--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm an architect. Before you start…" description: "\"I'm an architect. Before you start pouring the concrete, you build a foundation that is solid so that when you take the scaffolding down, it holds - fo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/alan-menken-8351_forever_i-m-an-architect-before-you-start-pourin_3176559.jpg" --- # I'm an architect. Before you start pouring the concrete… ![“I'm an architect. Before you start pouring the concrete, you build a foundation that is solid so that when you take the scaffolding down, it holds - forever. So that when junior high schools are doing 'Hunchback,' a 12-year-old as Frollo still works on some level.” quote by Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/alan-menken-8351_forever_i-m-an-architect-before-you-start-pourin_3176559.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/alan-menken-8351_forever_i-m-an-architect-before-you-start-pourin_3176559.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/alan-menken-8351_forever_i-m-an-architect-before-you-start-pourin_3176559.jpg) > “I'm an architect. Before you start pouring the concrete, you build a foundation that is solid so that when you take the scaffolding down, it holds - forever. So that when junior high schools are doing 'Hunchback,' a 12-year-old as Frollo still works on some level.” [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A solid foundation ensures lasting stability, whether in construction or personal development. **In simple terms:** Build strong bases for lasting results. Key Takeaway Invest in fundamentals early. Themes foundation stability growth legacy Mood determined reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - education - project management - personal development Key Concepts architecture planning longterm thinking Questions to Reflect On - What foundations are you neglecting? - How can you reinforce existing structures? A Different Perspective Foundations alone cannot guarantee success without adaptability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Junior high](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/junior-high/) ## Related quotes > [Pouring concrete on land you don't own is called a calculated risk, if you don't pour you loose millions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-perez/pouring-concrete-on-land-you-don-t-own-is-called-a-calculated-risk-if/) [Eddie Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-perez/) > [“Lies are not a good foundation for a solid relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-casey/lies-are-not-a-good-foundation-for-a-solid-relationship/) [Elle Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-casey/) > [You can't build a great building on a weak foundation. You must have a solid foundation if you're going to have a strong superstructure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/you-can-t-build-a-great-building-on-a-weak-foundation-you-must-have-a/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [I remember my uncle used to work pouring concrete and as a plumber. Now, I don't see uncles working as plumbers or pouring concrete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarface/i-remember-my-uncle-used-to-work-pouring-concrete-and-as-a-plumber/) [Scarface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarface/) > [We have all kinds of limitations as human beings. I mean we can't see the whole electromagnetic spectrum, we can't see the very small,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-silva/we-have-all-kinds-of-limitations-as-human-beings-i-mean-we-can-t-see/) [Jason Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-silva/) > [The architecture of our future is not only unfinished; the scaffolding has hardly gone up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lamming/the-architecture-of-our-future-is-not-only-unfinished-the-scaffolding/) George Lamming > [The story is everything, so it always begins with a story.And research is a kind of scaffolding built underneath the story as I go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-story-is-everything-so-it-always-begins-with-a-story-and-research/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [To write music is to raise a ladder without a wall to lean it against. There is no scaffolding: the building under construction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-honegger/to-write-music-is-to-raise-a-ladder-without-a-wall-to-lean-it-against/) [Arthur Honegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-honegger/) > [All the scholastic scaffolding falls, as a ruined edifice, before a single word: faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/all-the-scholastic-scaffolding-falls-as-a-ruined-edifice-before-a/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [The reason for the scaffolding on the tower of Saint Germain-des-Près is that a rich American has purchased it and is having it crated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-otis-skinner/the-reason-for-the-scaffolding-on-the-tower-of-saint-germain-des-pr-s/) [Cornelia Otis Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-otis-skinner/) > [Your thoughts construct patterns like scaffolding in your mind. You are really etching chemical patterns. In most cases, people get stuck in those patterns,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/your-thoughts-construct-patterns-like-scaffolding-in-your-mind-you/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I don't really like the gym. I like to fool my body. I run around the beach and then there's scaffolding so I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellan-lutz/i-don-t-really-like-the-gym-i-like-to-fool-my-body-i-run-around-the/) [Kellan Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellan-lutz/) > [Hypotheses are the scaffolds which are erected in front of a building and removedd when the building is completed. They are indispensable to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/hypotheses-are-the-scaffolds-which-are-erected-in-front-of-a-building/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [A simile is just a metaphor with the scaffolding still up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/a-simile-is-just-a-metaphor-with-the-scaffolding-still-up/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [Just saw an orthodox Jewish kid do 3 pull-ups on the scaffolding. Shattering the previous record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-gulman/just-saw-an-orthodox-jewish-kid-do-3-pull-ups-on-the-scaffolding/) [Gary Gulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-gulman/) ## More by Alan Menken > [I'm not interested in being the producer of somebody else's song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-m-not-interested-in-being-the-producer-of-somebody-else-s-song/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [Every