--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My ambition has always been to reduce a…" description: "\"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 t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/oscar-niemeyer-12939_ambition_my-ambition-has-always-been-to-reduce-a_2686146.png" --- # My ambition has always been to reduce a building's support… ![“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 the architecture is. That has been my life's work.” quote by Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/oscar-niemeyer-12939_ambition_my-ambition-has-always-been-to-reduce-a_2686146.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/oscar-niemeyer-12939_ambition_my-ambition-has-always-been-to-reduce-a_2686146.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/oscar-niemeyer-12939_ambition_my-ambition-has-always-been-to-reduce-a_2686146.png) > “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 the architecture is. That has been my life's work.” [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. He strives to strip structures to their essential support, believing minimalism makes architecture bold and significant. **In simple terms:** Less support leads to more daring, important design. Key Takeaway Embrace minimalism to amplify architectural impact. Themes architecture minimalism innovation structure audacity Mood analytical inspired practical Type philosophical design When to use this quote - Urban planning - building design - educational workshops Key Concepts Structural efficiency aesthetic daring design philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What are the limits of reducing structural support? - How does minimalism affect user experience? A Different Perspective Simplicity may compromise functionality or safety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Architecture Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture-life-731585/) [Audacious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audacious/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Building Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-support-2621025/) [Diminish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diminish/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-architecture-1252503/) [Minimum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minimum/) [My ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-ambition/) [Reduce Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reduce-building-2621023/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Supporting Structures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supporting-structures-2621024/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Supporting actors are the support. You can't make a building without support. You can't buy dinner without support.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/supporting-actors-are-the-support-you-can-t-make-a-building-without/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“I tend to believe in the traditional architecture of life and the afterlife. This world is a journey of discovery and purification. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-tend-to-believe-in-the-traditional-architecture-of-life-and-the/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I believe that architecture, as anything else in life, is evolutionary. Ideas evolve; they don't come from outer space and crash into the drawing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarke-ingels/i-believe-that-architecture-as-anything-else-in-life-is-evolutionary/) [Bjarke Ingels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarke-ingels/) > [New York is the cubist, the futurist city. It expresses in its architecture, its life, its spirit, the modern thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-picabia/new-york-is-the-cubist-the-futurist-city-it-expresses-in-its/) [Francis Picabia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-picabia/) > [Architecture is life, or at least it is life itself taking form and therefore it is the truest record of life as it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/architecture-is-life-or-at-least-it-is-life-itself-taking-form-and/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [“The pleasure of doing the same thing, in the same way, every day, shouldn't be overlooked. The things I do every day take on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/the-pleasure-of-doing-the-same-thing-in-the-same-way-every-day/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Lucknow's architecture is a part of life in the city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoojit-sircar/lucknow-s-architecture-is-a-part-of-life-in-the-city/) [Shoojit Sircar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoojit-sircar/) > [I look forward to growing old and wise and audacious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/i-look-forward-to-growing-old-and-wise-and-audacious/) [Glenda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-jackson/) > [I am, what you call, an audacious man. I could walk into the room of Warren Buffet, and he may not give me the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anubhav-sinha/i-am-what-you-call-an-audacious-man-i-could-walk-into-the-room-of/) [Anubhav Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anubhav-sinha/) > [The most radical, audacious thing to think is that there might be some point to working hard and thinking hard and reading hard and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-radical-audacious-thing-to-think-is-that-there-might-be-some/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Ambition quotes > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/) [Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/) [Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/) > [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/) [Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/) [Browse all 4,601 Ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My ambition has always been to reduce a building's support to a minimum. 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