--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today…" description: "\"Not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today can be given form. Only this architecture creates.\" — Ludwig Mies van der Rohe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe-7536_architecture_not-yesterday-not-tomorrow-only-today-ca_2734575.jpg" --- # Not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today can be given form… ![“Not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today can be given form. Only this architecture creates.” quote by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe-7536_architecture_not-yesterday-not-tomorrow-only-today-ca_2734575.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe-7536_architecture_not-yesterday-not-tomorrow-only-today-ca_2734575.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe-7536_architecture_not-yesterday-not-tomorrow-only-today-ca_2734575.jpg) > “Not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today can be given form. Only this architecture creates.” [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Only the present moment can be shaped; architecture must create the now, not rely on past forms. **In simple terms:** Today alone can be formed; architecture creates the present. Key Takeaway Focus design on current needs and context. Themes architecture presentism creative process Mood philosophical inspirational Type design architectural When to use this quote - urban planning - product design - art installations Key Concepts temporal focus design philosophy innovation Questions to Reflect On - How does focusing on the present affect long‑term relevance? - What balance is needed between tradition and innovation? A Different Perspective May ignore historical continuity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) [Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday/) ## Related quotes > [Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space. Living, Changing, New. Not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today can be given form. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/architecture-is-the-will-of-an-epoch-translated-into-space-living/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [It is comforting that travel should have an architecture, and that it is possible to contribute a few stones to it, although the traveller…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudio-magris/it-is-comforting-that-travel-should-have-an-architecture-and-that-it/) [Claudio Magris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudio-magris/) > [The American people are doing their job today. They should be given a chance to show whether they wish to preserve the principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/the-american-people-are-doing-their-job-today-they-should-be-given-a/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [In architecture the pride of man, his triumph over gravitation, his will to power, assume a visible form. Architecture is a sort of oratory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-architecture-the-pride-of-man-his-triumph-over-gravitation-his/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Let us together create the new building of the future, which will be everything in one form: architecture and sculpture and painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/let-us-together-create-the-new-building-of-the-future-which-will-be/) [Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/) > [“We need to live in the now of life, it can't be about how much we suffered yesterday or what we might face tomorrow.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-leon/we-need-to-live-in-the-now-of-life-it-can-t-be-about-how-much-we/) Bonnie Leon > [Definitely I know that every negative condition of the past is cleared away from my consciousness. I no longer think about it, see it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-holmes/definitely-i-know-that-every-negative-condition-of-the-past-is/) [Ernest Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-holmes/) > [Reinforced concrete buildings are by nature skeletal buildings. No noodles nor armoured turrets. A construction of girders that carry the weight, and walls that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/reinforced-concrete-buildings-are-by-nature-skeletal-buildings-no/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Architecture begins when you place two bricks carefully together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/architecture-begins-when-you-place-two-bricks-carefully-together/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [The problem of architecture has always been the same throughout time. Its authentic quality is reached through its proportions, and the proportions cost nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/the-problem-of-architecture-has-always-been-the-same-throughout-time/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Wherever technology reaches its real fulfillment, it transcends into architecture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/wherever-technology-reaches-its-real-fulfillment-it-transcends-into/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today -- for tomorrow's gonna be bad enough as it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gobel/never-put-off-until-tomorrow-what-you-can-do-today-for-tomorrow-s/) [George Gobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gobel/) > [We have to carry through to the next day and hope that we will be okay tomorrow as we are today and in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/we-have-to-carry-through-to-the-next-day-and-hope-that-we-will-be/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [“We thought there was no more behind But such a day tomorrow as today And to be a boy eternal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-meade-falkner/we-thought-there-was-no-more-behind-but-such-a-day-tomorrow-as-today/) [John Meade Falkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-meade-falkner/) > [“I would rather have a month, or a week, or even a day with you than no time at all. There is something about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-s-cooper/i-would-rather-have-a-month-or-a-week-or-even-a-day-with-you-than-no/) [J.S. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-s-cooper/) ## More by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe > [Wherever technology reaches its real fulfillment, it transcends into architecture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/wherever-technology-reaches-its-real-fulfillment-it-transcends-into/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Nature, too, shall live its own life. We must beware not to disrupt it with the color of our houses and interior fittings. yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/nature-too-shall-live-its-own-life-we-must-beware-not-to-disrupt-it/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Let us guide our students over the road of discipline from materials, through function, to creative work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/let-us-guide-our-students-over-the-road-of-discipline-from-materials/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Just as we acquaint ourselves with materials, and just as we must understand functions, we must become familiar with the psychological and spiritual factors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/just-as-we-acquaint-ourselves-with-materials-and-just-as-we-must/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Simply by not owning three medium-sized castles in Tuscany I have saved enough money in the last forty years on insurance premiums alone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/simply-by-not-owning-three-medium-sized-castles-in-tuscany-i-have/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [The problem of architecture has always been the same throughout time. Its authentic quality is reached through its proportions, and the proportions cost nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/the-problem-of-architecture-has-always-been-the-same-throughout-time/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [The long path from material through function to creative work has only one goal: to create order out of the desperate confusion of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/the-long-path-from-material-through-function-to-creative-work-has/) [Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Architecture begins when you place two bricks carefully together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/architecture-begins-when-you-place-two-bricks-carefully-together/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Reinforced concrete buildings are by nature skeletal buildings. No noodles nor armoured turrets. A construction of girders that carry the weight, and walls that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/reinforced-concrete-buildings-are-by-nature-skeletal-buildings-no/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Generally, I think my work has so much influence because of its reasonableness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/generally-i-think-my-work-has-so-much-influence-because-of-its/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [ \[In art\], less is more. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/in-art-less-is-more/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [You can use up all the slums for new development. In all the cities of the world, there are large areas of these. Also,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/you-can-use-up-all-the-slums-for-new-development-in-all-the-cities-of/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [The individual is losing significance; his destiny is no longer what interests us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/the-individual-is-losing-significance-his-destiny-is-no-longer-what/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [The building art is man's spatial dialogue with his environment and demonstrates how he asserts himself therein and how he masters it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/the-building-art-is-man-s-spatial-dialogue-with-his-environment-and/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [You can teach students how to work; you can teach them technique - how to use reason; you can even give them a sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/you-can-teach-students-how-to-work-you-can-teach-them-technique-how/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) [Explore all 89 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) ## 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. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [It's not so much about form versus functionality. Rather, it's about doing both and doing them a lot and doing them well-and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/it-s-not-so-much-about-form-versus-functionality-rather-it-s-about/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [Engineering, medicine, business, architecture and painting are concerned not with the necessary but with the contingent - not with how things are but with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/engineering-medicine-business-architecture-and-painting-are-concerned/) [Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/) [Browse all 3,013 Architecture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today can be given form. Only this architecture creates.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ludwig Mies van der Rohe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/not-yesterday-not-tomorrow-only-today-can-be-given-form-only-this/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Architecture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/not-yesterday-not-tomorrow-only-today-can-be-given-form-only-this/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe-7536_architecture_not-yesterday-not-tomorrow-only-today-ca_2734575.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe-7536_architecture_not-yesterday-not-tomorrow-only-today-ca_2734575.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe-7536_architecture_not-yesterday-not-tomorrow-only-today-ca_2734575.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today can be given form. Only this architecture creates.” — Ludwig Mies van der Rohe", "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": "Ludwig Mies van der Rohe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/not-yesterday-not-tomorrow-only-today-can-be-given-form-only-this/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/not-yesterday-not-tomorrow-only-today-can-be-given-form-only-this/#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 } } ] } ```