--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A recurrent theme of this book is that…" description: "\"“A recurrent theme of this book is that architects, fairly low in the chain of command and needing jobs, are prone to compromise with the state and the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6b/charles-jencks-18110_architecture_a-recurrent-theme-of-this-book-is-that-a_1498755.jpg" --- # A recurrent theme of this book is that architects, fairly… ![“A recurrent theme of this book is that architects, fairly low in the chain of command and needing jobs, are prone to compromise with the state and the establishment. Very rarely do they resist the zeitgeist. On a political level such compromise leads to the folly of invading Vietnam, Iraq and…” quote by Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6b/charles-jencks-18110_architecture_a-recurrent-theme-of-this-book-is-that-a_1498755.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6b/charles-jencks-18110_architecture_a-recurrent-theme-of-this-book-is-that-a_1498755.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6b/charles-jencks-18110_architecture_a-recurrent-theme-of-this-book-is-that-a_1498755.jpg) > ““A recurrent theme of this book is that architects, fairly low in the chain of command and needing jobs, are prone to compromise with the state and the establishment. Very rarely do they resist the zeitgeist. On a political level such compromise leads to the folly of invading Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, follies of modern complicity too obvious to need comment. On an architectural level they lead to tearing down historic districts, building leviathans for multinationals or, for instance, constructing with cheap building systems that soon collapse.”” [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Architects often compromise with power structures, leading to harmful political and physical outcomes, such as wars and destructive building practices. **In simple terms:** Compromise with authority can cause widespread damage. Key Takeaway Resist pressure to protect integrity. Themes architecture politics ethics power dynamics historical preservation Mood critical analytical concerned Type professional political When to use this quote - design projects - government contracts - urban redevelopment - heritage conservation Key Concepts critical theory urban planning political economy Questions to Reflect On - How can architects uphold ethics under economic pressure? - What mechanisms can prevent destructive large‑scale projects? A Different Perspective Compromise may be unavoidable in a competitive market, limiting ideal outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Chain of command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chain-of-command/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) ## Related quotes > [Even a genius cannot completely resist his Zeitgeist, the spirit of his time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/even-a-genius-cannot-completely-resist-his-zeitgeist-the-spirit-of/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [It is not extraordinary that the extraterrestrial origin of women was a recurrent theme of science fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/it-is-not-extraordinary-that-the-extraterrestrial-origin-of-women-was/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [“stairwell and started the climb to the seventh floor. He was knackered by the time they got to the third, but his agitation drove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-robson/stairwell-and-started-the-climb-to-the-seventh-floor-he-was-knackered/) Roy Robson > [When I was working in the Pentagon, I had to own the recommendations I made up the chain of command.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elissa-slotkin/when-i-was-working-in-the-pentagon-i-had-to-own-the-recommendations-i/) [Elissa Slotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elissa-slotkin/) > [Military investigations are designed not to find anyone guilty. And you can't investigate up the chain of command, which is a huge impediment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/military-investigations-are-designed-not-to-find-anyone-guilty-and/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“Type II trauma also often occurs within a closed context - such as a family, a religious group, a workplace, a chain of command,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-a-courtois/type-ii-trauma-also-often-occurs-within-a-closed-context-such-as-a/) [Christine A. Courtois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-a-courtois/) > [It has to come out of the chain of command, because the chain of command has really become impotent. The chain of command is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-coughlin/it-has-to-come-out-of-the-chain-of-command-because-the-chain-of/) Paula Coughlin > [I've been deeply concerned that to date no individuals have been convicted for the brutal killing of three United States citizens, the Bytyqi brothers:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-engel/i-ve-been-deeply-concerned-that-to-date-no-individuals-have-been/) [Eliot Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-engel/) > [Oh, propriety," says Mrs Benjamin. "We're always so concerned with propriety. Even in total madness, we still stick to our hierarchies and chains of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jackson-bennett/oh-propriety-says-mrs-benjamin-we-re-always-so-concerned-with/) [Robert Jackson Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jackson-bennett/) > [You know what the chain of command is? 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I chose that my character hadn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goddard/there-s-a-certain-way-you-stand-to-give-yourself-authority-which/) [Mark Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goddard/) > [“The chain of command, I wear it around my neck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-chain-of-command-i-wear-it-around-my-neck/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Then it hits me… And it hits me with the force of a blow. I am maybe fifteen years old. I am a girl.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-meyer/then-it-hits-me-and-it-hits-me-with-the-force-of-a-blow-i-am-maybe/) [L.A. Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-meyer/) > [Once you have hierarchy you need rules to protect and administer it, and then you need law and the enforcement of the rules, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/once-you-have-hierarchy-you-need-rules-to-protect-and-administer-it/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) ## More by Charles Jencks > [If you can't take the kitsch, get out of the kitchen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/if-you-can-t-take-the-kitsch-get-out-of-the-kitchen/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [Like our attitude to love, truth and goodness, we seem to be confident about knowing what beauty is - certain, even dogmatic - until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/like-our-attitude-to-love-truth-and-goodness-we-seem-to-be-confident/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [If you look at any leaf on any tree branch, it's similar to but not exactly a repetition of the previous branch. So the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/if-you-look-at-any-leaf-on-any-tree-branch-it-s-similar-to-but-not/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [I do believe architecture, and all art, should be content-driven. It should have something to say beyond the sensational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/i-do-believe-architecture-and-all-art-should-be-content-driven-it/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [You have to believe in a placebo or it won't work, but if it works, it's obviously working in some indirect way, through feedback…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/you-have-to-believe-in-a-placebo-or-it-won-t-work-but-if-it-works-it/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [Cant you see, we are in a dialogue with the universe?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/cant-you-see-we-are-in-a-dialogue-with-the-universe/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [What is a garden if not a miniaturization and celebration, of the place we are in, the universe?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/what-is-a-garden-if-not-a-miniaturization-and-celebration-of-the/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [Beautiful people are always with us, as evolutionary psychologists and a trip to the news-stand confirm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/beautiful-people-are-always-with-us-as-evolutionary-psychologists-and/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [The cell is a city of production centres, each part working away like mad, and it's co-ordinated. Six trillion cells in a body -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/the-cell-is-a-city-of-production-centres-each-part-working-away-like/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [“There is an unalterable and widening gap between exterior and interior, symbol and content, form and function -a gap which is making the environment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/there-is-an-unalterable-and-widening-gap-between-exterior-and/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [The singular point of beautiful objects, and people, is that they are experienced not as parts, or ratios between cheekbones and chin, but as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/the-singular-point-of-beautiful-objects-and-people-is-that-they-are/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [What is the most interesting thing to people? Other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/what-is-the-most-interesting-thing-to-people-other-people/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [A sign to me is a one-liner, a symbol is very complex and my house is a series of symbols.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/a-sign-to-me-is-a-one-liner-a-symbol-is-very-complex-and-my-house-is/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [“Whereas art critics are ready to accept-indeed are looking for-the new fabrication of a consistent visual language, architectural critics, like the general public, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/whereas-art-critics-are-ready-to-accept-indeed-are-looking-for-the/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [Can't you see, we are in a dialogue with the universe?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/can-t-you-see-we-are-in-a-dialogue-with-the-universe/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) [Explore all 35 Charles Jencks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) ## 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. 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