--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Less than a decade after the Great…" description: "\"“Less than a decade after the Great Exhibition, iron as a structural material was finished—which makes it slightly odd that the most iconic structure o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/bill-bryson-340_eiffel-tower_less-than-a-decade-after-the-great-exhib_2649653.jpg" --- # Less than a decade after the Great Exhibition, iron as a… ![“Less than a decade after the Great Exhibition, iron as a structural material was finished—which makes it slightly odd that the most iconic structure of the entire century, about to rise over Paris, was made of that doomed material. I refer of course to the soaring wonder of the age known as the…” quote by Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/bill-bryson-340_eiffel-tower_less-than-a-decade-after-the-great-exhib_2649653.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/bill-bryson-340_eiffel-tower_less-than-a-decade-after-the-great-exhib_2649653.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/bill-bryson-340_eiffel-tower_less-than-a-decade-after-the-great-exhib_2649653.jpg) > ““Less than a decade after the Great Exhibition, iron as a structural material was finished—which makes it slightly odd that the most iconic structure of the entire century, about to rise over Paris, was made of that doomed material. I refer of course to the soaring wonder of the age known as the Eiffel Tower. Never in history has a structure been more technologically advanced, materially obsolescent, and gloriously pointless all at the same time.”” [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Eiffel Tower epitomizes progress yet is built of fleeting material, highlighting paradoxes of innovation. **In simple terms:** Iconic progress can be built on temporary means. Key Takeaway Embrace impermanence. Themes architecture technology history Mood analytical curious Type historical critical When to use this quote - tourism - engineering - urban planning - cultural critique Key Concepts industrial revolution material science Questions to Reflect On - What does the tower teach about progress? - How do we balance innovation with sustainability? A Different Perspective Reliance on obsolete materials can undermine longevity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eiffel tower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eiffel-tower/) [Iron Structural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iron-structural-2339348/) [Kindlehighlight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindlehighlight/) [Structural Material](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structural-material-2339350/) [Structure Entire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure-entire-2339351/) [Structure Technologically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure-technologically-2339349/) ## Related quotes > [I refer of course to the soaring wonder of the age known as the Eiffel Tower. 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I don't really care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/i-haven-t-seen-the-eiffel-tower-notre-dame-the-louvre-i-haven-t-seen/) [Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/) > [A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-walk-about-paris-will-provide-lessons-in-history-beauty-and-in-the/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [but do i need to say anything?" sophie asked. "do i need to learn any words?" "like what?" saint-germain said. 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You deserve quality time, not just time. You deserve effort, not just routines. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-alex-jeanty/you-deserve-more-of-their-attention-than-their-phone-does-you-deserve/) [Pierre Alex Jeanty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-alex-jeanty/) > [“The next night I went back to the sea dressed in 1950s silk travel scarves – Paris with the Eiffel tower and ladies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/the-next-night-i-went-back-to-the-sea-dressed-in-1950s-silk-travel/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [What an immense impression Paris made upon me. It is the most extraordinary place in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/what-an-immense-impression-paris-made-upon-me-it-is-the-most/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) ## More by Bill Bryson > [Most big companies don't like you very much, except hotels, airlines and Microsoft, which don't like you at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/most-big-companies-don-t-like-you-very-much-except-hotels-airlines/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“But Welsh spellings are as nothing compared with Irish Gaelic, a language in which spelling and pronunciation give the impression of having been devised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/but-welsh-spellings-are-as-nothing-compared-with-irish-gaelic-a/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“Pantaloons were often worn tight as paint and were not a great deal less revealing, particularly as they were worn without underwear. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/pantaloons-were-often-worn-tight-as-paint-and-were-not-a-great-deal/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [If you go out on the Appalachian Trail, you have to bring so much more equipment - a tent, sleeping bag - but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-you-go-out-on-the-appalachian-trail-you-have-to-bring-so-much-more/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“The dining table was a plain board called by that name. It was hung on the wall when not in use, and was perched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/the-dining-table-was-a-plain-board-called-by-that-name-it-was-hung-on/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“From almost nothing, France in four years built up an aircraft industry that employed nearly 200,000 people and produced some 70,000 planes. Britain built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/from-almost-nothing-france-in-four-years-built-up-an-aircraft/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. For 93 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/every-twenty-minutes-on-the-appalachian-trail-katz-and-i-walked/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“A diarist named George Templeton Strong recorded in the winter of 1866 that even with two furnaces alight and all the fireplaces blazing, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/a-diarist-named-george-templeton-strong-recorded-in-the-winter-of/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Tune your television to any channel it doesn't receive and about 1 percent of the dancing static you see is accounted for by this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/tune-your-television-to-any-channel-it-doesn-t-receive-and-about-1/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [As