--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a fragment of a second you can…" description: "\"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, conscious, unconscious..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/224/peter-zumthor-15714_architecture_in-a-fragment-of-a-second-you-can-unders_1109783.png" --- # In a fragment of a second you can understand: Things you… ![“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, conscious, unconscious, things which in a fragrant of a second you can react to: we can all imagine why this capacity was given to us as human beings - I guess to…” quote by Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/224/peter-zumthor-15714_architecture_in-a-fragment-of-a-second-you-can-unders_1109783.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/224/peter-zumthor-15714_architecture_in-a-fragment-of-a-second-you-can-unders_1109783.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/224/peter-zumthor-15714_architecture_in-a-fragment-of-a-second-you-can-unders_1109783.png) > “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, conscious, unconscious, things which in a fragrant of a second you can react to: we can all imagine why this capacity was given to us as human beings - I guess to survive. Architecture to me has the same kind of capacity. It takes longer to capture, but the essence to me is the same. I call this atmosphere. When you experience a building and it gets to you. It sticks in your memory and your feelings. I guess thats what I am trying to do.” [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. Architecture captures fleeting human perception, embedding memory and emotion in built spaces. **In simple terms:** Buildings hold memory and feeling. Key Takeaway Design spaces that linger. Themes memory emotion perception Mood contemplative inspired Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - museum design - residential interiors - public plazas - urban planning Key Concepts phenomenology atmosphere human experience Questions to Reflect On - What atmosphere do you want a building to evoke? - How can design shape memory? A Different Perspective Subjective experience varies; not all users feel the same atmosphere. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Architecture Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture-kind-2573127/) [Atmosphere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atmosphere/) [Atmosphere Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atmosphere-experience-2950716/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Capacity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capacity/) [Capture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capture/) [Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) [Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Fragments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragments/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Our memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-memories/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Sticks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticks/) [Survive Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survive-architecture-2950714/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Unconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconscious/) [Unconscious Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconscious-things-858758/) [Understand Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-things/) ## Related quotes > [“Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience, rather than about things. 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If you know a hundred flowers you do not “know” a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/but-intending-to-understand-ten-things-you-actually-do-not-understand/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-mathematics-you-don-t-understand-things-you-just-get-used-to-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sometimes you can only understand why things happen when you see them in the rearview mirror.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-hall-denver-moore/sometimes-you-can-only-understand-why-things-happen-when-you-see-them/) [Ron Hall, Denver Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-hall-denver-moore/) > [“We can't really definde good, can we? Good for one person might be ruination for another. The problem with our human eyes is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-vogel-sawyer/we-can-t-really-definde-good-can-we-good-for-one-person-might-be/) [Kim Vogel Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-vogel-sawyer/) > [Once I came to really understand the mechanics of three-act structure, my life got a great deal easier. It doesn't tell you how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-sakey/once-i-came-to-really-understand-the-mechanics-of-three-act-structure/) [Marcus Sakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-sakey/) > [In a weird way scientists understand things on a higher level but it takes a lot of dedication and a lot of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pitt/in-a-weird-way-scientists-understand-things-on-a-higher-level-but-it/) [Michael Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pitt/) > [“Life is still an unfolding,the farther we travel the more truth we can comprehend, and to understand the things that are at our door…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ki-longfellow/life-is-still-an-unfolding-the-farther-we-travel-the-more-truth-we/) [Ki Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ki-longfellow/) ## 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/) > [I've said goodbye to the overworked notion that architecture has to save the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/i-ve-said-goodbye-to-the-overworked-notion-that-architecture-has-to/) [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/) > [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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