--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Architecture is my work, and I've spent…" description: "\"Architecture is my work, and I've spent my whole life at a drawing board, but life is more important than architecture. What matters is to improve huma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/oscar-niemeyer-12939_architecture_architecture-is-my-work-and-i-ve-spent-m_130825.jpg" --- # Architecture is my work, and I've spent my whole life at a… ![“Architecture is my work, and I've spent my whole life at a drawing board, but life is more important than architecture. What matters is to improve human beings.” quote by Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/oscar-niemeyer-12939_architecture_architecture-is-my-work-and-i-ve-spent-m_130825.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/oscar-niemeyer-12939_architecture_architecture-is-my-work-and-i-ve-spent-m_130825.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/oscar-niemeyer-12939_architecture_architecture-is-my-work-and-i-ve-spent-m_130825.jpg) > “Architecture is my work, and I've spent my whole life at a drawing board, but life is more important than architecture. What matters is to improve human beings.” [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Architecture serves humanity; improving human well‑being outweighs design accolades. **In simple terms:** Human improvement matters more than architecture. Key Takeaway Prioritize people over projects. Themes architecture humanism design ethics legacy Mood thoughtful inspirational Type design humanitarian When to use this quote - urban planning - public spaces - community projects - education programs Key Concepts social impact human‑centered design legacy building Questions to Reflect On - How can architects measure human impact? - What projects best serve communities? A Different Perspective Balancing artistic vision with social needs is challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Architecture is my work, and Ive spent my whole life at a drawing board, but life is more important than architecture. What matters is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/architecture-is-my-work-and-ive-spent-my-whole-life-at-a-drawing/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [Life is more important than architecture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/life-is-more-important-than-architecture/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [My ambition has always been to reduce a building's support to a minimum. The more we diminish supporting structures, the more audacious and important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/my-ambition-has-always-been-to-reduce-a-building-s-support-to-a/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [I search for surprise in my architecture. A work of art should cause the emotion of newness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/i-search-for-surprise-in-my-architecture-a-work-of-art-should-cause/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [Architecture is the work of nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/architecture-is-the-work-of-nations/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [The content could be done anyplace, but the real invention is the architecture. The architecture is the only work that really defines a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miuccia-prada/the-content-could-be-done-anyplace-but-the-real-invention-is-the/) [Miuccia Prada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miuccia-prada/) > [All important architecture of the last century was strongly influenced by political systems. Look at the Soviet system, with its constructivism and Stalinism, Weimer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/all-important-architecture-of-the-last-century-was-strongly/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [It is not an individual act, architecture. You have to consider your client. Only out of that can you produce great architecture. You cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-m-pei/it-is-not-an-individual-act-architecture-you-have-to-consider-your/) [I. M. Pei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-m-pei/) > [Infrastructure is much more important than architecture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/infrastructure-is-much-more-important-than-architecture/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [We will have to continue to improve our human intelligence system-something that was, unfortunately, lacking in the years which led up to September 11.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sununu/we-will-have-to-continue-to-improve-our-human-intelligence-system/) [John Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sununu/) > [Suffering doesn't improve human beings, does it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/suffering-doesn-t-improve-human-beings-does-it/) [Herta Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [Research suggests that exposure to the natural world - including nearby nature in cities - helps improve human health, well-being, and intellectual capacity in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-louv/research-suggests-that-exposure-to-the-natural-world-including-nearby/) [Richard Louv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-louv/) > [Frederick Nietzsche was important to me, in teaching that it's okay to strive to improve the human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/frederick-nietzsche-was-important-to-me-in-teaching-that-it-s-okay-to/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [If we could honestly promise young couples that we knew how to give them offspring with superior character, why should we assume they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-watson/if-we-could-honestly-promise-young-couples-that-we-knew-how-to-give/) [James D. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-watson/) > [“I fear, trying to improve human nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/i-fear-trying-to-improve-human-nature/) [Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) ## More by Oscar Niemeyer > [Of course, I have given my engineers some headaches over the years, but they go with me. I have always wanted my buildings to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/of-course-i-have-given-my-engineers-some-headaches-over-the-years-but/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [Surprise is key in all art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/surprise-is-key-in-all-art/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [Camus says in 'The Stranger' that reason is the enemy of imagination. Sometimes you have to put reason aside and make something beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/camus-says-in-the-stranger-that-reason-is-the-enemy-of-imagination/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [I had some good opportunities. I was lucky to have had the chance to do things differently. Architecture is about surprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/i-had-some-good-opportunities-i-was-lucky-to-have-had-the-chance-to/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [There is no reason to design buildings that are more basic and rectilinear, because with concrete you can cover almost any space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/there-is-no-reason-to-design-buildings-that-are-more-basic-and/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [Today, architecture is invention. It isn't enough to just be rational - It must also be beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/today-architecture-is-invention-it-isn-t-enough-to-just-be-rational/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [I search for surprise in my architecture. A work of art should cause the emotion of newness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/i-search-for-surprise-in-my-architecture-a-work-of-art-should-cause/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [Right angles don't attract me. Nor straight, hard and inflexible lines created by man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/right-angles-don-t-attract-me-nor-straight-hard-and-inflexible-lines/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [The challenge of a cathedral is very good for architectural inventiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/the-challenge-of-a-cathedral-is-very-good-for-architectural/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [My work is not about 'form follows function,' but 'form follows beauty' or, even better, 'form follows feminine.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/my-work-is-not-about-form-follows-function-but-form-follows-beauty-or/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [Architecture was my way of expressing my ideals: to be simple, to create a world equal to everyone, to look at people with optimism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/architecture-was-my-way-of-expressing-my-ideals-to-be-simple-to/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [Here, then, is what I wanted to tell you of my architecture. I created it with courage and idealism, but also with an awareness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/here-then-is-what-i-wanted-to-tell-you-of-my-architecture-i-created/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [Architecture is invention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/architecture-is-invention/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [A church is something very beautiful. It is nice when people feel happy in it. But I am not a religious man. Look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/a-church-is-something-very-beautiful-it-is-nice-when-people-feel/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [I pick up my pen. It flows. A building appears. There it is. There is nothing more to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/i-pick-up-my-pen-it-flows-a-building-appears-there-it-is-there-is/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) [Explore all 52 Oscar Niemeyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) ## 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": "Architecture is my work, and I've spent my whole life at a drawing board, but life is more important than architecture. 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