--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We came up to the first tower of the…" description: "\"“We came up to the first tower of the bridge, with a plaque proclaiming who had built it; I stopped to read. John Roebling. Aided by his wife, and then..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/ned-vizzini-1483_brooklyn_we-came-up-to-the-first-tower-of-the-bri_2903247.png" --- # We came up to the first tower of the bridge, with a plaque… ![“We came up to the first tower of the bridge, with a plaque proclaiming who had built it; I stopped to read. John Roebling. Aided by his wife, and then his son. He died during construction. But hey, the Brooklyn Bridge might be here for eight hundred years. I wanted to leave something like that…” quote by Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/ned-vizzini-1483_brooklyn_we-came-up-to-the-first-tower-of-the-bri_2903247.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/ned-vizzini-1483_brooklyn_we-came-up-to-the-first-tower-of-the-bri_2903247.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/ned-vizzini-1483_brooklyn_we-came-up-to-the-first-tower-of-the-bri_2903247.png) > ““We came up to the first tower of the bridge, with a plaque proclaiming who had built it; I stopped to read. John Roebling. Aided by his wife, and then his son. He died during construction. But hey, the Brooklyn Bridge might be here for eight hundred years. I wanted to leave something like that behind. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I felt like I had taken the first steps”” [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating lasting legacy inspires one to start building something meaningful, even without a clear plan. **In simple terms:** Legacy drives action; start even if uncertain. Key Takeaway Begin small projects with lasting impact. Themes legacy inspiration creativity Mood hopeful reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - community projects - art installations - entrepreneurial ventures - family traditions Key Concepts Visionary thinking personal purpose Questions to Reflect On - What small step can you take today? - How will you measure lasting impact? A Different Perspective Unclear goals can stall progress; need concrete steps. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brooklyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooklyn/) [Brooklyn bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooklyn-bridge/) [First step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) [First steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-steps/) ## Related quotes > [“Washington had been the one member of the family ever to go off and work with John Roebling at bridgebuilding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/washington-had-been-the-one-member-of-the-family-ever-to-go-off-and/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“I'll get up and bike to the Brooklyn Bridge and throw myself off it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/i-ll-get-up-and-bike-to-the-brooklyn-bridge-and-throw-myself-off-it/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [I would rather be the man who bought the Brooklyn Bridge than the man who sold it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/i-would-rather-be-the-man-who-bought-the-brooklyn-bridge-than-the-man/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [You can find your way across this country using burger joint the way a navigatior uses stars…We have munched Bridge burgers in the shadow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/you-can-find-your-way-across-this-country-using-burger-joint-the-way/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [George Washington Bridge? You throw yourself off the Brooklyn Bridge, traditionally. George Washington Bridge, who does that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/george-washington-bridge-you-throw-yourself-off-the-brooklyn-bridge/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [You have here In New York one of the greatest and most picturesque and artistic structures in the world. I mean the Brooklyn Bridge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gutzon-borglum/you-have-here-in-new-york-one-of-the-greatest-and-most-picturesque/) [Gutzon Borglum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gutzon-borglum/) > [Scientists are people who build the Brooklyn Bridge and then buy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/scientists-are-people-who-build-the-brooklyn-bridge-and-then-buy-it/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [For a time, people were getting arrested for photographing the Brooklyn Bridge. So to me, what it meant to do photography also changed. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/for-a-time-people-were-getting-arrested-for-photographing-the/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [I learned a great deal doing Brooklyn Bridge. I was able to take a giant step into the terrible reality that was then. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-ross/i-learned-a-great-deal-doing-brooklyn-bridge-i-was-able-to-take-a/) [Marion Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-ross/) > [I called my mother immediately to inform her that she was a bad parent. "I can't believe you let us watch this. We ate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-called-my-mother-immediately-to-inform-her-that-she-was-a-bad/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [Everyone should walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I did it three days in a row because it was one of the most exhilarating experiences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-should-walk-across-the-brooklyn-bridge-i-did-it-three-days/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's a coffee cup." She could hear the irritation in her own voice. "I know it's a coffee cup." "I can't wait till you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/it-s-a-coffee-cup-she-could-hear-the-irritation-in-her-own-voice-i/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [He fell in love with Manhattan's skyline, like a first-time brothel guest falling for a seasoned professional. He mused over her reflections in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-phillips/he-fell-in-love-with-manhattan-s-skyline-like-a-first-time-brothel/) [Arthur Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-phillips/) > [I played tennis at underneath - Brooklyn Bridge? Manhattan Bridge? Williamsburg Bridge? There are courts on the Manhattan side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callum-turner/i-played-tennis-at-underneath-brooklyn-bridge-manhattan-bridge/) [Callum Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callum-turner/) > [The Brooklyn Bridge and I grew up together,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-smith/the-brooklyn-bridge-and-i-grew-up-together/) [Al Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-smith/) ## More by Ned Vizzini > [I want to live but I want to die. What do I do?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/i-want-to-live-but-i-want-to-die-what-do-i-do/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“See, because being Cool is obviously the most important thing on earth. It’s more important than getting a job, or having a girlfriend, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/see-because-being-cool-is-obviously-the-most-important-thing-on-earth/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“She puts on her poker face; I don’t have any extra faces to put on, just the normal Craig face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/she-puts-on-her-poker-face-i-don-t-have-any-extra-faces-to-put-on/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“pro scienta atque sapienta-Latin- for science and wisdom It's a Darwinian popularity contest. at all times, the question on everyone's mind is, "who's coolest?