--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What we need of equipment is this: let it…" description: "\"What we need of equipment is this: let it possess as good a structure as the real-life content that surrounds us. We need more simplifications to free ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/berenice-abbott-14021_architecture_what-we-need-of-equipment-is-this-let-it_2115869.png" --- # What we need of equipment is this: let it possess as good… ![“What we need of equipment is this: let it possess as good a structure as the real-life content that surrounds us. We need more simplifications to free us for seeing.” quote by Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/berenice-abbott-14021_architecture_what-we-need-of-equipment-is-this-let-it_2115869.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/berenice-abbott-14021_architecture_what-we-need-of-equipment-is-this-let-it_2115869.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/berenice-abbott-14021_architecture_what-we-need-of-equipment-is-this-let-it_2115869.png) > “What we need of equipment is this: let it possess as good a structure as the real-life content that surrounds us. We need more simplifications to free us for seeing.” [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tool should reflect the complexity of real life, simplifying without distorting essential structure. **In simple terms:** Equipment must mirror real-life complexity while simplifying. Key Takeaway Design tools that preserve core reality. Themes design simplicity representation Mood thoughtful analytical Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - photography - engineering - education - data visualization Key Concepts cognitive load abstraction Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance simplicity with fidelity? - What aspects of reality must never be lost? A Different Perspective Simplification can omit critical nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Equipment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equipment/) [Equipment Let](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equipment-let-2080599/) [Good Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-structure-1589488/) [Need Equipment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-equipment-880097/) [Need Simplifications](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-simplifications-598199/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Simplification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simplification/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [Surround](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surround/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [You don't always need the absolute latest gear. Find your piece(s) of equipment and let time evolve your ideas with that setup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-hawtin/you-don-t-always-need-the-absolute-latest-gear-find-your-piece-s-of/) [Richie Hawtin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-hawtin/) > [So many people think they need to have serious equipment. In the magazines and the media, they see all this stylish stuff, especially on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-schneider/so-many-people-think-they-need-to-have-serious-equipment-in-the/) [Sally Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-schneider/) > [Humans need simplifications in order to understand almost anything complex. That's one of our basic biases!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-johnson/humans-need-simplifications-in-order-to-understand-almost-anything/) [Bryan Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-johnson/) > [You must have a good structure, and not just change things based on pressure and need for a result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite/you-must-have-a-good-structure-and-not-just-change-things-based-on/) [Tite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite/) > [Being one of the lucky ones I shouldn't be complaining, but for the chess world in general it would be good to find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anish-giri/being-one-of-the-lucky-ones-i-shouldn-t-be-complaining-but-for-the/) [Anish Giri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anish-giri/) > [I'm not that much of a researcher. I'm good at channeling characters, and I'm good at structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-m-not-that-much-of-a-researcher-i-m-good-at-channeling-characters/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [For me, the training has to be a mixture of hard work - it has to have a good structure, a good base -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-coleman/for-me-the-training-has-to-be-a-mixture-of-hard-work-it-has-to-have-a/) [Chris Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-coleman/) > [One of the things I've been working on for the past few months is a radical simplification of the interface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg/one-of-the-things-i-ve-been-working-on-for-the-past-few-months-is-a/) [Matt Mullenweg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mullenweg/) > [“I didn’t “grow” wise, spiritual, or happy.. I shrunk towards it. I didn’t add; I subtracted… There is wisdom in simplification… There is strength…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/i-didn-t-grow-wise-spiritual-or-happy-i-shrunk-towards-it-i-didn-t/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [“Simplifying your life is about simplifying yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamerlan-kuzgov/simplifying-your-life-is-about-simplifying-yourself/) [Tamerlan Kuzgov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamerlan-kuzgov/) > [I love the love that you see for 'Ted Lasso,' but there's also, I think, a kind of simplification of the show. Particularly from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-goldstein/i-love-the-love-that-you-see-for-ted-lasso-but-there-s-also-i-think-a/) [Brett Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-goldstein/) > [“our perceptions of the external world are habitually clouded by the verbal notions in terms of which we do our thinking. We are for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/our-perceptions-of-the-external-world-are-habitually-clouded-by-the/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [That one never need to look beyond the love of money for explanation of human behavior is one of the most jealously guarded simplification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/that-one-never-need-to-look-beyond-the-love-of-money-for-explanation/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Simplification seems to be the removal of objects for the goal of making a graphic as clean and uncluttered as possible. Whereas, with optimization,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccandless/simplification-seems-to-be-the-removal-of-objects-for-the-goal-of/) [David Mccandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccandless/) > [The brain, Schopenhauer says, is the 'one great tool' that has enabled a creature endowed with neither sharp teeth nor claws to survive in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-young/the-brain-schopenhauer-says-is-the-one-great-tool-that-has-enabled-a/) [Julian Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-young/) ## More by Berenice Abbott > [The camera is no more an instrument of preservation, the image is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/the-camera-is-no-more-an-instrument-of-preservation-the-image-is/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [The challenge for me has first been to see things as they are, whether a portrait, a city street, or a bouncing ball. