--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Something like 'Abstract' can really give…" description: "\"Something like 'Abstract' can really give people access to the behind-the-scenes of how our physical surroundings take shape.\" — Bjarke Ingels" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/bjarke-ingels-15759_abstract_something-like-abstract-can-really-give_3056850.jpg" --- # Something like 'Abstract' can really give people access to… ![“Something like 'Abstract' can really give people access to the behind-the-scenes of how our physical surroundings take shape.” quote by Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/bjarke-ingels-15759_abstract_something-like-abstract-can-really-give_3056850.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/bjarke-ingels-15759_abstract_something-like-abstract-can-really-give_3056850.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/bjarke-ingels-15759_abstract_something-like-abstract-can-really-give_3056850.jpg) > “Something like 'Abstract' can really give people access to the behind-the-scenes of how our physical surroundings take shape.” [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Abstract concepts reveal hidden structures shaping physical reality. **In simple terms:** Abstractions reveal hidden structures. Key Takeaway Use abstraction to understand surroundings. Themes design perception architecture Mood curious analytical Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - urban planning - product design - education Key Concepts spatial theory visualization Questions to Reflect On - How can you make abstractions more tangible? - What tools aid in visualizing hidden structures? A Different Perspective Abstract ideas can be inaccessible to many. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Abstract Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract-really-541112/) [Give](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/give/) [Like Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-abstract-1704728/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Physical Surroundings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-surroundings-5109703/) [Scenes Physical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scenes-physical-2290353/) [Shape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shape/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Surroundings Shape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surroundings-shape-5109702/) ## Related quotes > [Make your physical surroundings as beautiful as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-stoddard/make-your-physical-surroundings-as-beautiful-as-possible/) [Alexandra Stoddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-stoddard/) > [Fight scenes are very physical for me. Sometimes I require my own body to move through them before I can tell where a character's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilith-saintcrow/fight-scenes-are-very-physical-for-me-sometimes-i-require-my-own-body/) [Lilith Saintcrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilith-saintcrow/) > [No one else writes like Gord Downie, so it's difficult to compare him. He can work in the abstract and still somehow be really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-k-samson/no-one-else-writes-like-gord-downie-so-it-s-difficult-to-compare-him/) [John K. Samson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-k-samson/) > [People like abstract art because it makes them feel clever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-acaster/people-like-abstract-art-because-it-makes-them-feel-clever/) [James Acaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-acaster/) > [I don't like to move abstract theoretical policies that, on a white paper, sound good. If I wanted to do that, I'd be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/i-don-t-like-to-move-abstract-theoretical-policies-that-on-a-white/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [I paint like an abstract painter everything is inside nothing is meant to be, I take tattoos off a people I take anything that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-shawn-alexander/i-paint-like-an-abstract-painter-everything-is-inside-nothing-is/) [Jason Shawn Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-shawn-alexander/) > [“Your flour is your dream and your bread is your fulfillment. The environment in which your flour is baked can influence the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/your-flour-is-your-dream-and-your-bread-is-your-fulfillment-the/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [I still play ball competitively because it helps keep me stay in shape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamman-rucker/i-still-play-ball-competitively-because-it-helps-keep-me-stay-in-shape/) [Lamman Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamman-rucker/) > [I kept myself in shape, and the stuff they were doing in the South, I wouldn't go for. They wanted to whip me on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rocky-johnson/i-kept-myself-in-shape-and-the-stuff-they-were-doing-in-the-south-i/) [Rocky Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rocky-johnson/) > [If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing. In all conditions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/if-we-have-faith-in-jesus-christ-the-hardest-as-well-as-the-easiest/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [“If you have half a nothing - sell it for a double something, resell half at double-price, and buy another something and a half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/if-you-have-half-a-nothing-sell-it-for-a-double-something-resell-half/) [Will Advise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-advise/) > [Of course Pluto is a planet: It's massive enough to have its shape controlled by gravity rather than material strength, which is the hallmark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/of-course-pluto-is-a-planet-it-s-massive-enough-to-have-its-shape/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [The Lord expects us to enjoy our lives. He says there will be some brutal times, but we shouldn't get all bent out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-henderson/the-lord-expects-us-to-enjoy-our-lives-he-says-there-will-be-some/) [Paul Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-henderson/) > [You can be in shape forever, it takes one week to get out of shape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-crawford/you-can-be-in-shape-forever-it-takes-one-week-to-get-out-of-shape/) [Jamal Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-crawford/) > [I think my attitudes about the past are very traditional. You can't ignore history; you can't escape it even if you want to. