--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live in a complicated, oppressive…" description: "\"We live in a complicated, oppressive world with enormous cities and vast populations, and I try to contribute by making it more light and open and calm..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5dc/moshe-safdie-21860_calm_we-live-in-a-complicated-oppressive-worl_645014.jpg" --- # We live in a complicated, oppressive world with enormous… ![“We live in a complicated, oppressive world with enormous cities and vast populations, and I try to contribute by making it more light and open and calm.” quote by Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5dc/moshe-safdie-21860_calm_we-live-in-a-complicated-oppressive-worl_645014.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5dc/moshe-safdie-21860_calm_we-live-in-a-complicated-oppressive-worl_645014.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5dc/moshe-safdie-21860_calm_we-live-in-a-complicated-oppressive-worl_645014.jpg) > “We live in a complicated, oppressive world with enormous cities and vast populations, and I try to contribute by making it more light and open and calm.” [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates creating lighter, open, and calm spaces within complex, oppressive urban environments. **In simple terms:** Seeks calmness in dense cities. Key Takeaway Design for openness and tranquility. Themes urban design well‑being calmness oppression Mood hopeful inspired Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - city planning - community projects - personal living spaces Key Concepts architecture public spaces Questions to Reflect On - How can designers foster calm in crowded areas? - What trade‑offs exist? A Different Perspective Balancing openness with practical constraints can be tough. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Calm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Oppressive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressive/) [Populations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/populations/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The richness of our contemporary visual world must be seen as a danger. It is an overwhelming and oppressive world. A world that manifests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmundo-desnoes/the-richness-of-our-contemporary-visual-world-must-be-seen-as-a/) [Edmundo Desnoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmundo-desnoes/) > [This was his world, he said to himself, the sad, oppressive world that God had provided for him, and he was responsible to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/this-was-his-world-he-said-to-himself-the-sad-oppressive-world-that/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [One of the issues facing us today is that there are countries where there is a serious lack of resources, the standards of living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-merkle/one-of-the-issues-facing-us-today-is-that-there-are-countries-where/) [Ralph Merkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-merkle/) > [Medicine is still all about treating populations, not people - one-size-fits all treatments and diagnoses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-topol/medicine-is-still-all-about-treating-populations-not-people-one-size/) [Eric Topol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-topol/) > [Throughout the early and mid-1990s, the Clinton administration debated the merits of paying for AIDS testing and counseling of vulnerable populations overseas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/throughout-the-early-and-mid-1990s-the-clinton-administration-debated/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [This much is true: When we created the euro, it wasn't possible to create a political union along with it. People weren't ready for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-schauble/this-much-is-true-when-we-created-the-euro-it-wasn-t-possible-to/) [Wolfgang Schauble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-schauble/) > [I am proud to represent New York's 13th Congressional District, which has one of the largest and diverse populations in the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-b-rangel/i-am-proud-to-represent-new-york-s-13th-congressional-district-which/) [Charles B. Rangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-b-rangel/) > [I did not claim that speciation occurs only in founder populations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mayr/i-did-not-claim-that-speciation-occurs-only-in-founder-populations/) [Ernst Mayr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mayr/) > [During consideration in the Education and the Workforce Committee this year, Democrats and Republicans worked constructively together to improve the delivery of Head Start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-roybal-allard/during-consideration-in-the-education-and-the-workforce-committee/) [Lucille Roybal-Allard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-roybal-allard/) > [When you think about the scale of human populations all over the world and the fact that there's so much here, really, the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parcak/when-you-think-about-the-scale-of-human-populations-all-over-the/) [Sarah Parcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parcak/) > [It's fashionable to speak about vulnerable populations in medicine and public policy, but it's harder to find a more vulnerable population than those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-a-christakis/it-s-fashionable-to-speak-about-vulnerable-populations-in-medicine/) [Nicholas A. Christakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-a-christakis/) > [You cannot take one set of issues from one country and apply it to another. They are all different, in terms of history, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aga-khan-iv/you-cannot-take-one-set-of-issues-from-one-country-and-apply-it-to/) [Aga Khan IV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aga-khan-iv/) > [If we can contain and monitor animal viruses at an earlier stage - when they're first entering human populations, preferably before they've had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-wolfe/if-we-can-contain-and-monitor-animal-viruses-at-an-earlier-stage-when/) [Nathan Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-wolfe/) > [Heartless though it may seem to some, among the least harmful things to eat are sustainably culled wild animals. In the absence of natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/heartless-though-it-may-seem-to-some-among-the-least-harmful-things/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [Exchange of breeding individuals between two populations tends to homogenize their gene pools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-r-grant/exchange-of-breeding-individuals-between-two-populations-tends-to/) [Peter R. