---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Athens built the Acropolis. Corinth was a…"
description: "\"Athens built the Acropolis. Corinth was a commercial city, interested in purely materialistic things. Today we admire Athens, visit it, preserve the ol..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/harold-urey-42546_acropolis_athens-built-the-acropolis-corinth-was-a_2911130.jpg"
---

#  Athens built the Acropolis. Corinth was a commercial city…

![“Athens built the Acropolis. Corinth was a commercial city, interested in purely materialistic things. Today we admire Athens, visit it, preserve the old temples, yet we hardly ever set foot in Corinth.” quote by Harold Urey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/harold-urey-42546_acropolis_athens-built-the-acropolis-corinth-was-a_2911130.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/harold-urey-42546_acropolis_athens-built-the-acropolis-corinth-was-a_2911130.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/harold-urey-42546_acropolis_athens-built-the-acropolis-corinth-was-a_2911130.jpg)

> “Athens built the Acropolis. Corinth was a commercial city, interested in purely materialistic things. Today we admire Athens, visit it, preserve the old temples, yet we hardly ever set foot in Corinth.”

[Harold Urey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-urey/)

## About This Quote

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

Athens is celebrated for its cultural legacy, while Corinth, a commercial hub, is overlooked despite its historical importance.

**In simple terms:** Athens praised, Corinth ignored.

Key Takeaway

Recognize contributions of all societies.

Themes

history culture economics

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

analytical educational

When to use this quote

- tourism
- education
- heritage preservation
- economic analysis

Key Concepts

Civilization studies archaeology

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we prioritize certain sites?
- How can we balance cultural appreciation?

A Different Perspective

Tourism bias can skew historical narratives.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Acropolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acropolis/) [Athens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athens/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialistic/) [Materialistic things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialistic-things/) [Temples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temples/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/)

## Related quotes

> [The Greeks had invented democracy, built the Acropolis and called it a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/the-greeks-had-invented-democracy-built-the-acropolis-and-called-it-a/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [“the main thing for us is the same as it was for the believers in Corinth 2,000 years ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-g-johnsson/the-main-thing-for-us-is-the-same-as-it-was-for-the-believers-in/)

[William G. Johnsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-g-johnsson/)

> [It is not every man that can afford to go to Corinth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/it-is-not-every-man-that-can-afford-to-go-to-corinth/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [Much has been said and continues to be said of what little concern the Turks had for the Acropolis treasures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-mercouri/much-has-been-said-and-continues-to-be-said-of-what-little-concern/)

[Melina Mercouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-mercouri/)

> [“Across the distance, the Acropolis museum cradled within its protective walls its legendary treasures, lulling them to a peaceful sleep under the eerie light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/effrosyni-moschoudi/across-the-distance-the-acropolis-museum-cradled-within-its/)

[Effrosyni Moschoudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/effrosyni-moschoudi/)

> [Most British newspapers now have more columns than the Acropolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-jack/most-british-newspapers-now-have-more-columns-than-the-acropolis/)

Ian Jack

> [Our minds can go no further. The human imagination is capable of no further expression of beauty than the carved owl of Athene, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/our-minds-can-go-no-further-the-human-imagination-is-capable-of-no/)

[Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/)

> [And I don't consider Broadway the acropolis of theatrical art. I mean Broadway is commercial - that's what it is. It's expensive seats and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/and-i-don-t-consider-broadway-the-acropolis-of-theatrical-art-i-mean/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [“Characteristic of the overall difference between Boston and New York, the population at the Acropolis was far less forlorn. Its customers were just those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whit-stillman/characteristic-of-the-overall-difference-between-boston-and-new-york/)

[Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whit-stillman/)

> [We've come full circle but the best remains the heart of the city, the greatest center of the greatest city, our Acropolis, where our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/we-ve-come-full-circle-but-the-best-remains-the-heart-of-the-city-the/)

[Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/)

> [“When we retake the ancient places, I will cover the Acropolis in snow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/when-we-retake-the-ancient-places-i-will-cover-the-acropolis-in-snow/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [Ever since I left Greece more than two decades ago, it has been my dream to return and perform at the Acropolis. This project…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/ever-since-i-left-greece-more-than-two-decades-ago-it-has-been-my/)

[Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/)

> [Ibsen is like this room where we are sitting, with all the tables and chairs. Do I care whether you have twenty or twenty-five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanora-duse/ibsen-is-like-this-room-where-we-are-sitting-with-all-the-tables-and/)

[Eleanora Duse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanora-duse/)

> [ \[At first sight of the Acropolis:\] It's beige! My color! ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsie-de-wolfe/at-first-sight-of-the-acropolis-it-s-beige-my-color/)

[Elsie de Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsie-de-wolfe/)

> [Musically I try to connect a common bridge between such exhilarating feelings as performing at the Acropolis, to the emotions each and every one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-joseph/musically-i-try-to-connect-a-common-bridge-between-such-exhilarating/)

[Bradley Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-joseph/)

## More by Harold Urey

> [All of us who study the origin of life find that the more we look into it, the more we feel it is too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-urey/all-of-us-who-study-the-origin-of-life-find-that-the-more-we-look/)

[Harold Urey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-urey/)

> [“Life is not a miracle. It is a natural phenomenon, and can be expected to appear whenever there is a planet whose conditions duplicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-urey/life-is-not-a-miracle-it-is-a-natural-phenomenon-and-can-be-expected/)

[Harold Urey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-urey/)

