--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had grown up among engineers, and I…" description: "\"I had grown up among engineers, and I could remember the engineers of the twenties very well indeed: their open, shining intellects, their free and gen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_agility_i-had-grown-up-among-engineers-and-i-cou_2722107.jpg" --- # I had grown up among engineers, and I could remember the… ![“I had grown up among engineers, and I could remember the engineers of the twenties very well indeed: their open, shining intellects, their free and gentle humor, their agility and breadth of thought, the ease with which they shifted from one engineering field to another, and, for that matter, from…” quote by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_agility_i-had-grown-up-among-engineers-and-i-cou_2722107.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_agility_i-had-grown-up-among-engineers-and-i-cou_2722107.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_agility_i-had-grown-up-among-engineers-and-i-cou_2722107.jpg) > “I had grown up among engineers, and I could remember the engineers of the twenties very well indeed: their open, shining intellects, their free and gentle humor, their agility and breadth of thought, the ease with which they shifted from one engineering field to another, and, for that matter, from technology to social concerns and art. Then, too, they personified good manners and delicacy of taste; well-bred speech that flowed evenly and was free of uncultured words; one of them might play a musical instrument, another dabble in painting; and their faces always bore a spiritual imprint.” [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Engineers of the past blended technical skill with broad cultural interests and refined manners. **In simple terms:** Engineers were versatile and cultured. Key Takeaway Cultivate interdisciplinary curiosity. Themes education culture interdisciplinarity manners Mood inspirational thoughtful Type essay philosophical When to use this quote - academic curricula - professional development - personal enrichment Key Concepts humanities integration intellectual breadth Questions to Reflect On - How can we encourage engineers to engage with the arts? - What benefits arise from cross‑disciplinary fluency? A Different Perspective Modern specialization may limit such breadth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agility/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Bores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bores/) [Breadth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breadth/) [Concern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concern/) [Delicacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delicacy/) [Ease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ease/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Engineers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineers/) [Engineers Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineers-remember-2889341/) [Engineers Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineers-twenties-2889340/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [Gentle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentle/) [Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) [Good manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-manners/) [Grown Engineers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grown-engineers-2889342/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruments/) [Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellect/) [Manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manners/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Musical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musical/) [Musical instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musical-instruments/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remember Engineers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-engineers-2889343/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Taste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [We are organized by territories, whereas terrorists are organized into networks. States are very slow and terrorists are extremely fast. Intelligence sharing needs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-are-organized-by-territories-whereas-terrorists-are-organized-into/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [We've watched film in years past where I was getting beat and it wasn't always because of the lack of agility and foot speed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-huerter/we-ve-watched-film-in-years-past-where-i-was-getting-beat-and-it-wasn/) [Kevin Huerter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-huerter/) > [Success today requires the agility and drive to constantly rethink, reinvigorate, react, and reinvent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/success-today-requires-the-agility-and-drive-to-constantly-rethink/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The game of business used to be like football: size mattered. Then it changed to basketball: speed and agility. Today, business is more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-slywotzky/the-game-of-business-used-to-be-like-football-size-mattered-then-it/) [Adrian Slywotzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-slywotzky/) > [I have always had good strength in my legs from working out with weights. I have also been riding a bike of some sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-paul-gosselaar/i-have-always-had-good-strength-in-my-legs-from-working-out-with/) [Mark-Paul Gosselaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-paul-gosselaar/) > [“The agility of prime, not the stability of maturity, is the ideal goal for healthy organizations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-moore/the-agility-of-prime-not-the-stability-of-maturity-is-the-ideal-goal/) [Steve Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-moore/) > [“agility is relative and time-based. If your software team can’t deliver software and keep pace with changes in the environment, your team is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/agility-is-relative-and-time-based-if-your-software-team-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I took obedience, agility, and shepherding with my dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annaleigh-ashford/i-took-obedience-agility-and-shepherding-with-my-dog/) [Annaleigh Ashford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annaleigh-ashford/) > ['Failing fast' is an important component of cultivating the agility needed for a development project along with continually rebalancing your innovation portfolio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-doughtie/failing-fast-is-an-important-component-of-cultivating-the-agility/) [Lynne Doughtie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-doughtie/) > [I've got power and agility. I don't care if I'm not the biggest keeper; I've got the power and agility to get around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-pickford/i-ve-got-power-and-agility-i-don-t-care-if-i-m-not-the-biggest-keeper/) [Jordan Pickford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-pickford/) > [Of all animals, the outward form of the Lion is the most striking ; his look is bold and confident; his gait proud; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-pinnock/of-all-animals-the-outward-form-of-the-lion-is-the-most-striking-his/) [William Pinnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-pinnock/) > [I think my gymnastic background helped a great deal with my agility when I took up football seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-van-basten/i-think-my-gymnastic-background-helped-a-great-deal-with-my-agility/) [Marco van Basten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-van-basten/) > [Strength without agility is a mere mass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/strength-without-agility-is-a-mere-mass/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“Your encounters will be more successful when you slow down, pay attention, and become more mindfully aware of the world around you. Heightening your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/your-encounters-will-be-more-successful-when-you-slow-down-pay/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Large organizations cannot be versatile. A large organization is effective through its mass rather than through its agility. Fleas can jump many times their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/large-organizations-cannot-be-versatile-a-large-organization-is/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) ## More by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn > [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“...you are strong only as long as you don't deprive people of everything . For a person you've taken everything from is