--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've said goodbye to the overworked…" description: "\"I've said goodbye to the overworked notion that architecture has to save the world.\" — Peter Zumthor" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/peter-zumthor-15714_architecture_i-ve-said-goodbye-to-the-overworked-noti_701223.png" --- # I've said goodbye to the overworked notion that… ![“I've said goodbye to the overworked notion that architecture has to save the world.” quote by Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/peter-zumthor-15714_architecture_i-ve-said-goodbye-to-the-overworked-noti_701223.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/peter-zumthor-15714_architecture_i-ve-said-goodbye-to-the-overworked-noti_701223.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/peter-zumthor-15714_architecture_i-ve-said-goodbye-to-the-overworked-noti_701223.png) > “I've said goodbye to the overworked notion that architecture has to save the world.” [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author rejects the burden that architecture must solve global problems, emphasizing realistic expectations for the profession. **In simple terms:** Architecture shouldn't bear world‑saving expectations. Key Takeaway Focus on meaningful design. Themes architecture responsibility realism Mood thoughtful balanced Type professional philosophical When to use this quote - urban planning - design projects - professional ethos Key Concepts sustainability social impact Questions to Reflect On - What should architects prioritize? - How can design influence society responsibly? A Different Perspective May underestimate architecture’s potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Goodbye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodbye/) [Save the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save-the-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Park was never going to love her more than he did on the day they said goodbye. And she couldn’t bear to think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/park-was-never-going-to-love-her-more-than-he-did-on-the-day-they/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [Unbreak my love. I remember the course of the day we said goodbye. Years and still. However much my heart is gona be broken.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hellena/unbreak-my-love-i-remember-the-course-of-the-day-we-said-goodbye/) [Hellena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hellena/) > [I'm Sorry that I said goodbye, people say I did the right thing but they don't have to cry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/i-m-sorry-that-i-said-goodbye-people-say-i-did-the-right-thing-but/) Unkown > [“Why are you here?" "Because you never said goodbye.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-miller/why-are-you-here-because-you-never-said-goodbye/) [Kirsten Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-miller/) > [Love that once hung on the wall Used to mean something, but now it means nothing The echoes are gone in the hall But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/love-that-once-hung-on-the-wall-used-to-mean-something-but-now-it/) Im Nothing > [“I'm like you,' he said. 'I remember everything.' I stopped for a second. If you remember everything, I wanted to say, and if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-m-like-you-he-said-i-remember-everything-i-stopped-for-a-second-if/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [When friends speak overmuch of times gone by, often it's because they sense their present time is turning them from friends to strangers. Long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/when-friends-speak-overmuch-of-times-gone-by-often-it-s-because-they/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [Every picture paints a thousand words and that one said 'goodbye'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-keegan/every-picture-paints-a-thousand-words-and-that-one-said-goodbye/) [Kevin Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-keegan/) > [When I Said Goodbye Don't Call Me Heartless, I'm Just Using My Heart...Less :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashing-prince/when-i-said-goodbye-don-t-call-me-heartless-i-m-just-using-my-heart/) [DasHinG PriNce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashing-prince/) > [“Your body's cold, hope is lost, I can't let go Can I die with you so we can never grow old? Cut the ties,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bullet-for-my-valentine/your-body-s-cold-hope-is-lost-i-can-t-let-go-can-i-die-with-you-so-we/) [Bullet for My Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bullet-for-my-valentine/) > [I have said goodbye to international cricket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-afridi/i-have-said-goodbye-to-international-cricket/) [Shahid Afridi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-afridi/) > [We only said goodbye with words, I died a hundred times. You go back to her and I go back to... I go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-winehouse/we-only-said-goodbye-with-words-i-died-a-hundred-times-you-go-back-to/) [Amy Winehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-winehouse/) > [You broke my heart, When you said goodbye, And only you can lift my spirit, You gave me wings and now you're gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cute-and-scars/you-broke-my-heart-when-you-said-goodbye-and-only-you-can-lift-my/) Cute And Scars > [I am what I am,' Salander said 'I ran away from everything and everybody. I should have said goodbye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-what-i-am-salander-said-i-ran-away-from-everything-and-everybody/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Peter Zumthor > [I think space, architectural space, is my thing. It's not about facade, elevation, making image, making money. My passion is creating space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/i-think-space-architectural-space-is-my-thing-it-s-not-about-facade/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [I grew up in a craftsman's home, where things were done with our own hands. I did cabinetmaking for four years and I hated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/i-grew-up-in-a-craftsman-s-home-where-things-were-done-with-our-own/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [Architecture has its place in the concrete world. This is where it exists. This is where it makes its statement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/architecture-has-its-place-in-the-concrete-world-this-is-where-it/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [When I concentrate on a specific site or place for which I am going to design a building, I try to plumb its depths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/when-i-concentrate-on-a-specific-site-or-place-for-which-i-am-going/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [I’m a passionate architect... I do not work for money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/i-m-a-passionate-architect-i-do-not-work-for-money/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [My relationship to plants becomes closer and closer. They make me quiet; I like to be in their company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/my-relationship-to-plants-becomes-closer-and-closer-they-make-me/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [If you look at the Earth without architecture, its sometimes a little bit unpleasant. So there is this basic human need to do shelter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/if-you-look-at-the-earth-without-architecture-its-sometimes-a-little/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [The first 10 years of my professional life had only to do with running away from my father. He was a wonderful cabinet-maker, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/the-first-10-years-of-my-professional-life-had-only-to-do-with/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [My buildings should have an emotional core –a space which, in itself, has an emotional nice feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/my-buildings-should-have-an-emotional-core-a-space-which-in-itself/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [I think the chance of finding beauty is higher if you don't work on it directly. Beauty in architecture is driven by practicality. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/i-think-the-chance-of-finding-beauty-is-higher-if-you-don-t-work-on/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [I work anywhere between three and 10 years on a project, depending on the size. My lifetime is finite. Therefore, I have to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/i-work-anywhere-between-three-and-10-years-on-a-project-depending-on/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [If you're lucky, and a building succeeds, the real product has many more dimensions than you can ever imagine. You have the sun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/if-you-re-lucky-and-a-building-succeeds-the-real-product-has-many/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [In a fragment of a second you can understand: Things you know, things you don’t know, things you don’t know that you don’t know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/in-a-fragment-of-a-second-you-can-understand-things-you-know-things/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [If I look at history, it seems that most wars and most cruel things have been done by men and not by women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/if-i-look-at-history-it-seems-that-most-wars-and-most-cruel-things/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [My first buildings, when I was about 30, were rejected for aesthetic reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/my-first-buildings-when-i-was-about-30-were-rejected-for-aesthetic/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) [Explore all 42 Peter Zumthor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) ## 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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