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/i-think-my-attitudes-about-the-past-are-very-traditional-you-can-t/) [Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/) ## More by Bjarke Ingels > [People outside the profession of architecture perhaps often lack the understanding of how their physical environment comes into being. What are the processes, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/people-outside-the-profession-of-architecture-perhaps-often-lack-the/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [I really focus on the ball, I really focus on the work, and I really focus on creating all the growth opportunities for anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/i-really-focus-on-the-ball-i-really-focus-on-the-work-and-i-really/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [When I moved to America, everybody was asking, 'Why the hell are you going to America? It's over; you should be going east.' But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/when-i-moved-to-america-everybody-was-asking-why-the-hell-are-you/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [Architecture is restricted to such a limited vocabulary. A building is either a high-rise or a perimeter block or a town house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/architecture-is-restricted-to-such-a-limited-vocabulary-a-building-is/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [Today, we have sophisticated building technology: we can calculate and simulate the environments and performance of the building, the thermal exposure of envelop, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/today-we-have-sophisticated-building-technology-we-can-calculate-and/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [I think the biggest backhanded criticism-compliment I get is that I'm 'good at communicating.' Which implies that you're bad at doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/i-think-the-biggest-backhanded-criticism-compliment-i-get-is-that-i-m/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [All evidence shows that we are actually getting smarter. Roughly we are getting 10 IQ points smarter every decade. The speed of innovation is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/all-evidence-shows-that-we-are-actually-getting-smarter-roughly-we/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [It's legendary how architectural lectures can be incredibly boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/it-s-legendary-how-architectural-lectures-can-be-incredibly-boring/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [I wanted to be a cartoonist, but there was no cartoon academy. So I enrolled in the Royal Danish Art Academy School of Architecture.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/i-wanted-to-be-a-cartoonist-but-there-was-no-cartoon-academy-so-i/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [Maybe our work appeals to some people more than others. But the opportunities that I present to my colleagues are completely uninfluenced by gender,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/maybe-our-work-appeals-to-some-people-more-than-others-but-the/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [My drawing skills probably froze around when I was 18... Now I'm more interested in the story, how the drawings, the layout can help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/my-drawing-skills-probably-froze-around-when-i-was-18-now-i-m-more/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [I think if I would have started BIG in America, I would probably never have called it BIG. There was nothing but a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/i-think-if-i-would-have-started-big-in-america-i-would-probably-never/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [A kid in Minecraft can build a world and inhabit it through play. We have the possibility to build the world that we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/a-kid-in-minecraft-can-build-a-world-and-inhabit-it-through-play-we/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [The one thing all humans share is that we all inhabit the same limited amount of real estate, which is Planet Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/the-one-thing-all-humans-share-is-that-we-all-inhabit-the-same/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [We can engineer a building and design a building with least reliance on active machinery to make it inhabitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/we-can-engineer-a-building-and-design-a-building-with-least-reliance/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) [Explore all 42 Bjarke Ingels quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) ## More Abstract quotes > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [A little too abstract, a little too wise, It is time for us to kiss the earth again, It is time to let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/a-little-too-abstract-a-little-too-wise-it-is-time-for-us-to-kiss-the/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [“Happy is very abstract, you can't touch it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-veal/happy-is-very-abstract-you-can-t-touch-it/) [Julius Veal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-veal/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) [Anthony W. Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-w-ivins/) > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. Some or all of these elements move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-calder/a-mobile-is-an-abstract-sculpture-made-chiefly-out-of-sheet-metal/) [Alexander Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-calder/) > [I'm this superphilosophical kind of person. Stuck in a prison of abstract ideas and overpowering emotions, I have this personality that makes it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/i-m-this-superphilosophical-kind-of-person-stuck-in-a-prison-of/) [Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/) > [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Painting is... a richer language than words... Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) [Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Something like 'Abstract' can really give people access to the behind-the-scenes of how our physical surroundings take shape.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bjarke Ingels" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/something-like-abstract-can-really-give-people-access-to-the-behind/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abstract" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/something-like-abstract-can-really-give-people-access-to-the-behind/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/bjarke-ingels-15759_abstract_something-like-abstract-can-really-give_3056850.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/bjarke-ingels-15759_abstract_something-like-abstract-can-really-give_3056850.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/bjarke-ingels-15759_abstract_something-like-abstract-can-really-give_3056850.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Something like 'Abstract' can really give people access to the behind-the-scenes of how our physical…” — Bjarke Ingels", "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": "Bjarke Ingels", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Something like 'Abstract' can really give...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/something-like-abstract-can-really-give-people-access-to-the-behind/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/something-like-abstract-can-really-give-people-access-to-the-behind/#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 } } ] } ```