> [ I looked for it \[heavy hydrogen, deuterium\] because I thought it should exist. I didn't know it would have industrial applications or be the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-urey/i-looked-for-it-heavy-hydrogen-deuterium-because-i-thought-it-should/)

[Harold Urey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-urey/)

> [Above all, I regret that scientific experiments-some of them mine-should have produced such a terrible weapon as the hydrogen bomb. Regret, with all my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-urey/above-all-i-regret-that-scientific-experiments-some-of-them-mine/)

[Harold Urey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-urey/)

> [Life is not a miracle. It is a natural phenomenon, and can be expected to appear whenever there is a planet whose conditions duplicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-urey/life-is-not-a-miracle-it-is-a-natural-phenomenon-and-can-be-expected-2/)

[Harold Urey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-urey/)

> [ “I looked for it \[heavy hydrogen, deuterium\] because I thought it should exist. I didn't know it would have industrial applications or be the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-urey/i-looked-for-it-heavy-hydrogen-deuterium-because-i-thought-it-should-2/)

[Harold Urey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-urey/)

> [ \[My study of the universe\] leaves little doubt that life has occurred on other planets. I doubt if the human race is the most… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-urey/my-study-of-the-universe-leaves-little-doubt-that-life-has-occurred/)

[Harold Urey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-urey/)

> [I'm in Pittsburgh. Why am I here?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-urey/i-m-in-pittsburgh-why-am-i-here/)

[Harold Urey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-urey/)

> [ \[Pure research\] is worth every penny it costs. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-urey/pure-research-is-worth-every-penny-it-costs/)

[Harold Urey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-urey/)

[Explore all 10 Harold Urey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-urey/)

## More Acropolis quotes

> [Much has been said and continues to be said of what little concern the Turks had for the Acropolis treasures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-mercouri/much-has-been-said-and-continues-to-be-said-of-what-little-concern/)

[Melina Mercouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-mercouri/)

> [ \[At first sight of the Acropolis:\] It's beige! My color! ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsie-de-wolfe/at-first-sight-of-the-acropolis-it-s-beige-my-color/)

[Elsie de Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsie-de-wolfe/)

> [Ibsen is like this room where we are sitting, with all the tables and chairs. Do I care whether you have twenty or twenty-five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanora-duse/ibsen-is-like-this-room-where-we-are-sitting-with-all-the-tables-and/)

[Eleanora Duse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanora-duse/)

> [Ever since I left Greece more than two decades ago, it has been my dream to return and perform at the Acropolis. This project…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/ever-since-i-left-greece-more-than-two-decades-ago-it-has-been-my/)

[Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/)

> [“When we retake the ancient places, I will cover the Acropolis in snow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/when-we-retake-the-ancient-places-i-will-cover-the-acropolis-in-snow/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [We've come full circle but the best remains the heart of the city, the greatest center of the greatest city, our Acropolis, where our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/we-ve-come-full-circle-but-the-best-remains-the-heart-of-the-city-the/)

[Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/)

> [“Characteristic of the overall difference between Boston and New York, the population at the Acropolis was far less forlorn. Its customers were just those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whit-stillman/characteristic-of-the-overall-difference-between-boston-and-new-york/)

[Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whit-stillman/)

> [And I don't consider Broadway the acropolis of theatrical art. I mean Broadway is commercial - that's what it is. It's expensive seats and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/and-i-don-t-consider-broadway-the-acropolis-of-theatrical-art-i-mean/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [Our minds can go no further. The human imagination is capable of no further expression of beauty than the carved owl of Athene, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/our-minds-can-go-no-further-the-human-imagination-is-capable-of-no/)

[Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/)

> [The Greeks had invented democracy, built the Acropolis and called it a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/the-greeks-had-invented-democracy-built-the-acropolis-and-called-it-a/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [Most British newspapers now have more columns than the Acropolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-jack/most-british-newspapers-now-have-more-columns-than-the-acropolis/)

Ian Jack

> [“Across the distance, the Acropolis museum cradled within its protective walls its legendary treasures, lulling them to a peaceful sleep under the eerie light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/effrosyni-moschoudi/across-the-distance-the-acropolis-museum-cradled-within-its/)

[Effrosyni Moschoudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/effrosyni-moschoudi/)

> [Musically I try to connect a common bridge between such exhilarating feelings as performing at the Acropolis, to the emotions each and every one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-joseph/musically-i-try-to-connect-a-common-bridge-between-such-exhilarating/)

[Bradley Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-joseph/)

[Browse all 14 Acropolis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acropolis/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Athens built the Acropolis. Corinth was a commercial city, interested in purely materialistic things. Today we admire Athens, visit it, preserve the old temples, yet we hardly ever set foot in Corinth.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Harold Urey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-urey/athens-built-the-acropolis-corinth-was-a-commercial-city-interested/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Acropolis"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-urey/athens-built-the-acropolis-corinth-was-a-commercial-city-interested/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/harold-urey-42546_acropolis_athens-built-the-acropolis-corinth-was-a_2911130.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/harold-urey-42546_acropolis_athens-built-the-acropolis-corinth-was-a_2911130.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/harold-urey-42546_acropolis_athens-built-the-acropolis-corinth-was-a_2911130.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Athens built the Acropolis. Corinth was a commercial city, interested in purely materialistic things. Today…” — Harold Urey",
                "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": "Harold Urey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-urey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Athens built the Acropolis. Corinth was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-urey/athens-built-the-acropolis-corinth-was-a-commercial-city-interested/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-urey/athens-built-the-acropolis-corinth-was-a-commercial-city-interested/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```