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-r-grant/) ## More by Moshe Safdie > [A house is not a machine! It's something else for living - but not a machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/a-house-is-not-a-machine-it-s-something-else-for-living-but-not-a/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [We are producing urban places which are disjointed and disconnected and not worthy of our civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/we-are-producing-urban-places-which-are-disjointed-and-disconnected/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [I want my children to be able to meet and play and communicate with many other children on their own, not only when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/i-want-my-children-to-be-able-to-meet-and-play-and-communicate-with/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [There is a profound ethic to architecture which is different from the other arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/there-is-a-profound-ethic-to-architecture-which-is-different-from-the/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [A painter, a sculptor, a writer, they can express freely. They don't affect society as a whole. We build buildings that have a purpose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/a-painter-a-sculptor-a-writer-they-can-express-freely-they-don-t/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [Who knows, maybe I am simply a talented architect?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/who-knows-maybe-i-am-simply-a-talented-architect/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [I want my buildings to take root and look as if they've always been there. It isn't about pastiche or adapting what's already there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/i-want-my-buildings-to-take-root-and-look-as-if-they-ve-always-been/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [The greatest satisfaction, I think, is when a building opens and the public possesses it and you cut the umbilical cord and you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/the-greatest-satisfaction-i-think-is-when-a-building-opens-and-the/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [Architecture is changing faster than some other professions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/architecture-is-changing-faster-than-some-other-professions/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [He who seeks truth shall find beauty. He who seeks beauty shall find vanity. He who seeks order shall find gratification. He who seeks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/he-who-seeks-truth-shall-find-beauty-he-who-seeks-beauty-shall-find/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [This is the contradictory desire in our utopia. We want to live in a small community with which we can identify and yet we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/this-is-the-contradictory-desire-in-our-utopia-we-want-to-live-in-a/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [Countries and places have a history, a story, and a culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/countries-and-places-have-a-history-a-story-and-a-culture/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [Except for the projects in Israel, my being Israeli has contributed negatively to my global activity. It is hard for me, for example, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/except-for-the-projects-in-israel-my-being-israeli-has-contributed/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [I don't think I have a signature style that announces, 'This is a Safdie.' But I think star architects have seized an opportunity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/i-don-t-think-i-have-a-signature-style-that-announces-this-is-a/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [I'm completely taken and impressed by the planning authority of Singapore and its Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). It's the most cutting-edge agency in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/i-m-completely-taken-and-impressed-by-the-planning-authority-of/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) [Explore all 28 Moshe Safdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) ## More Calm quotes > [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“After the storm, reigns the calm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simdi-onuora/after-the-storm-reigns-the-calm/) Simdi Onuora > [So mightiest powers buy deepest calms are fed, And sleep, how oft, in things that gentlest be!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-procter/so-mightiest-powers-buy-deepest-calms-are-fed-and-sleep-how-oft-in/) [Bryan Procter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-procter/) > [KEEP CALM and HAVE A SUGAR CUBE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/keep-calm-and-have-a-sugar-cube/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [To practice Aikido fully you must calm the spirit and go back to the origin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/to-practice-aikido-fully-you-must-calm-the-spirit-and-go-back-to-the/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) > [You imagine that I look back on my life's work with calm satisfaction. But from nearby it looks quite different. There is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/you-imagine-that-i-look-back-on-my-life-s-work-with-calm-satisfaction/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) > [The goal of the operation is to send Gaza back to the Middle Ages, only then will Israel be calm for the next 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ben-ari/the-goal-of-the-operation-is-to-send-gaza-back-to-the-middle-ages/) Michael Ben-Ari > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. But I have lived, And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/when-i-was-a-child-i-truly-loved-unthinking-love-as-calm-and-deep-as/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [~Keep Calm and Swagger On~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/keep-calm-and-swagger-on/) Im Nothing > [Ride your horse calm, forward and then make him straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-zettl/ride-your-horse-calm-forward-and-then-make-him-straight/) [Walter Zettl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-zettl/) > [Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs. With this creed, revenge never worries my heart, degradation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/life-appears-to-me-too-short-to-be-spent-in-nursing-animosity-or/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) [Browse all 3,074 Calm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We live in a complicated, oppressive world with enormous cities and vast populations, and I try to contribute by making it more light and open and calm.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Moshe Safdie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/we-live-in-a-complicated-oppressive-world-with-enormous-cities-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Calm" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/we-live-in-a-complicated-oppressive-world-with-enormous-cities-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5dc/moshe-safdie-21860_calm_we-live-in-a-complicated-oppressive-worl_645014.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5dc/moshe-safdie-21860_calm_we-live-in-a-complicated-oppressive-worl_645014.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5dc/moshe-safdie-21860_calm_we-live-in-a-complicated-oppressive-worl_645014.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We live in a complicated, oppressive world with enormous cities and vast populations, and I try to…” — Moshe Safdie", "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": "Moshe Safdie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We live in a complicated, oppressive...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/we-live-in-a-complicated-oppressive-world-with-enormous-cities-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/we-live-in-a-complicated-oppressive-world-with-enormous-cities-and/#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 } } ] } ```