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/the-challenge-for-me-has-first-been-to-see-things-as-they-are-whether/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [To chart a course, one must have a direction. In reality, the eye is no better than the philosophy behind it. The photographer creates,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/to-chart-a-course-one-must-have-a-direction-in-reality-the-eye-is-no/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [Self-conscious artiness is fatal, but it certainly would not hurt to study composition in general. Having a basic understanding of composition would help construct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/self-conscious-artiness-is-fatal-but-it-certainly-would-not-hurt-to/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [To chart a course, one must have a direction. In reality, the eye is no better than the philosophy behind it. The photographer creates,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/to-chart-a-course-one-must-have-a-direction-in-reality-the-eye-is-no-2/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [None. They should just go out and photograph and stop talking about it. That's the only way they are going to find themselves. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/none-they-should-just-go-out-and-photograph-and-stop-talking-about-it/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [What the human eye observes casually and incuriously, the eye of the camera... notes with relentless fidelity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/what-the-human-eye-observes-casually-and-incuriously-the-eye-of-the/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [There are many teachers who could ruin you. Before you know it you could be a pale copy of this teacher or that teacher.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/there-are-many-teachers-who-could-ruin-you-before-you-know-it-you/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [Abstraction in photography is ridiculous, and is only an imitation of painting. We stopped imitating painters a hundred years ago, so to imitate them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/abstraction-in-photography-is-ridiculous-and-is-only-an-imitation-of/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [I have yet to see a fine photograph which is not a good document.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/i-have-yet-to-see-a-fine-photograph-which-is-not-a-good-document/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [Like every other means of expression, photography, if it is to be utterly honest and direct, should be related to the life of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/like-every-other-means-of-expression-photography-if-it-is-to-be/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [I wanted to combine science and photography in a sensible, unemotional way. Some people’s ideas of scientific photography is just arty design, something pretty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/i-wanted-to-combine-science-and-photography-in-a-sensible-unemotional/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [Photography can only represent the present. Once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/photography-can-only-represent-the-present-once-photographed-the/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [What the human eye observes casually and incuriously, the eye of the camera (the lens) notes with relentless fidelity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/what-the-human-eye-observes-casually-and-incuriously-the-eye-of-the-2/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [Let us first say what photography is not. A photograph is not a painting, a poem, a symphony, a dance. It is not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/let-us-first-say-what-photography-is-not-a-photograph-is-not-a/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) [Explore all 48 Berenice Abbott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) ## More Architecture quotes > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [The Parthenon is really only a farmyard over which someone put a roof; colonades and sculptures were added because there were people in Athens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-parthenon-is-really-only-a-farmyard-over-which-someone-put-a-roof/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-just-think-structure-can-make-a-book-feel-so-much-bigger-it-s-the/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [When I am asked what I believe in, I say that I believe in architecture. Architecture is the mother of the arts. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meier/when-i-am-asked-what-i-believe-in-i-say-that-i-believe-in/) [Richard Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meier/) > [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/) > [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/) > [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) > [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/) [Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/) > [Architecture is not a profession for the faint-hearted, the weak-willed, or the short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/architecture-is-not-a-profession-for-the-faint-hearted-the-weak/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [It's not so much about form versus functionality. Rather, it's about doing both and doing them a lot and doing them well-and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/it-s-not-so-much-about-form-versus-functionality-rather-it-s-about/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [Engineering, medicine, business, architecture and painting are concerned not with the necessary but with the contingent - not with how things are but with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/engineering-medicine-business-architecture-and-painting-are-concerned/) [Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/) [Browse all 3,013 Architecture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What we need of equipment is this: let it possess as good a structure as the real-life content that surrounds us. We need more simplifications to free us for seeing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Berenice Abbott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/what-we-need-of-equipment-is-this-let-it-possess-as-good-a-structure/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Architecture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/what-we-need-of-equipment-is-this-let-it-possess-as-good-a-structure/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/berenice-abbott-14021_architecture_what-we-need-of-equipment-is-this-let-it_2115869.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/berenice-abbott-14021_architecture_what-we-need-of-equipment-is-this-let-it_2115869.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/berenice-abbott-14021_architecture_what-we-need-of-equipment-is-this-let-it_2115869.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What we need of equipment is this: let it possess as good a structure as the real-life content that…” — Berenice Abbott", "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": "Berenice Abbott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What we need of equipment is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/what-we-need-of-equipment-is-this-let-it-possess-as-good-a-structure/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/what-we-need-of-equipment-is-this-let-it-possess-as-good-a-structure/#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 } } ] } ```