--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not with architecture that one can…" description: "\"It is not with architecture that one can disseminate any political ideology.\" — Oscar Niemeyer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e9/oscar-niemeyer-12939_architecture_it-is-not-with-architecture-that-one-can_2546526.png" --- # It is not with architecture that one can disseminate any… ![“It is not with architecture that one can disseminate any political ideology.” quote by Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e9/oscar-niemeyer-12939_architecture_it-is-not-with-architecture-that-one-can_2546526.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e9/oscar-niemeyer-12939_architecture_it-is-not-with-architecture-that-one-can_2546526.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e9/oscar-niemeyer-12939_architecture_it-is-not-with-architecture-that-one-can_2546526.png) > “It is not with architecture that one can disseminate any political ideology.” [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 alone cannot spread political ideas; design is neutral. **In simple terms:** Buildings don’t convey politics by themselves. Key Takeaway Use architecture to support, not dictate, messages. Themes politics design neutrality Mood critical reflective Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - public spaces - government buildings - propaganda Key Concepts architecture ideology influence Questions to Reflect On - Can architecture subtly influence opinions? - What responsibilities do architects have? A Different Perspective Design can be co-opted for agendas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Ideology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideology/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political ideology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-ideology/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [One cannot overstate the childishness of the ideas that feed and stir the masses. Real ideas must as a rule be simplified to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-haffner/one-cannot-overstate-the-childishness-of-the-ideas-that-feed-and-stir/) Sebastian Haffner > [I don't design stories to fit some political ideology. I design stories about characters who I love and care about, while trying to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-levinson/i-don-t-design-stories-to-fit-some-political-ideology-i-design/) [Sam Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-levinson/) > [I say you don't need religion, or political ideology, to understand human nature. Science reveals that human nature is greedy and selfish, altruistic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/i-say-you-don-t-need-religion-or-political-ideology-to-understand/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [The courtroom is a quiet place, Judge Roberts, where you park your political ideology, and you call the balls and you call the strikes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/the-courtroom-is-a-quiet-place-judge-roberts-where-you-park-your/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) > [My hope is that people begin to understand what the fiscal realities are - how economic virtue differs from political virtue - and develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-bills/my-hope-is-that-people-begin-to-understand-what-the-fiscal-realities/) [Kurt Bills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-bills/) > [True equality means holding everyone accountable in the same way, regardless of race, gender, faith, ethnicity - or political ideology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/true-equality-means-holding-everyone-accountable-in-the-same-way/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [Actual evil probably requires much more creativity, passion, and political ideology than anyone at or near the top of Microsoft seems to possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/actual-evil-probably-requires-much-more-creativity-passion-and/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) > [Damn it, if just 5% of people got motivated in some direction, and it doesn't necessarily have to be what I believe in, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-jones/damn-it-if-just-5-of-people-got-motivated-in-some-direction-and-it/) [Alex Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-jones/) > [I wouldn't say I see my work as having a political ideology. Lynn Nottage certainly has a political ideology. I think that the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/i-wouldn-t-say-i-see-my-work-as-having-a-political-ideology-lynn/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [If the great story of the last century was the conflict among various political ideologies-communism, fascism and democracy-then the great narrative of this century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-tucker/if-the-great-story-of-the-last-century-was-the-conflict-among-various/) [Cynthia Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-tucker/) > [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 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/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/architecture-is-my-work-and-i-ve-spent-my-whole-life-at-a-drawing/) [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/) > [“As Islamic liberalism waned, and resistance arose against the West and its influence, that very resistance started to replace genuine religiosity as the basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/as-islamic-liberalism-waned-and-resistance-arose-against-the-west-and/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) ## 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/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/architecture-is-my-work-and-i-ve-spent-my-whole-life-at-a-drawing/) [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/) [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. 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