--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't like to talk about…" description: "\"I don't like to talk about sustainability, because sometimes I see green buildings that don't appear any different from those in the past.\" — Ma Yansong" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/ma-yansong-9334_buildings_i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainabilit_75055.jpg" --- # I don't like to talk about sustainability, because… ![“I don't like to talk about sustainability, because sometimes I see green buildings that don't appear any different from those in the past.” quote by Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/ma-yansong-9334_buildings_i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainabilit_75055.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/ma-yansong-9334_buildings_i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainabilit_75055.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/ma-yansong-9334_buildings_i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainabilit_75055.jpg) > “I don't like to talk about sustainability, because sometimes I see green buildings that don't appear any different from those in the past.” [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker critiques superficial sustainability, noting that some eco‑friendly designs lack visible distinction from traditional architecture, implying that true sustainability should be evident in form and function. **In simple terms:** Surface-level green design can be deceptive. Key Takeaway Sustainability must be tangible, not just a label. Themes environmental design authenticity perception greenwashing architecture Mood critical reflective Type observation critique When to use this quote - evaluating new building projects - urban planning meetings - environmental certification processes Key Concepts sustainable architecture visual differentiation environmental impact Practical Applications - guiding design reviews - informing sustainability communication Questions to Reflect On - How can designers make sustainability visible? - What criteria differentiate genuine green design from tokenism? A Different Perspective Some argue that any effort toward greener materials, even if visually subtle, contributes positively to environmental goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buildings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buildings/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [There's a lot of talk about sustainability; being a manufacturer I've seen a lot. 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A lot of people think that if I put a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-yeang/i-think-green-buildings-are-extremely-important-but-it-s-only-part-of/) [Ken Yeang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-yeang/) > [If you want the present to be different from the past, study the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/if-you-want-the-present-to-be-different-from-the-past-study-the-past/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [Meeting someone that is different from your past, gives you hope like... That person maybe your future.. Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jantica/meeting-someone-that-is-different-from-your-past-gives-you-hope-like/) Jantica > [“Usually, people... are unable to accept the reality of future sorrow, of a new day different from our past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hotaru-odagiri/usually-people-are-unable-to-accept-the-reality-of-future-sorrow-of-a/) [Hotaru Odagiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hotaru-odagiri/) > [If you want the present to be different from the past, don't forget the past lessons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-the-present-to-be-different-from-the-past-don-t-forget/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The past is not another country; it is another life. The texture of daily living is different now than in the past, more different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-herring/the-past-is-not-another-country-it-is-another-life-the-texture-of/) Scott Herring > [I think the past is something I have spent a lot of time thinking about, not only what is different about the past but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-cameron/i-think-the-past-is-something-i-have-spent-a-lot-of-time-thinking/) [Sharon Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-cameron/) > [Music has become something different from the past, when it was one hundred per cent live. Throughout the twentieth century, it was recorded, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryuichi-sakamoto/music-has-become-something-different-from-the-past-when-it-was-one/) [Ryuichi Sakamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryuichi-sakamoto/) > [I once read that forgiveness is giving up all hope of having had a different past...but forgiving is not the same as obliterating memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/i-once-read-that-forgiveness-is-giving-up-all-hope-of-having-had-a/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [“...discovering you are not identical with yourself even in the most disturbing and painful way still contains the glimmer, however refracted, of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/discovering-you-are-not-identical-with-yourself-even-in-the-most/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Memories are made both good and bad, we can decide to relive each moment, but sometimes we find ourselves with new people recreating that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-cortes/memories-are-made-both-good-and-bad-we-can-decide-to-relive-each/) Francisco Cortes > [“Who was it who said that forgiveness is giving up all hope of having had a different past?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/who-was-it-who-said-that-forgiveness-is-giving-up-all-hope-of-having/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More by Ma Yansong > [China is a place where you can experience two very contrasting things coexisting. First, the rich, cultural history of the country - and, second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/china-is-a-place-where-you-can-experience-two-very-contrasting-things/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [Architects think that beauty is a crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/architects-think-that-beauty-is-a-crime/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [When I graduated from high school, I thought I wanted to make science fiction movies, so I applied to film school, but I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/when-i-graduated-from-high-school-i-thought-i-wanted-to-make-science/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [If we're talking about the urban landscape as an advanced, forward-thinking art form, there must be some intellectual thinking involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/if-we-re-talking-about-the-urban-landscape-as-an-advanced-forward/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [In traditional cities like Beijing, Nanjing, and Hangzhou, nature was a very important part of urban planning - not only as a landscape but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/in-traditional-cities-like-beijing-nanjing-and-hangzhou-nature-was-a/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I think where traditional values are concerned, Chinese people see nature as very symbolic. It's a form of culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-think-where-traditional-values-are-concerned-chinese-people-see/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [In China, it's very easy to make architecture special because anything you design will look different, as most parts of the city are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/in-china-it-s-very-easy-to-make-architecture-special-because-anything/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [The