---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The house itself is of minor importance…"
description: "\"The house itself is of minor importance. Its relation to the community is the thing that really counts.\" — Clarence Stein"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/clarence-stein-86369_community_the-house-itself-is-of-minor-importance_3149965.png"
---

#  The house itself is of minor importance. Its relation to…

![“The house itself is of minor importance. Its relation to the community is the thing that really counts.” quote by Clarence Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/clarence-stein-86369_community_the-house-itself-is-of-minor-importance_3149965.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/clarence-stein-86369_community_the-house-itself-is-of-minor-importance_3149965.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/clarence-stein-86369_community_the-house-itself-is-of-minor-importance_3149965.png)

> “The house itself is of minor importance. Its relation to the community is the thing that really counts.”

Clarence Stein

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A building’s true value lies in its contribution to the community, not its individual prominence.

**In simple terms:** Community impact matters more than the building itself.

Key Takeaway

Design for community benefit.

Themes

urban planning community architecture

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

architectural social

When to use this quote

- neighborhood development
- public spaces
- housing projects

Key Concepts

social responsibility human scale

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your work serve others?
- What community needs are unmet?

A Different Perspective

Individual architectural beauty can still be significant.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/)

## Related quotes

> [When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/when-making-a-decision-of-minor-importance-i-have-always-found-it/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [A single year's performance is of minor importance and, good or bad, should never be taken seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/a-single-year-s-performance-is-of-minor-importance-and-good-or-bad/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [When I was on Taransay, I loved being part of a community, I loved that everyone knew what I was doing, where I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fogle/when-i-was-on-taransay-i-loved-being-part-of-a-community-i-loved-that/)

[Ben Fogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fogle/)

> [Community is a thing we crave because most of us need to feel we belong. Even Hell's Angels get excited about wearing their matching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-sanders/community-is-a-thing-we-crave-because-most-of-us-need-to-feel-we/)

[Lou Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-sanders/)

> [I had no role models from my own community - there was no such thing. Earlier on, there were people like Dolores Del Rio,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/i-had-no-role-models-from-my-own-community-there-was-no-such-thing/)

[Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/)

> [Music, for me, has always been a community thing. It's always how I make friends and hang out with people, because I didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-prass/music-for-me-has-always-been-a-community-thing-it-s-always-how-i-make/)

[Natalie Prass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-prass/)

> [The Afro-American is not a bestial race. If this work can contribute in any way towards proving this, and at the same time arouse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-afro-american-is-not-a-bestial-race-if-this-work-can-contribute/)

[Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/)

> [I mean people are really crazy about minor decrements down. And then, if you act on them, then you get into reciprocation tendency, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-mean-people-are-really-crazy-about-minor-decrements-down-and-then/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [It is clear from all these data that the interests of teenagers are not focused around studies, and that scholastic achievement is at most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-coleman/it-is-clear-from-all-these-data-that-the-interests-of-teenagers-are/)

[James S. Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-coleman/)

> [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [There are problems to whose solution I would attach an infinitely greater importance than to those of mathematics, for example touching ethics, or our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-friedrich-gauss/there-are-problems-to-whose-solution-i-would-attach-an-infinitely/)

[Carl Friedrich Gauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-friedrich-gauss/)

> [I doubt whether there is any subject in the world of equal importance that has received so little serious and articulate consideration as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-rathbone/i-doubt-whether-there-is-any-subject-in-the-world-of-equal-importance/)

[Eleanor Rathbone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-rathbone/)

> [Men can learn a lot about the importance of nurturing and being in relation to the life force versus having power over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-buffett/men-can-learn-a-lot-about-the-importance-of-nurturing-and-being-in/)

[Peter Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-buffett/)

> [Unaware of the absurdity of it, we introduce our own petty household rules into the economy of the universe for which the life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/unaware-of-the-absurdity-of-it-we-introduce-our-own-petty-household/)

[Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/)

> [What's given, in fact, always depends on the person or thing it's given to. A minor incident in the street brings the cook to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/what-s-given-in-fact-always-depends-on-the-person-or-thing-it-s-given/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

## More by Clarence Stein

> [A small house must depend on its grouping with other houses for its beauty, and for the preservation of light air and the maximum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-stein/a-small-house-must-depend-on-its-grouping-with-other-houses-for-its/)

Clarence Stein

> [A city should be built to give its inhabitants security and happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-stein/a-city-should-be-built-to-give-its-inhabitants-security-and-happiness/)

Clarence Stein

Explore all 3 Clarence Stein quotes

## More Community quotes

> [Race is the idea that a human being is more superior than another human being, race in society grants illusional rights to mistreat each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/race-is-the-idea-that-a-human-being-is-more-superior-than-another/)

[Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/)

> [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/)

[Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/)

[Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/)

> [Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/hackney-gets-a-bit-of-a-bad-rap-but-it-s-the-only-place-i-ve-ever/)

[Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/)

> [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/)

[Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/)

> [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/)

[Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/)

> [It rolls off my back. Ridicule doesn't mean anything - even from people you're supposed to wear knee pads around, like the scientific community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-schultz/it-rolls-off-my-back-ridicule-doesn-t-mean-anything-even-from-people/)

[Dwight Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-schultz/)

> [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/)

[Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/)

> [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/)

[Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/)

> [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/)

Sheila Kamerman

> [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [Perhaps the greatest and least visible form of impoverishment caused by the Corporate State is the destruction of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/perhaps-the-greatest-and-least-visible-form-of-impoverishment-caused/)

[Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/)

[Browse all 13,840 Community quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The house itself is of minor importance. Its relation to the community is the thing that really counts.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Clarence Stein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-stein/the-house-itself-is-of-minor-importance-its-relation-to-the-community/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Community"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-stein/the-house-itself-is-of-minor-importance-its-relation-to-the-community/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/clarence-stein-86369_community_the-house-itself-is-of-minor-importance_3149965.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/clarence-stein-86369_community_the-house-itself-is-of-minor-importance_3149965.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/clarence-stein-86369_community_the-house-itself-is-of-minor-importance_3149965.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The house itself is of minor importance. Its relation to the community is the thing that really counts.” — Clarence Stein",
                "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": "Clarence Stein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-stein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The house itself is of minor...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-stein/the-house-itself-is-of-minor-importance-its-relation-to-the-community/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-stein/the-house-itself-is-of-minor-importance-its-relation-to-the-community/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
