--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Architects have big egos. We like to…" description: "\"Architects have big egos. We like to think we're creating the pyramids and they're going to be around for thousands of years. And it's a joke because t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b78/peter-marino-12089_architects_architects-have-big-egos-we-like-to-thin_2670384.jpg" --- # Architects have big egos. We like to think we're creating… ![“Architects have big egos. We like to think we're creating the pyramids and they're going to be around for thousands of years. And it's a joke because they're not even going to last our lifetime. I built a home for umpteen gazillion dollars on a gorgeous piece of property in Palm Beach, and 11…” quote by Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b78/peter-marino-12089_architects_architects-have-big-egos-we-like-to-thin_2670384.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b78/peter-marino-12089_architects_architects-have-big-egos-we-like-to-thin_2670384.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b78/peter-marino-12089_architects_architects-have-big-egos-we-like-to-thin_2670384.jpg) > “Architects have big egos. We like to think we're creating the pyramids and they're going to be around for thousands of years. And it's a joke because they're not even going to last our lifetime. I built a home for umpteen gazillion dollars on a gorgeous piece of property in Palm Beach, and 11 years later somebody else bought it and knocked it down.” [Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Architects often overestimate the lasting impact of their work, seeing it as monumental, yet many structures are short‑lived. **In simple terms:** Architects think their designs will last forever, but they often don’t. Key Takeaway Recognize the impermanence of creations and focus on lasting value. Themes ego legacy impermanence architecture pride Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - real estate development - personal projects - urban planning - historical preservation Key Concepts mortality cultural impact sustainability Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance ambition with humility? - What lasting value can you create beyond physical structures? A Different Perspective Even iconic designs can be replaced; fame doesn’t guarantee endurance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architects/) [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Beach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beach/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke/) [Pyramids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pyramids/) ## Related quotes > [“I’m at architecture school at UCLA.” “Ooooh, I love architects. 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My dad took me hunting, trapping and fishing when I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-thompson/i-grew-up-in-west-palm-beach-florida-my-dad-took-me-hunting-trapping/) [John W. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-thompson/) > [My company was based in Palm Beach, Florida, but when 'Bar Rescue' took off, I knew I had to move west. 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To Vice-President Al Gore, Secretary of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-willem-honig/back-in-washington-frasure-s-delicate-diplomacy-was-supported-by-his/) [Jan Willem Honig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-willem-honig/) > [I have my hair done by Valery Joseph, who does a version of the Palm Beach crash helmet so that it doesn't move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-gubelmann/i-have-my-hair-done-by-valery-joseph-who-does-a-version-of-the-palm/) [Marjorie Gubelmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-gubelmann/) > [I was not trying to be snarky or snobby by saying that West Palm Beach is no Palm Beach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinsley-mortimer/i-was-not-trying-to-be-snarky-or-snobby-by-saying-that-west-palm/) [Tinsley Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinsley-mortimer/) > [I have thousands and thousands of people on my payroll. Over the years, I have had tens of thousands of people that work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-have-thousands-and-thousands-of-people-on-my-payroll-over-the-years/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In 2013, after living in New York for 18 years, I decided to leave Manhattan for a fresh start in Palm Beach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinsley-mortimer/in-2013-after-living-in-new-york-for-18-years-i-decided-to-leave/) [Tinsley Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinsley-mortimer/) > ["Hi. You know with everything going down in West Palm Beach, and the holidays right around the corner I couldn't think of a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/hi-you-know-with-everything-going-down-in-west-palm-beach-and-the/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“That era provided a profusion of wonderful actors and actresses to admire—and not always the ones remembered by posterity. Take Joel McCrea, for instance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wagner/that-era-provided-a-profusion-of-wonderful-actors-and-actresses-to/) [Robert Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wagner/) ## More by Peter Marino > [I have this 'Alice in Wonderland' idea in my head that a garden should be a place of wonderment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marino/i-have-this-alice-in-wonderland-idea-in-my-head-that-a-garden-should/) [Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/) > [In 1991, if someone came in with a $1 million budget for a boutique, I would have fainted. Nobody spent even half that. 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Then came the Armani suits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marino/motorcycle-garb-is-the-way-i-looked-to-warhol-then-came-the-armani/) [Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/) > [Koishikawa Korakuen Garden - one of Tokyo's oldest Japanese gardens, and one of the best spots for viewing the cherry blossoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marino/koishikawa-korakuen-garden-one-of-tokyo-s-oldest-japanese-gardens-and/) [Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/) > [All bronzes are made to be touched. Bronze is a sensual 'living' material. 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I don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marino/i-loathe-when-architects-only-analyze-architecture-in-intellectual/) [Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/) > [We have a thousand hydrangea plants bordering the house, and they were all supposed to be pink, but a handful of them keep turning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marino/we-have-a-thousand-hydrangea-plants-bordering-the-house-and-they-were/) [Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/) > [If something's a high-margin product, I understand its importance to the store.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marino/if-something-s-a-high-margin-product-i-understand-its-importance-to/) [Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/) > [That was really the Fifties for me - that whole spirit of flicking the paint on the canvas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marino/that-was-really-the-fifties-for-me-that-whole-spirit-of-flicking-the/) [Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/) > [I do really modern with materials that are so luxurious that they're, like, baroque.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marino/i-do-really-modern-with-materials-that-are-so-luxurious-that-they-re/) [Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/) > [I like my clients. All of my clients say, "Peter. You're talented. But, your best virtue is your discretion." They really don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marino/i-like-my-clients-all-of-my-clients-say-peter-you-re-talented-but/) [Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/) > [If I need a pair of tennis shorts, I'll buy them online. I don't really care. Not going to go and try on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marino/if-i-need-a-pair-of-tennis-shorts-i-ll-buy-them-online-i-don-t-really/) [Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/) > [Publicity doesn't really get me anything. Clients are not going to hire me for a $100 million building because I have a brand. 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From Francis Bacon to Vassareli, Coco Chanel to Christian Dior, Cecil Beaton, musicians, architects... the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dries-van-noten/various-different-people-have-inspired-me-throughout-my-career-from/) [Dries van Noten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dries-van-noten/) > [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/) > [“Queen Isabella III seemed to have been designed by corporate architects, the sort who put doors halfway up walls for aesthetic balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mjke-wood/queen-isabella-iii-seemed-to-have-been-designed-by-corporate/) [Mjke Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mjke-wood/) > [In the U.K., architects train for five years, and they spend one day on sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/in-the-u-k-architects-train-for-five-years-and-they-spend-one-day-on/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [Architects think that beauty is a crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/architects-think-that-beauty-is-a-crime/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I spent more than ten years working on the Neues Museum. It was a wonderful experience, an example of real collaboration between architects, conservationists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chipperfield/i-spent-more-than-ten-years-working-on-the-neues-museum-it-was-a/) [David Chipperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chipperfield/) > [“Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power,” Ban said recently. “Power and money are invisible, so people hire us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's hardly even noticeable that so many artists, designers and architects live here. It isn't reflected in the cityscape or in the museums. 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