way we do our architecture is to show that we can come up with our own solutions. We don't just take orders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/the-way-we-do-our-architecture-is-to-show-that-we-can-come-up-with/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I would say that many architects are very logical. They start their process from analysis and from rational processes to try and find the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-would-say-that-many-architects-are-very-logical-they-start-their/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [Although we're architects, we believe we do culture; architecture is culture, and the topics we tackle will always arise a broader debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/although-we-re-architects-we-believe-we-do-culture-architecture-is/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [We proposed Tiananmen Square - this very empty political square in the city centre - should turn green. Maybe in the future, this space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/we-proposed-tiananmen-square-this-very-empty-political-square-in-the/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I treat my projects as art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-treat-my-projects-as-art/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [To allow millions of people to live together on limited land, we have to go to the sky; we have to build a high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/to-allow-millions-of-people-to-live-together-on-limited-land-we-have/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [A door handle is very symbolic to me. It is the first object that one will interact with before entering a new space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/a-door-handle-is-very-symbolic-to-me-it-is-the-first-object-that-one/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [When we talk about a city, we need to talk about what the future is. Whats the ideal scenario in the future?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/when-we-talk-about-a-city-we-need-to-talk-about-what-the-future-is/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) [Explore all 73 Ma Yansong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) ## More Buildings quotes > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [Seoul will strictly limit the total greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and expand the construction of zero-energy buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-won-soon/seoul-will-strictly-limit-the-total-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from/) [Park Won-soon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-won-soon/) > [I grew up in a big sky country. Then I lived in Manhattan, where you can only see the sky between buildings, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-grew-up-in-a-big-sky-country-then-i-lived-in-manhattan-where-you/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [The human animal originally came from out-of-doors. When spring begins to move in his bones, he just must get out again. Moreover, as civilization,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/the-human-animal-originally-came-from-out-of-doors-when-spring-begins/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [“The structure of life I have described in buildings - the structure which I believe to be objective - is deeply and inextricably connected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-thomsen-brits/the-structure-of-life-i-have-described-in-buildings-the-structure/) [Louisa Thomsen Brits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-thomsen-brits/) > [Extreme weather threatens our energy and electric grid, federal buildings, transportation infrastructure, access to natural resources, public health, our relationships across the globe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cartwright/extreme-weather-threatens-our-energy-and-electric-grid-federal/) [Matt Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cartwright/) > [In New York, we're always confined with spaces. Our restaurants are difficult to navigate as cooks and to operate. We fight against the buildings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/in-new-york-we-re-always-confined-with-spaces-our-restaurants-are/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [Most buildings, whether they're Gothic cathedrals or Romanesque ones, were high tech for their time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/most-buildings-whether-they-re-gothic-cathedrals-or-romanesque-ones/) [Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/) > [I don't measure success by how many buildings have my name on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-don-t-measure-success-by-how-many-buildings-have-my-name-on-it/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Once I tried to make a standardization of staircases. Probably that is one of the oldest of the standardizations. Of course, we design new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/once-i-tried-to-make-a-standardization-of-staircases-probably-that-is/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [My buildings will be my legacy... they will speak for me long after I'm gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-morgan/my-buildings-will-be-my-legacy-they-will-speak-for-me-long-after-i-m/) Julia Morgan > [When I first came to New York City, what I was thrilled about was not the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gibbons/when-i-first-came-to-new-york-city-what-i-was-thrilled-about-was-not/) [Dave Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gibbons/) > [I come from Canada, and maternity leave is six months to a year, and they also have paternity leave, and I think that there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cobie-smulders/i-come-from-canada-and-maternity-leave-is-six-months-to-a-year-and/) [Cobie Smulders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cobie-smulders/) > [I love to walk through the streets of Jesus Maria and Pueblo Libre. 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I saw how much that impacted our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valentin-chmerkovskiy/i-watched-the-buildings-go-down-on-9-11-i-saw-how-much-that-impacted/) [Valentin Chmerkovskiy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valentin-chmerkovskiy/) [Browse all 376 Buildings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buildings/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't like to talk about sustainability, because sometimes I see green buildings that don't appear any different from those in the past.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ma Yansong" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainability-because-sometimes-i-see/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Buildings" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainability-because-sometimes-i-see/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/ma-yansong-9334_buildings_i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainabilit_75055.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/ma-yansong-9334_buildings_i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainabilit_75055.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/ma-yansong-9334_buildings_i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainabilit_75055.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't like to talk about sustainability, because sometimes I see green buildings that don't appear any…” — Ma Yansong", "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": "Ma Yansong", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't like to talk about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainability-because-sometimes-i-see/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainability-because-sometimes-i-see/#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 } } ] } ```