time I play 'Part of Your World,' a whole part of my life comes back to me. It's just inescapable - it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/every-time-i-play-part-of-your-world-a-whole-part-of-my-life-comes/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [My first success was 'Little Shop of Horrors,' and I had been working for years on jingles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/my-first-success-was-little-shop-of-horrors-and-i-had-been-working/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [Part of the job is knowing how to use this medium in the most effective way for the story you're telling, so for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/part-of-the-job-is-knowing-how-to-use-this-medium-in-the-most/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [I'll always work with my collaborator in the room so I have a reaction on a note-by-note basis. I know in my gut when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-ll-always-work-with-my-collaborator-in-the-room-so-i-have-a/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [I think the thing that strikes you when you come back to 'The Little Mermaid' after all of these years is the simplicity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-think-the-thing-that-strikes-you-when-you-come-back-to-the-little/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [Music is a gestalt. Songs are a life force and they have specific vocabulary to them. You hear a few notes, and they take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/music-is-a-gestalt-songs-are-a-life-force-and-they-have-specific/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [I see my songs and shows almost like a mosaic - part of a bigger picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-see-my-songs-and-shows-almost-like-a-mosaic-part-of-a-bigger-picture/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [I have an awards cabinet in my studio where I keep my eight Oscars, my 11 Grammys, my seven Golden Globes, and my Tony Award.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-have-an-awards-cabinet-in-my-studio-where-i-keep-my-eight-oscars-my/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [My favorite thing is a brand-new project from scratch because you really never know how they're going to come to life. Going back for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/my-favorite-thing-is-a-brand-new-project-from-scratch-because-you/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [Truth be told, of course, what I enjoy most is reinventing myself and doing new projects where I work in new genres, or I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/truth-be-told-of-course-what-i-enjoy-most-is-reinventing-myself-and/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [I love 'The Gospel Truth,' the song that opened up 'Hercules.' I thought that song was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-love-the-gospel-truth-the-song-that-opened-up-hercules-i-thought/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [Collaboration is all about rewriting and rewriting and rewriting and helping each other to constantly improve a piece. And, it's also about spurring each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/collaboration-is-all-about-rewriting-and-rewriting-and-rewriting-and/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [I have the ability to clear the decks and focus on what's happening in the moment. And I get to spend my life doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-have-the-ability-to-clear-the-decks-and-focus-on-what-s-happening/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [Movies, there are moments when you're writing a song or demoing, a moment in the recording studio. Musicals much more just eat up your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/movies-there-are-moments-when-you-re-writing-a-song-or-demoing-a/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) [Explore all 81 Alan Menken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) ## More Forever quotes > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [“I believe in forever, and that’s what you and I are. We define eternity. This may sound cheesy, but you make me go there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-mchugh/i-believe-in-forever-and-that-s-what-you-and-i-are-we-define-eternity/) [Gail McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-mchugh/) > [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [When you find someone you want to spend forever with you, you don't let them go, whether forever turns out to be a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/when-you-find-someone-you-want-to-spend-forever-with-you-you-don-t/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [What does forever mean to you? When you couldnt even keep it true You said were youd forever be there But were those just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fad-ibra/what-does-forever-mean-to-you-when-you-couldnt-even-keep-it-true-you/) [Fad Ibra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fad-ibra/) > [Forever is a really long time, you know? What do you do with forever?" "The same thing you do when you don't have forever."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/forever-is-a-really-long-time-you-know-what-do-you-do-with-forever/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) > [Whole scenes of your life slip away forever if you don't put them down in ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silas-house/whole-scenes-of-your-life-slip-away-forever-if-you-don-t-put-them/) [Silas House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silas-house/) > [Tonight I feel like a prisoner on fire, waiting desperately... denied, sentenced forever more. Only your love can set me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/tonight-i-feel-like-a-prisoner-on-fire-waiting-desperately-denied/) [Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/) > [It all depends on you. You can go on sleeping forever, you can wake up right this moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/it-all-depends-on-you-you-can-go-on-sleeping-forever-you-can-wake-up/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [I want to do - I want to be putting out classic stuff that's gonna stick and last forever, you feel me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yg/i-want-to-do-i-want-to-be-putting-out-classic-stuff-that-s-gonna/) YG > [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/) Mennah al refaey Browse all 10,689 Forever quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm an architect. Before you start pouring the concrete, you build a foundation that is solid so that when you take the scaffolding down, it holds - forever. 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