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/pro-scienta-atque-sapienta-latin-for-science-and-wisdom-it-s-a/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [I think you run out of 'I love yous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/i-think-you-run-out-of-i-love-yous/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [So now live for real, Craig. Live. Live. Live. Live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/so-now-live-for-real-craig-live-live-live-live/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“...one quarter of your life is spent as a minor; you might as well make the best of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/one-quarter-of-your-life-is-spent-as-a-minor-you-might-as-well-make/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [Once you have a kid, it's amazing how quickly people ask, 'So are you going to stop at just one?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/once-you-have-a-kid-it-s-amazing-how-quickly-people-ask-so-are-you/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“So when I ran out of the final bottle of Zoloft, I didn’t take any more. I didn’t call Dr. Barney either. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/so-when-i-ran-out-of-the-final-bottle-of-zoloft-i-didn-t-take-any/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“If Bobby can get a place to live, I think, then I can get a life worth living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/if-bobby-can-get-a-place-to-live-i-think-then-i-can-get-a-life-worth/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“Up next is Noelle. 'Hey, girl!' 'Don't you dare start calling me that. This is very nice of you to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/up-next-is-noelle-hey-girl-don-t-you-dare-start-calling-me-that-this/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [They're sort of ancillary anyway, friends. I mean, they're important -- everybody knows that; the TV tells you so -- but they come and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/they-re-sort-of-ancillary-anyway-friends-i-mean-they-re-important/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“There are only things that could have turned out differently. You don't have any shoulds or woulds in your life, see? You only have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/there-are-only-things-that-could-have-turned-out-differently-you-don/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [That's what gets me through the day. Knowing that I could do it. That I'm strong enough to do it and I can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/that-s-what-gets-me-through-the-day-knowing-that-i-could-do-it-that-i/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [I like how you don't hide your problems like everyone else, and I don't have to hide mine when I'm around you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/i-like-how-you-don-t-hide-your-problems-like-everyone-else-and-i-don/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) [Explore all 237 Ned Vizzini quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) ## More Brooklyn quotes > [Mike Tyson is the most complex person I've ever met in my life. I've known Mike since 1986. We're both from Brooklyn. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/mike-tyson-is-the-most-complex-person-i-ve-ever-met-in-my-life-i-ve/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [Brooklyn is a very weird borough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keeth-smart/brooklyn-is-a-very-weird-borough/) [Keeth Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keeth-smart/) > [Compton is this amazing place with a rich history. I see it as a new Brooklyn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aja-brown/compton-is-this-amazing-place-with-a-rich-history-i-see-it-as-a-new/) [Aja Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aja-brown/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [Brooklyn, where I grew up, is a competitive burg - there's always a pretty boy around the corner there, and you gotta look better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus-london/brooklyn-where-i-grew-up-is-a-competitive-burg-there-s-always-a/) [Theophilus London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus-london/) > [Coming from Haiti and growing up in Brooklyn, there's a lot of European influence when I get dressed up. I wear a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyclef-jean/coming-from-haiti-and-growing-up-in-brooklyn-there-s-a-lot-of/) [Wyclef Jean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyclef-jean/) > [No, I ain't a star - I'm just a kid from Brooklyn, living his dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astro/no-i-ain-t-a-star-i-m-just-a-kid-from-brooklyn-living-his-dream/) [Astro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astro/) > [Brooklyn is not the easiest place to grow up in, although I wouldn't change that experience for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-diamond/brooklyn-is-not-the-easiest-place-to-grow-up-in-although-i-wouldn-t/) [Neil Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-diamond/) > [My childhood here... was very limited. So it was a long, long time before I actually went out to Brooklyn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/my-childhood-here-was-very-limited-so-it-was-a-long-long-time-before/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [My father grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., with my grandparents. In Norwegian my name is pronounced 'Yoo' but my father used to call me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesbo/my-father-grew-up-in-brooklyn-n-y-with-my-grandparents-in-norwegian/) [Jo Nesbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesbo/) > [Comparing the Brooklyn that I know with Manhattan is like comparing a comfortable and complacent duenna to her more brilliant and neurotic sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/comparing-the-brooklyn-that-i-know-with-manhattan-is-like-comparing-a/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [We wept, Brooklyn was a lovely place to hit. If you got a ball in the air, you had a chance to get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duke-snider/we-wept-brooklyn-was-a-lovely-place-to-hit-if-you-got-a-ball-in-the/) [Duke Snider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duke-snider/) > [Bob Smith from Brooklyn is a guy who sometimes gets hung with problems and fears. Wolfman Jack is a happy-go-lucky guy who knows how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfman-jack/bob-smith-from-brooklyn-is-a-guy-who-sometimes-gets-hung-with/) [Wolfman Jack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfman-jack/) > [I don't think that you can say by any stretch of the imagination that all Wisconsin or Brooklyn-based poets write in a particular way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-don-t-think-that-you-can-say-by-any-stretch-of-the-imagination-that/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I had never really felt settled in Brooklyn. I think it had to do with growing up in New Jersey and being someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-had-never-really-felt-settled-in-brooklyn-i-think-it-had-to-do-with/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) [Browse all 556 Brooklyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooklyn/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We came up to the first tower of the bridge, with a plaque proclaiming who had built it; I stopped to read. John Roebling. Aided by his wife, and then his son. He died during construction. But hey, the Brooklyn Bridge might be here for eight hundred years. I wanted to leave something like that behind. 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