--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you weren’t an optimist, it would be…" description: "\"If you weren’t an optimist, it would be impossible to be an architect.\" — Norman Foster" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/norman-foster-16290_architect_if-you-weren-t-an-optimist-it-would-be-i_67192.png" --- # If you weren’t an optimist, it would be impossible to be… ![“If you weren’t an optimist, it would be impossible to be an architect.” quote by Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/norman-foster-16290_architect_if-you-weren-t-an-optimist-it-would-be-i_67192.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/norman-foster-16290_architect_if-you-weren-t-an-optimist-it-would-be-i_67192.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/norman-foster-16290_architect_if-you-weren-t-an-optimist-it-would-be-i_67192.png) > “If you weren’t an optimist, it would be impossible to be an architect.” [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Optimism fuels the creative vision and resilience needed to design and realize complex structures. **In simple terms:** Optimism drives architectural innovation. Key Takeaway Positive outlook enables bold design. Themes creativity resilience vision optimism architecture Mood inspired confident Type motivational professional When to use this quote - conceptualizing new projects - overcoming design setbacks - leading design teams Key Concepts design thinking risk tolerance Practical Applications - architectural concept development - strategic planning for large-scale builds Questions to Reflect On - How does optimism affect design decisions? - What risks do architects face without it? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/) [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Optimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist/) ## Related quotes > [As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/as-an-architect-you-design-for-the-present-with-an-awareness-of-the/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [Manhattan, one of the most moneyed spots on the planet, also has one of the greatest concentrations of people in its skyscrapers. It's also,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/manhattan-one-of-the-most-moneyed-spots-on-the-planet-also-has-one-of/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [I don't divide architecture, landscape and gardening; to me they are one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-barragan/i-don-t-divide-architecture-landscape-and-gardening-to-me-they-are-one/) [Luis Barragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-barragan/) > [If architecture had nothing to do with art, it would be astonishingly easy to build houses, but the architect's task - his most difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-jacobsen/if-architecture-had-nothing-to-do-with-art-it-would-be-astonishingly/) [Arne Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-jacobsen/) > [When you design a building, you start from a general philosophy, and you come down, and you start from detail and come up. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-piano/when-you-design-a-building-you-start-from-a-general-philosophy-and/) [Renzo Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-piano/) > [No matter what an architect may be at home, he becomes a monumentalist when he comes to Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/no-matter-what-an-architect-may-be-at-home-he-becomes-a-monumentalist/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [Architects in the past have tended to concentrate their attention on the building as a static object. I believe dynamics are more important: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/architects-in-the-past-have-tended-to-concentrate-their-attention-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The challenge of today's generation of architects is the environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ross-barney/the-challenge-of-today-s-generation-of-architects-is-the-environment/) [Carol Ross Barney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ross-barney/) > [Yes, Garnett Grey was an Architect. Were a psychoanalyst to approach him from behind, tap his shoulder, and say 'Humanity,' Garrett'd spin and respond,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-kidd/yes-garnett-grey-was-an-architect-were-a-psychoanalyst-to-approach/) [Chip Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-kidd/) > [The pursuit of peace resembles the building of a great cathedral. It is the work of a generation. In concept it requires a mater-architect;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/the-pursuit-of-peace-resembles-the-building-of-a-great-cathedral-it/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [The architect is very interesting because the architect is the commander, meaning the one who commands all the workers. The architect is also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-architect-is-very-interesting-because-the-architect-is-the/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/) [Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/) > [When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-it-comes-to-getting-things-done-we-need-fewer-architects-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Norman Foster > [Didn't think her vision was consistent with the ORC, especially the way the Council wishes to work with the ORC. For example, with regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/didn-t-think-her-vision-was-consistent-with-the-orc-especially-the/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/as-an-architect-you-design-for-the-present-with-an-awareness-of-the/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [Everything we design is a response to the specific climate and culture of a particular place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/everything-we-design-is-a-response-to-the-specific-climate-and/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [Manhattan, one of the most moneyed spots on the planet, also has one of the greatest concentrations of people in its skyscrapers. It's also,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/manhattan-one-of-the-most-moneyed-spots-on-the-planet-also-has-one-of/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [There's a snobbery at work in architecture. The subject is too often treated as a fine art, delicately wrapped in mumbo-jumbo. In reality, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/there-s-a-snobbery-at-work-in-architecture-the-subject-is-too-often/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [Every time I've flown an aircraft, or visited a steelworks, or watched a panel-beater at work, I've learned something new that can be applied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/every-time-i-ve-flown-an-aircraft-or-visited-a-steelworks-or-watched/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [You cannot separate the buildings out from the infrastructure of cites and the mobility of