-to-build/) [Sergei Polunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-polunin/) > [A strong man isn't he who can destroy, but he who can build.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/a-strong-man-isn-t-he-who-can-destroy-but-he-who-can-build/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [“Remember that it is quicker to destroy than build, so be careful of what you do even with your own tongue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/remember-that-it-is-quicker-to-destroy-than-build-so-be-careful-of/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [The spirit of envy can destroy; it can never build.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/the-spirit-of-envy-can-destroy-it-can-never-build/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [A writers job is to destroy and then to build the thing back up again by a chosen means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/a-writers-job-is-to-destroy-and-then-to-build-the-thing-back-up-again/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [I found that through my life, living in the city of Toronto, I look above the Pizza Pizza sign, and I look above the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-redhill/i-found-that-through-my-life-living-in-the-city-of-toronto-i-look/) [Michael Redhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-redhill/) > [Someday I'll be living in a big old city, and all you're ever gonna be is mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/someday-i-ll-be-living-in-a-big-old-city-and-all-you-re-ever-gonna-be/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [But Paris was a very old city and we were young and nothing was simple there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/but-paris-was-a-very-old-city-and-we-were-young-and-nothing-was/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [But Paris was a very old city and we were young and nothing was simple there, not even poverty, nor sudden money, nor the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/but-paris-was-a-very-old-city-and-we-were-young-and-nothing-was-2/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Barcelona is a very old city in which you can feel the weight of history; it is haunted by history. You cannot walk around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/barcelona-is-a-very-old-city-in-which-you-can-feel-the-weight-of/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Dubrovnik is still a thriving, bustling city with modern day shops, restaurants and bars yet still has the old city charm of street vendors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridget-marquardt/dubrovnik-is-still-a-thriving-bustling-city-with-modern-day-shops/) [Bridget Marquardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridget-marquardt/) > [The Old City of Jerusalem is in our hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-dayan/the-old-city-of-jerusalem-is-in-our-hands/) [Moshe Dayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-dayan/) > [What the nostalgic past and the imaginary future seem to share in common is a form of idealism, perhaps a dream of wholeness. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/what-the-nostalgic-past-and-the-imaginary-future-seem-to-share-in/) [Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/) ## More by Ai Weiwei > [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-my-art-has-nothing-to-do-with-people-s-pain-and-sorrow-what-is-art/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/china-has-a-rich-history-that-has-spanned-millennia-it-consists-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/this-world-should-be-much-more-open-and-should-be-much-more-free-so/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/by-participating-in-the-society-we-live-in-we-understand-our/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. I accepted Herzog and De Meuron's invitation to collaborate on the design, and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-see-the-beijing-national-stadium-as-an-architectural-project-i/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [ I curated this show \[Shanghai Biennale \], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-curated-this-show-shanghai-biennale-i-was-by-no-means-trying-to/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-we-cannot-have-a-double-standard-we-cannot-see-our-art-as/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-china-will-stay-in-me-i-don-t-know-how/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/your-own-acts-tell-the-world-who-you-are-and-what-kind-of-society-you/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/our-lives-are-bound-by-physical-limits-familial-ties-political/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-it-s-worth-discussing-new-directions-in-the-context-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) [Explore all 359 Ai Weiwei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More Cities quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/) [Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) [James Cross Giblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cross-giblin/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Destroy or build. Crazy or noncrazy. I'm not nostalgic about the old city. 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