--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first 10 years, I was just building…" description: "\"The first 10 years, I was just building just to understand what I was doing and I didn't trust my intuition to just produce. Then, in the last five yea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/david-adjaye-31851_building_the-first-10-years-i-was-just-building-j_2547111.png" --- # The first 10 years, I was just building just to understand… ![“The first 10 years, I was just building just to understand what I was doing and I didn't trust my intuition to just produce. Then, in the last five years, I have really been reflecting on what I am producing and what it is doing.” quote by David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/david-adjaye-31851_building_the-first-10-years-i-was-just-building-j_2547111.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/david-adjaye-31851_building_the-first-10-years-i-was-just-building-j_2547111.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/david-adjaye-31851_building_the-first-10-years-i-was-just-building-j_2547111.png) > “The first 10 years, I was just building just to understand what I was doing and I didn't trust my intuition to just produce. Then, in the last five years, I have really been reflecting on what I am producing and what it is doing.” [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early career focused on learning; later years involve reflective production and purposeful creation. **In simple terms:** Learn first, then create with intention. Key Takeaway Reflect before producing. Themes growth reflection design Mood thoughtful inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - architectural projects - career planning - team leadership Key Concepts learning cycles intentionality Questions to Reflect On - What have you learned that now guides you? - How do you balance intuition with analysis? A Different Perspective Reflection can stall progress if over‑analyzed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition/) ## Related quotes > [I think it's really the job of the composer, the artist, the painter, the writer to present people with options. I'm just really reflecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anderson/i-think-it-s-really-the-job-of-the-composer-the-artist-the-painter/) [Ian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anderson/) > [“As human beings, we haven’t lost our intuition; we just stopped paying attention”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-dupree/as-human-beings-we-haven-t-lost-our-intuition-we-just-stopped-paying/) [Heidi DuPree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-dupree/) > [Intuition was not just visual but also auditory and kinesthetic. Those who watched Feynman in moments of intense concentration came away with a strong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/intuition-was-not-just-visual-but-also-auditory-and-kinesthetic-those/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [There are times in all of our lives when a reliance on gut or intuition just seems more appropriate - when a particular course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/there-are-times-in-all-of-our-lives-when-a-reliance-on-gut-or/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [“Intuition is not a different dimension of perception, as people usually try to make out. Intuition is just a quicker way of arriving at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadhguru/intuition-is-not-a-different-dimension-of-perception-as-people/) [Sadhguru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadhguru/) > [“Intuition is just your subconscious putting together subtle clues and coming to a conclusion that your conscious mind hasn’t quite reached.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-e-richards/intuition-is-just-your-subconscious-putting-together-subtle-clues-and/) [Douglas E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-e-richards/) > [There is no such thing as women's intuition. You all just have crap poker faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-shelley/there-is-no-such-thing-as-women-s-intuition-you-all-just-have-crap/) [Rachel Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-shelley/) > [My quality is my intuition. I can't just ignore that, can I? Then I'd be a player of whom there are a thousand of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenkie-de-jong/my-quality-is-my-intuition-i-can-t-just-ignore-that-can-i-then-i-d-be/) [Frenkie de Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenkie-de-jong/) > [Intuition is just the sum of all your experience. The way I see it, everything you’ve experienced, everything you know, you think you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/intuition-is-just-the-sum-of-all-your-experience-the-way-i-see-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For a moment I had a strange intuition that just this, and in a real, profound sense, is life; and perhaps happiness even -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/for-a-moment-i-had-a-strange-intuition-that-just-this-and-in-a-real/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [There are times you will be given intuition, you just know something, and you can't explain it. Don't override it. Don't talk yourself out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/there-are-times-you-will-be-given-intuition-you-just-know-something/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [“intuition is just like that: sudden and complete, as if there were machinery working behind her eyes that even she has no access to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-alderman/intuition-is-just-like-that-sudden-and-complete-as-if-there-were/) [Naomi Alderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-alderman/) > [And I've been lucky in that I haven't had another job besides acting in the last five years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-lea/and-i-ve-been-lucky-in-that-i-haven-t-had-another-job-besides-acting/) [Nicholas Lea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-lea/) > [“I only have two kinds of dreams: the bad and the terrible. Bad dreams I can cope with. They're just nightmares, and they end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-only-have-two-kinds-of-dreams-the-bad-and-the-terrible-bad-dreams-i/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I've grown up watching and admiring Norm. Sherie actually starred in the first off-Broadway show I ever saw in New York, which was The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/i-ve-grown-up-watching-and-admiring-norm-sherie-actually-starred-in/) [Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/) ## More by David Adjaye > [The museum in D.C. is really a narrative museum - the nature of a people and how you represent that story. Whereas the Studio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/the-museum-in-d-c-is-really-a-narrative-museum-the-nature-of-a-people/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [What I resist is techniques. I find techniques very problematic. So when critics talk about my work in those terms, I find that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/what-i-resist-is-techniques-i-find-techniques-very-problematic-so/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [ The houses \[my first project in London\] were reactions to the condition of the city and my frustrations with the norms that were being… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/the-houses-my-first-project-in-london-were-reactions-to-the-condition/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [For me, architecture is a social act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/for-me-architecture-is-a-social-act/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [Context is so important, not to mimic but to become part of the place. I wanted a building that acknowledges its surroundings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/context-is-so-important-not-to-mimic-but-to-become-part-of-the-place/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [I got into architecture because I was searching for a way to produce in the world. I went to art school and thought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/i-got-into-architecture-because-i-was-searching-for-a-way-to-produce/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [Africa is an extraordinary opportunity at the moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/africa-is-an-extraordinary-opportunity-at-the-moment/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [ The thing about architecture is that it's an art \[you\] simply learn more by doing more. It's one of those things that is really… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/the-thing-about-architecture-is-that-it-s-an-art-you-simply-learn/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [If you just live in New York and you only know New York, you know a certain kind of condition of formality and informality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/if-you-just-live-in-new-york-and-you-only-know-new-york-you-know-a/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [In a way, going to Africa allowed me to see possibilities that sometimes seem impossible in certain conditions. It also allowed me to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/in-a-way-going-to-africa-allowed-me-to-see-possibilities-that/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [In some conditions, the architecture of textile is more relevant than in other conditions or the opacity of the material form. Pattern in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/in-some-conditions-the-architecture-of-textile-is-more-relevant-than/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [In a way, I feel I have enough tools and knowledge now that when I build it has a very specific agency that's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/in-a-way-i-feel-i-have-enough-tools-and-knowledge-now-that-when-i/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [Buildings for me represent opportunities of agency, transformation, and storytelling. They are not just artifacts. There is this big tradition of buildings-as-artifacts - constructed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/buildings-for-me-represent-opportunities-of-agency-transformation-and/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [I'm totally into architecture for all strata of society. High design should not just be for rich people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/i-m-totally-into-architecture-for-all-strata-of-society-high-design/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [Buildings are deeply emotive structures which form our psyche. People think they're just things they maneuver through, but the makeup of a person is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/buildings-are-deeply-emotive-structures-which-form-our-psyche-people/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) [Explore all 16 David Adjaye quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) ## More Building quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/) [Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/) > [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/) > [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first 10 years, I was just building just to understand what I was doing and I didn't trust my intuition to just produce. 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