--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: so you see, Roark though it is to be a…" description: "\"“so you see, Roark though it is to be a religious edifice, it is also more than that. you notice that we call it the temple of the human spirit. We wan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/ayn-rand-59_human-spirit_so-you-see-roark-though-it-is-to-be-a-re_1488739.jpg" --- # so you see, Roark though it is to be a religious edifice… ![“so you see, Roark though it is to be a religious edifice, it is also more than that. you notice that we call it the temple of the human spirit. We want to capture- in stone, as others capture in music- not some narrow creed, but the essence of all religion. and what is the essence of religion? The…” quote by Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/ayn-rand-59_human-spirit_so-you-see-roark-though-it-is-to-be-a-re_1488739.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/ayn-rand-59_human-spirit_so-you-see-roark-though-it-is-to-be-a-re_1488739.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/ayn-rand-59_human-spirit_so-you-see-roark-though-it-is-to-be-a-re_1488739.jpg) > ““so you see, Roark though it is to be a religious edifice, it is also more than that. you notice that we call it the temple of the human spirit. We want to capture- in stone, as others capture in music- not some narrow creed, but the essence of all religion. and what is the essence of religion? The great aspiration of the human spirit toward the highest, the noblest, the best. the great life giving force of the universe. The heroic human spirit.”” [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The temple symbolizes humanity’s highest aspirations, seeking to capture the universal spirit beyond specific doctrines. **In simple terms:** Architecture as a metaphor for humanity’s noble goals. Key Takeaway Pursue transcendent, universal values. Themes spirituality architecture humanism Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - design - public spaces - cultural monuments - personal growth Key Concepts metaphor philosophy idealism Questions to Reflect On - What universal values guide your life? - How can architecture embody spiritual ideals? A Different Perspective Risk of abstract idealism ignoring practical needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Essence Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence-religion-230867/) [Human spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-spirit/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-essence-567230/) [Roark Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roark-religious-5439787/) [Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temple/) [Temple Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temple-human-1568145/) ## Related quotes > [But we are not dedicating or building any Capitol or Pyramid to human Pride, but found a holy temple in the human Intellect, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/but-we-are-not-dedicating-or-building-any-capitol-or-pyramid-to-human/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [“One can have a society without God,” writes Régis Debray, “but there cannot be a society without religion.” He adds, “Those nations on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-benoist/one-can-have-a-society-without-god-writes-r-gis-debray-but-there/) [Alain de Benoist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-benoist/) > [We are driven to confess that we actually care more for religion than we do for religious theories and ideas: and in merely making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ernest-hocking/we-are-driven-to-confess-that-we-actually-care-more-for-religion-than/) [William Ernest Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ernest-hocking/) > [“It strikes me that religion—in its essence—seeks to take natural events and ascribe supernatural causes to them. I, however, seek to take supernatural events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/it-strikes-me-that-religion-in-its-essence-seeks-to-take-natural/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [Zeal is not of necessity religion, neither is it always of the same essence with poetry or patriotism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/zeal-is-not-of-necessity-religion-neither-is-it-always-of-the-same/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [You may depend upon it, religion is, in its essence, the most gentlemanly thing in the world. It will alone gentilize, if unmixed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/you-may-depend-upon-it-religion-is-in-its-essence-the-most/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [“And so when the generation, which itself desired to level and to be emancipated, to destroy authority and at the same time itself, has,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/and-so-when-the-generation-which-itself-desired-to-level-and-to-be/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [The essence of religion, in my view, is the thirst for an end higher than natural ends...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-essence-of-religion-in-my-view-is-the-thirst-for-an-end-higher/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The essence of any religion lies solely in the answer to the question: why do I exist, and what is my relationship to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-essence-of-any-religion-lies-solely-in-the-answer-to-the-question/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The essence of religion consists in the feeling of an absolute dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schleiermacher/the-essence-of-religion-consists-in-the-feeling-of-an-absolute/) [Friedrich Schleiermacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schleiermacher/) > [Wherever riches have increased, the essence of religion has decreased in the same proportion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/wherever-riches-have-increased-the-essence-of-religion-has-decreased/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [The essence of religion is the knowledge of God which is eternal life. That and nothing less than that is religion. Everything else is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/the-essence-of-religion-is-the-knowledge-of-god-which-is-eternal-life/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [“The essence of religion remains love and kindness, yet it has been the biggest cause of hatred and violence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mouloud-benzadi/the-essence-of-religion-remains-love-and-kindness-yet-it-has-been-the/) [Mouloud Benzadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mouloud-benzadi/) > [The essence of any religion is good heart. Sometimes I call love and compassion a universal religion. This is my religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-essence-of-any-religion-is-good-heart-sometimes-i-call-love-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Cruel persecutions and intolerance are not