transit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/you-cannot-separate-the-buildings-out-from-the-infrastructure-of/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [The most amazing lesson in aerodynamics I ever had was the day I climbed a thermal in a glider at the same time as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/the-most-amazing-lesson-in-aerodynamics-i-ever-had-was-the-day-i/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [When the Great Fire of London destroyed most of the medieval city in 1666, Christopher Wren was invited to design a new one. Within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/when-the-great-fire-of-london-destroyed-most-of-the-medieval-city-in/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [I hope that any expansion of London will learn from the planning examples of some of its most desirable areas such as Chelsea, Notting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/i-hope-that-any-expansion-of-london-will-learn-from-the-planning/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [Google has already tested robot cars in San Francisco. If they can navigate San Francisco, they can probably manage just about anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/google-has-already-tested-robot-cars-in-san-francisco-if-they-can/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [Our object in life should be to accumulate a great number of grand questions to be asked and resolved in eternity ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/our-object-in-life-should-be-to-accumulate-a-great-number-of-grand/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [The Italians have long known what makes a livable town or city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/the-italians-have-long-known-what-makes-a-livable-town-or-city/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [A life-threatening illness or two certainly gives you an awareness of your own mortality. It heightens your sense of gratitude for things that previously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/a-life-threatening-illness-or-two-certainly-gives-you-an-awareness-of/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [There are those airports which make you feel better, and there are those airports that, when you go there, your heart sinks: you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/there-are-those-airports-which-make-you-feel-better-and-there-are/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) [Explore all 40 Norman Foster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) ## More Architect quotes > [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/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-it-comes-to-getting-things-done-we-need-fewer-architects-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/) [Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/) > [I was the chairman of the Budget Committee and the lead architect the last time it happened in Washington, and when we did it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-the-chairman-of-the-budget-committee-and-the-lead-architect-the/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [The architect is very interesting because the architect is the commander, meaning the one who commands all the workers. The architect is also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-architect-is-very-interesting-because-the-architect-is-the/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [The pursuit of peace resembles the building of a great cathedral. It is the work of a generation. In concept it requires a mater-architect;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/the-pursuit-of-peace-resembles-the-building-of-a-great-cathedral-it/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [Yes, Garnett Grey was an Architect. Were a psychoanalyst to approach him from behind, tap his shoulder, and say 'Humanity,' Garrett'd spin and respond,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-kidd/yes-garnett-grey-was-an-architect-were-a-psychoanalyst-to-approach/) [Chip Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-kidd/) > [The challenge of today's generation of architects is the environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ross-barney/the-challenge-of-today-s-generation-of-architects-is-the-environment/) [Carol Ross Barney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ross-barney/) > [I stand on this rostrum with a sense of deep humility and great pride - humility in the weight of those great American architects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/i-stand-on-this-rostrum-with-a-sense-of-deep-humility-and-great-pride/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [Architects in the past have tended to concentrate their attention on the building as a static object. I believe dynamics are more important: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/architects-in-the-past-have-tended-to-concentrate-their-attention-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was the chairman of the House Budget Committee and one of the chief architects the last time we balanced a budget, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-the-chairman-of-the-house-budget-committee-and-one-of-the-chief/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [No matter what an architect may be at home, he becomes a monumentalist when he comes to Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/no-matter-what-an-architect-may-be-at-home-he-becomes-a-monumentalist/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/as-an-architect-you-design-for-the-present-with-an-awareness-of-the/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) [Browse all 836 Architect quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you weren’t an optimist, it would be impossible to be an architect.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Norman Foster" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/if-you-weren-t-an-optimist-it-would-be-impossible-to-be-an-architect/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Architect" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/if-you-weren-t-an-optimist-it-would-be-impossible-to-be-an-architect/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/norman-foster-16290_architect_if-you-weren-t-an-optimist-it-would-be-i_67192.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/norman-foster-16290_architect_if-you-weren-t-an-optimist-it-would-be-i_67192.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/norman-foster-16290_architect_if-you-weren-t-an-optimist-it-would-be-i_67192.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you weren’t an optimist, it would be impossible to be an architect.” — Norman Foster", "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": "Norman Foster", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you weren’t an optimist, it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/if-you-weren-t-an-optimist-it-would-be-impossible-to-be-an-architect/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/if-you-weren-t-an-optimist-it-would-be-impossible-to-be-an-architect/#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 } } ] } ```