a rule of thumb, I would submit that if you need to call your floss provider, for any reason, you are probably not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/as-a-rule-of-thumb-i-would-submit-that-if-you-need-to-call-your-floss/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Nobody gets excited about the future at all, ever. The future is something we find depressing and worrisome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/nobody-gets-excited-about-the-future-at-all-ever-the-future-is/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“What made this particularly interesting is that John Howard is by far the dullest man in Australia. Imagine a very committed funeral home director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/what-made-this-particularly-interesting-is-that-john-howard-is-by-far/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [I would make a genuinely terrible guide. I can't remember things. I would get half way through telling a story or explaining something and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-would-make-a-genuinely-terrible-guide-i-can-t-remember-things-i/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“In the mystifying world that was Victorian parenthood, obedience took precedence over all considerations of affection and happiness, and that odd, painful conviction remained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/in-the-mystifying-world-that-was-victorian-parenthood-obedience-took/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [If this book has a lesson, it is that we are awfully lucky to be here-and by 'we' I mean every living thing. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-this-book-has-a-lesson-it-is-that-we-are-awfully-lucky-to-be-here/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) [Explore all 656 Bill Bryson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) ## More Eiffel tower quotes > [What an immense impression Paris made upon me. It is the most extraordinary place in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/what-an-immense-impression-paris-made-upon-me-it-is-the-most/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“The next night I went back to the sea dressed in 1950s silk travel scarves – Paris with the Eiffel tower and ladies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/the-next-night-i-went-back-to-the-sea-dressed-in-1950s-silk-travel/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [“You deserve more of their attention than their phone does. You deserve quality time, not just time. You deserve effort, not just routines. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-alex-jeanty/you-deserve-more-of-their-attention-than-their-phone-does-you-deserve/) [Pierre Alex Jeanty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-alex-jeanty/) > [I always wish the hotels were like they are in movies and TV shows, where if you're in Paris, right outside your window is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/i-always-wish-the-hotels-were-like-they-are-in-movies-and-tv-shows/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [“Eiffel Tower" To Robert Delaunay Eiffel Tower Guitar of the sky Your wireless telegraphy Attracts words As a rosebush the bees During the night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicente-huidobro/eiffel-tower-to-robert-delaunay-eiffel-tower-guitar-of-the-sky-your/) [Vicente Huidobro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicente-huidobro/) > [I like the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas more than the actual one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/i-like-the-eiffel-tower-in-las-vegas-more-than-the-actual-one/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [“Étant la plus saisissante manifestation de l'art des constructions métalliques par lesquelles nos ingénieurs se sont illustrés en Europe, elle est une des formes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-eiffel/tant-la-plus-saisissante-manifestation-de-l-art-des-constructions-m/) [Gustave Eiffel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-eiffel/) > [but do i need to say anything?" sophie asked. "do i need to learn any words?" "like what?" saint-germain said. "well, when you lit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/but-do-i-need-to-say-anything-sophie-asked-do-i-need-to-learn-any/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-walk-about-paris-will-provide-lessons-in-history-beauty-and-in-the/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I haven't seen the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre. I haven't seen anything. I don't really care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/i-haven-t-seen-the-eiffel-tower-notre-dame-the-louvre-i-haven-t-seen/) [Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/) > [The process of making an independent film is like building a mini Eiffel Tower with popsicle sticks - it doesn't happen overnight, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-fichtner/the-process-of-making-an-independent-film-is-like-building-a-mini/) [William Fichtner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-fichtner/) > [“I have these worksheets. They're great for the irregular verbs..." "Not today." He shot me a look and kept shuffling papers. "Okay," I said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-have-these-worksheets-they-re-great-for-the-irregular-verbs-not/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [“Brighton Beach does not look, smell, or sound like Russia. It's a parody of Russia at best, something as different from the real thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-vapnyar/brighton-beach-does-not-look-smell-or-sound-like-russia-it-s-a-parody/) [Lara Vapnyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-vapnyar/) > [you know this means that what we did-what we almost did in Paris-" "Going to the Eiffel Tower?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/you-know-this-means-that-what-we-did-what-we-almost-did-in-paris/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“If I knew you were going to die, I'd make your last moment on earth last forever. I'd take you to the Eiffel Tower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-knew-you-were-going-to-die-i-d-make-your-last-moment-on-earth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 97 Eiffel tower quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eiffel-tower/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Less than a decade after the Great Exhibition, iron as a structural material was finished—which makes it slightly odd that the most iconic structure of the entire century, about to rise over Paris, was made of that doomed material. I refer of course to the soaring wonder of the age known as the Eiffel Tower. 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