no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/you-are-strong-only-as-long-as-you-don-t-deprive-people-of-everything/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Woe to that nation whose literature is cut short by the intrusion of force. This is not merely interference with freedom of the press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/woe-to-that-nation-whose-literature-is-cut-short-by-the-intrusion-of/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Literature becomes the living memory of a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/literature-becomes-the-living-memory-of-a-nation/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [If there were no executioners, there would be no executions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-there-were-no-executioners-there-would-be-no-executions/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Not everything has a name. Some things lead us into a realm beyond words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/not-everything-has-a-name-some-things-lead-us-into-a-realm-beyond/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [It is almost always impossible to evaluate at the time events which you have already experienced, and to understand their meaning with the guidance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-is-almost-always-impossible-to-evaluate-at-the-time-events-which/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Human nature is full of riddles; . . . one of those riddles is: how is it that people who have been crushed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/human-nature-is-full-of-riddles-one-of-those-riddles-is-how-is-it/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“It was astonishing that the pseudo wreckers, who knew perfectly well that they weren't wreckers, believed that military men and priests were being shaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-astonishing-that-the-pseudo-wreckers-who-knew-perfectly-well/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [When the whole discussion of "developing a national idea" hastily began in post-Soviet Russia, I tried to pour cold water on it with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/when-the-whole-discussion-of-developing-a-national-idea-hastily-began/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“It was granted me to carry away from my prison years on my bent back, which nearly broke beneath its load, this essential experience;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-granted-me-to-carry-away-from-my-prison-years-on-my-bent-back/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Call no day happy 'til it is done; call no man happy til he is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/call-no-day-happy-til-it-is-done-call-no-man-happy-til-he-is-dead/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Whenever the tissue of life is woven of legalistic relationships, this creates an atmosphere of spiritual mediocrity that paralyzes a person's noblest impulses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/whenever-the-tissue-of-life-is-woven-of-legalistic-relationships-this/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [The same old caveman feeling-greed, envy, violence, and mutual hate, which along the way assumed respectable pseudonyms like class struggle, racial struggle, mass struggle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/the-same-old-caveman-feeling-greed-envy-violence-and-mutual-hate/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Surrender one hair, and you'll end up beardless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/surrender-one-hair-and-you-ll-end-up-beardless/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) [Explore all 412 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) ## More Agility quotes > [We are organized by territories, whereas terrorists are organized into networks. States are very slow and terrorists are extremely fast. Intelligence sharing needs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-are-organized-by-territories-whereas-terrorists-are-organized-into/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [“Your encounters will be more successful when you slow down, pay attention, and become more mindfully aware of the world around you. Heightening your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/your-encounters-will-be-more-successful-when-you-slow-down-pay/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Strength without agility is a mere mass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/strength-without-agility-is-a-mere-mass/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [I think my gymnastic background helped a great deal with my agility when I took up football seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-van-basten/i-think-my-gymnastic-background-helped-a-great-deal-with-my-agility/) [Marco van Basten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-van-basten/) > [Of all animals, the outward form of the Lion is the most striking ; his look is bold and confident; his gait proud; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-pinnock/of-all-animals-the-outward-form-of-the-lion-is-the-most-striking-his/) [William Pinnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-pinnock/) > [I've got power and agility. I don't care if I'm not the biggest keeper; I've got the power and agility to get around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-pickford/i-ve-got-power-and-agility-i-don-t-care-if-i-m-not-the-biggest-keeper/) [Jordan Pickford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-pickford/) > ['Failing fast' is an important component of cultivating the agility needed for a development project along with continually rebalancing your innovation portfolio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-doughtie/failing-fast-is-an-important-component-of-cultivating-the-agility/) [Lynne Doughtie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-doughtie/) > [I took obedience, agility, and shepherding with my dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annaleigh-ashford/i-took-obedience-agility-and-shepherding-with-my-dog/) [Annaleigh Ashford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annaleigh-ashford/) > [“agility is relative and time-based. If your software team can’t deliver software and keep pace with changes in the environment, your team is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/agility-is-relative-and-time-based-if-your-software-team-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The agility of prime, not the stability of maturity, is the ideal goal for healthy organizations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-moore/the-agility-of-prime-not-the-stability-of-maturity-is-the-ideal-goal/) [Steve Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-moore/) > [I have always had good strength in my legs from working out with weights. I have also been riding a bike of some sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-paul-gosselaar/i-have-always-had-good-strength-in-my-legs-from-working-out-with/) [Mark-Paul Gosselaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-paul-gosselaar/) > [The game of business used to be like football: size mattered. Then it changed to basketball: speed and agility. Today, business is more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-slywotzky/the-game-of-business-used-to-be-like-football-size-mattered-then-it/) [Adrian Slywotzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-slywotzky/) > [Success today requires the agility and drive to constantly rethink, reinvigorate, react, and reinvent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/success-today-requires-the-agility-and-drive-to-constantly-rethink/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [We've watched film in years past where I was getting beat and it wasn't always because of the lack of agility and foot speed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-huerter/we-ve-watched-film-in-years-past-where-i-was-getting-beat-and-it-wasn/) [Kevin Huerter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-huerter/) > [Large organizations cannot be versatile. A large organization is effective through its mass rather than through its agility. Fleas can jump many times their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/large-organizations-cannot-be-versatile-a-large-organization-is/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) [Browse all 96 Agility quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agility/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had grown up among engineers, and I could remember the engineers of the twenties very well indeed: their open, shining intellects, their free and gentle humor, their agility and breadth of thought, the ease with which they shifted from one engineering field to another, and, for that matter, from technology to social concerns and art. 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