accidents, but grow out of the very essence of religion, namely, its absolute claims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-raphael-cohen/cruel-persecutions-and-intolerance-are-not-accidents-but-grow-out-of/) [Morris Raphael Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-raphael-cohen/) ## More by Ayn Rand > [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“This was reality, she thought, this sense of clear outlines, of purpose, of lightness, of hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-was-reality-she-thought-this-sense-of-clear-outlines-of-purpose/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Lobbying' is the activity of attempting to influence legislation by privately influencing the legislators. It is the result and creation of a mixed economy-of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/lobbying-is-the-activity-of-attempting-to-influence-legislation-by/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“She moved her hand and let it rest against his. He did not withdraw his fingers and he did not pretend indifference. She bent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-moved-her-hand-and-let-it-rest-against-his-he-did-not-withdraw/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-miracle-of-me-is-mine-to-own-and-keep-and-mine-to-guard-and-mine/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“There was still one response, the greatest, that she had missed. She thought: To find a feeling that would hold, as their sum, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-was-still-one-response-the-greatest-that-she-had-missed-she/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Inflation is not caused by the actions of private citizens, but by the government: by an artificial expansion of the money supply required to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/inflation-is-not-caused-by-the-actions-of-private-citizens-but-by-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“We are fornicating in the sight of six billion people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-fornicating-in-the-sight-of-six-billion-people/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“She was fifteen when it occurred to her for the first time that women did not run railroads and that people might object. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-was-fifteen-when-it-occurred-to-her-for-the-first-time-that-women/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Fransisco, you're some kind of very high nobility, aren't you?" He answered, "Not yet. The reason my family has lasted for such a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/fransisco-you-re-some-kind-of-very-high-nobility-aren-t-you-he/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Have you felt it too? Have you seen how your best friends love everything about you- except the things that count? And your most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/have-you-felt-it-too-have-you-seen-how-your-best-friends-love/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Every coercive monopoly was created by government intervention into the economy: by special privileges, such as franchises or subsidies, which closed the entry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/every-coercive-monopoly-was-created-by-government-intervention-into/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [We are all brothers under the skin - and I, for one, would be willing to skin humanity to prove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-all-brothers-under-the-skin-and-i-for-one-would-be-willing-to/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) [Explore all 1,777 Ayn Rand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## More Human spirit quotes > [Some say that you should not want money at all because the desire for money is materialistic and not Spiritual. But we want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/some-say-that-you-should-not-want-money-at-all-because-the-desire-for/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [The family remains the basic unit of society and the first school in which children learn the human, spiritual and moral values which enable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-family-remains-the-basic-unit-of-society-and-the-first-school-in/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [The human spirit will not invest itself in a compromise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fritz/the-human-spirit-will-not-invest-itself-in-a-compromise/) [Robert Fritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fritz/) > [Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/robin-williams-was-an-airman-a-doctor-a-genie-a-nanny-a-president-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“You and I, however, were so created that by anything and everything we do, we are saying to our Creator either “God, I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-ian-thomas/you-and-i-however-were-so-created-that-by-anything-and-everything-we/) [W. Ian Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-ian-thomas/) > [The pursuit of mathematics is a divine madness of the human spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-pursuit-of-mathematics-is-a-divine-madness-of-the-human-spirit/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [“We are built to desire free will and to choose our own destiny. It's not about being right or wrong; it's about the celebration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deiamor-verus/we-are-built-to-desire-free-will-and-to-choose-our-own-destiny-it-s/) [DeiAmor Verus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deiamor-verus/) > [“Be okay with having health-essential boundaries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-s-works/be-okay-with-having-health-essential-boundaries/) [Gregory S. Works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-s-works/) > [“It's whatever you make of it, whatever you want to take away. Because like all of the best virtual realities, Disneyland interacts with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-le-mon/it-s-whatever-you-make-of-it-whatever-you-want-to-take-away-because/) [Leslie Le Mon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-le-mon/) > [“The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-human-spirit-is-stronger-than-anything-that-can-happen-to-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hinduism... gave itself no name, because it set itself no sectarian limits; it claimed no universal adhesion, asserted no sole infallible dogma, set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/hinduism-gave-itself-no-name-because-it-set-itself-no-sectarian/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [“With the veil removed by the rending of Jesus' flesh, with nothing on God's side to prevent us from entering, why do we tarry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/with-the-veil-removed-by-the-rending-of-jesus-flesh-with-nothing-on/) [A.W. 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