--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If proportion is the good breeding of…" description: "\"If proportion is the good breeding of architecture, symmetry, or the answering of one part to another, may be defined as the sanity of decoration.\" — E..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/edith-wharton-512_architecture_if-proportion-is-the-good-breeding-of-ar_451349.png" --- # If proportion is the good breeding of architecture… ![“If proportion is the good breeding of architecture, symmetry, or the answering of one part to another, may be defined as the sanity of decoration.” quote by Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/edith-wharton-512_architecture_if-proportion-is-the-good-breeding-of-ar_451349.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/edith-wharton-512_architecture_if-proportion-is-the-good-breeding-of-ar_451349.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/edith-wharton-512_architecture_if-proportion-is-the-good-breeding-of-ar_451349.png) > “If proportion is the good breeding of architecture, symmetry, or the answering of one part to another, may be defined as the sanity of decoration.” [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Decoration should be balanced with proportion; excess leads to visual chaos. **In simple terms:** Good design needs proportion, not just decoration. Key Takeaway Prioritize harmony over ornament. Themes design proportion architecture Mood analytical thoughtful Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - interior design - urban planning - art criticism Key Concepts aesthetics balance visual harmony Questions to Reflect On - Is symmetry always desirable? - How to balance function and beauty? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on proportion can stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Good breeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-breeding/) [Sanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanity/) [Symmetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symmetry/) ## Related quotes > [Without a sense of proportion there can be neither good taste nor genuine intelligence, nor perhaps moral integrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/without-a-sense-of-proportion-there-can-be-neither-good-taste-nor/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [There has been a comparatively greater proportion of good queens, than of good kings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moore-grimke/there-has-been-a-comparatively-greater-proportion-of-good-queens-than/) [Sarah Moore Grimke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moore-grimke/) > [“Mr. Popple, in fact, held that the personality of the artist should at all times be dissembled behind that of the man. 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