--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You always have to start on the…" description: "\"You always have to start on the foundation, to create the building.\" — Alyssa Tillmon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/alyssa-tillmon-18723_building_you-always-have-to-start-on-the-foundati_2723269.jpg" --- # You always have to start on the foundation, to create the… ![“You always have to start on the foundation, to create the building.” quote by Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/alyssa-tillmon-18723_building_you-always-have-to-start-on-the-foundati_2723269.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/alyssa-tillmon-18723_building_you-always-have-to-start-on-the-foundati_2723269.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/alyssa-tillmon-18723_building_you-always-have-to-start-on-the-foundati_2723269.jpg) > “You always have to start on the foundation, to create the building.” [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Foundations must be laid before constructing a building. **In simple terms:** Start with a solid base. Key Takeaway Build strong foundations first. Themes foundation planning construction Mood practical reflective Type advice strategic When to use this quote - architecture - career planning - entrepreneurship Key Concepts structural integrity project management Questions to Reflect On - What foundations are you missing? - How can you strengthen your base? A Different Perspective Neglect leads to collapse. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) ## Related quotes > [I think you need to, as an architect, understand the essence of a place and create a building that feels like it resonates with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/i-think-you-need-to-as-an-architect-understand-the-essence-of-a-place/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [I was on the board of Andre Agassi's foundation, and seeing the way it operated blew my mind. In 2002, I told my wife,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emeril-lagasse/i-was-on-the-board-of-andre-agassi-s-foundation-and-seeing-the-way-it/) [Emeril Lagasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emeril-lagasse/) > [I'm definitely going to start a foundation of my own at some point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-nance-jr/i-m-definitely-going-to-start-a-foundation-of-my-own-at-some-point/) [Larry Nance, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-nance-jr/) > [I want to start a foundation called Second Chance. I was given a second chance, so I want to reach out to different groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrann-mathieu/i-want-to-start-a-foundation-called-second-chance-i-was-given-a/) [Tyrann Mathieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrann-mathieu/) > [First I became U.N. Goodwill Ambassador for WHO, and that was in 2005. And then, about a year or so later, I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liya-kebede/first-i-became-u-n-goodwill-ambassador-for-who-and-that-was-in-2005/) [Liya Kebede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liya-kebede/) > [It means a great deal, I think, to start off on a foundation which one has made for oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/it-means-a-great-deal-i-think-to-start-off-on-a-foundation-which-one/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“Lord help us to understand that everything we desire to achieve has to have a basic start/foundation. For example: every story has an introduction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/lord-help-us-to-understand-that-everything-we-desire-to-achieve-has/) [Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/) > [A building is not something you finish. A building is something you start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-brand/a-building-is-not-something-you-finish-a-building-is-something-you/) [Stewart Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-brand/) > [I am not interested in constructing a building, so much as in having a perspicuous view of the foundations of possible buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/i-am-not-interested-in-constructing-a-building-so-much-as-in-having-a/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [Therefore, O students, study mathematics and do not build without foundations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/therefore-o-students-study-mathematics-and-do-not-build-without/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [The loftier the building, the deeper must the foundation be laid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/the-loftier-the-building-the-deeper-must-the-foundation-be-laid/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [You can't build a great building on a weak foundation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/you-can-t-build-a-great-building-on-a-weak-foundation/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [Every Finish Line is the beginning of a new race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-finish-line-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-race/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Children should finish school and even go to college if they can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fuller/children-should-finish-school-and-even-go-to-college-if-they-can/) [Robert Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fuller/) > [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. His sprint finish to defend his title really moved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-farah/my-first-olympics-memory-was-watching-haile-gebrselassie-in-sydney/) [Mo Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-farah/) ## More by Alyssa Tillmon > [You may have some friends that come and go, but having a friend like God will last forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/you-may-have-some-friends-that-come-and-go-but-having-a-friend-like/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [To achieve greatness you only need 2 things: your mind and a dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/to-achieve-greatness-you-only-need-2-things-your-mind-and-a-dream/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [Utterance of a negative tongue, will never promote a truthful mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/utterance-of-a-negative-tongue-will-never-promote-a-truthful-mind/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [I keep shut when I'm told to but not when I'm speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/i-keep-shut-when-i-m-told-to-but-not-when-i-m-speaking/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [Never love something that's not lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/never-love-something-that-s-not-lovable/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [Never have shame in your game, whether you win or lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/never-have-shame-in-your-game-whether-you-win-or-lose/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [I'm like a troubled world, trying to find it's other half to make a whole new world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/i-m-like-a-troubled-world-trying-to-find-it-s-other-half-to-make-a/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [Quality of life is how you value it, and quantity of life is how you spend it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/quality-of-life-is-how-you-value-it-and-quantity-of-life-is-how-you/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [Only amateurs put on shows, real actors act out their parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/only-amateurs-put-on-shows-real-actors-act-out-their-parts/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [Sometimes you have to wait for that root to grow into a beautiful flower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/sometimes-you-have-to-wait-for-that-root-to-grow-into-a-beautiful/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [Looking back at the past just makes me smile, because its behind me and I'm walking away from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/looking-back-at-the-past-just-makes-me-smile-because-its-behind-me/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [2 reasons why people talk about you 1. their jealous 2. they have shittier lives than you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/2-reasons-why-people-talk-about-you-1-their-jealous-2-they-have/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [Your smile is the sunshine that wipes away all the rain of your tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/your-smile-is-the-sunshine-that-wipes-away-all-the-rain-of-your-tears/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [In order to run you need speed, in order to have speed you need energy, in order to have energy you need life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/in-order-to-run-you-need-speed-in-order-to-have-speed-you-need-energy/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) > [Ignore the ignorant, but love the loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/ignore-the-ignorant-but-love-the-loving/) [Alyssa Tillmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) [Explore all 33 Alyssa Tillmon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/) ## More Building quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [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/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/) [Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You always have to start on the foundation, to create the building.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alyssa Tillmon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/you-always-have-to-start-on-the-foundation-to-create-the-building/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Building" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/you-always-have-to-start-on-the-foundation-to-create-the-building/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/alyssa-tillmon-18723_building_you-always-have-to-start-on-the-foundati_2723269.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/alyssa-tillmon-18723_building_you-always-have-to-start-on-the-foundati_2723269.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/alyssa-tillmon-18723_building_you-always-have-to-start-on-the-foundati_2723269.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You always have to start on the foundation, to create the building.” — Alyssa Tillmon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alyssa Tillmon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-tillmon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You always have to start on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/you-always-have-to-start-on-the-foundation-to-create-the-building/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-tillmon/you-always-have-to-start-on-the-foundation-to-create-the-building/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```