--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My first buildings, when I was about 30…" description: "\"My first buildings, when I was about 30, were rejected for aesthetic reasons.\" — Peter Zumthor" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/peter-zumthor-15714_about_my-first-buildings-when-i-was-about-30-w_1270842.png" --- # My first buildings, when I was about 30, were rejected for… ![“My first buildings, when I was about 30, were rejected for aesthetic reasons.” quote by Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/peter-zumthor-15714_about_my-first-buildings-when-i-was-about-30-w_1270842.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/peter-zumthor-15714_about_my-first-buildings-when-i-was-about-30-w_1270842.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/peter-zumthor-15714_about_my-first-buildings-when-i-was-about-30-w_1270842.png) > “My first buildings, when I was about 30, were rejected for aesthetic reasons.” [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. Aesthetic rejection can drive deeper exploration of design values and personal style. **In simple terms:** Rejection spurs design growth. Key Takeaway Learn from criticism. Themes design aesthetics resilience Mood reflective professional Type architectural inspirational When to use this quote - design reviews - portfolio development - client feedback Key Concepts architecture creative process Questions to Reflect On - What aesthetic principles matter to you? - How do you adapt to critique? A Different Perspective Not all rejections improve work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [30 Rejected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/30-rejected-4072554/) [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Aesthetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aesthetic/) [Aesthetic Reasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aesthetic-reasons-1282006/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Buildings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buildings/) [Buildings 30](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buildings-30-4072555/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Reasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasons/) [Rejected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejected/) [Rejected Aesthetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejected-aesthetic-4072553/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) ## Related quotes > [“And why wander in these labyrinths? Once more, for aesthetic reasons; because this present infinity, these "vertiginous symmetries," have their tragic beauty. The form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-maurois/and-why-wander-in-these-labyrinths-once-more-for-aesthetic-reasons/) [André Maurois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-maurois/) > [If you add something to a painting, never let it be for aesthetic reasons. Only let it be for reasons of expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asger-jorn/if-you-add-something-to-a-painting-never-let-it-be-for-aesthetic/) [Asger Jorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asger-jorn/) > [I like going to Church for aesthetic reasons, rather than spiritual ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andres-serrano/i-like-going-to-church-for-aesthetic-reasons-rather-than-spiritual/) [Andres Serrano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andres-serrano/) > [The bottom line may be that my inventing buildings is, indeed, a very private kind of activity. But it's done to be shared. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/the-bottom-line-may-be-that-my-inventing-buildings-is-indeed-a-very/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [I'm not mainly interested in what buildings mean as symbols or vehicles for ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/i-m-not-mainly-interested-in-what-buildings-mean-as-symbols-or/) [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 don't measure success by how many buildings have my name on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-don-t-measure-success-by-how-many-buildings-have-my-name-on-it/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Most buildings, whether they're Gothic cathedrals or Romanesque ones, were high tech for their time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/most-buildings-whether-they-re-gothic-cathedrals-or-romanesque-ones/) [Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/) > [In New York, we're always confined with spaces. Our restaurants are difficult to navigate as cooks and to operate. We fight against the buildings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/in-new-york-we-re-always-confined-with-spaces-our-restaurants-are/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [Extreme weather threatens our energy and electric grid, federal buildings, transportation infrastructure, access to natural resources, public health, our relationships across the globe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cartwright/extreme-weather-threatens-our-energy-and-electric-grid-federal/) [Matt Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cartwright/) > [“The structure of life I have described in buildings - the structure which I believe to be objective - is deeply and inextricably connected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-thomsen-brits/the-structure-of-life-i-have-described-in-buildings-the-structure/) [Louisa Thomsen Brits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-thomsen-brits/) > [The human animal originally came from out-of-doors. When spring begins to move in his bones, he just must get out again. Moreover, as civilization,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/the-human-animal-originally-came-from-out-of-doors-when-spring-begins/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [I grew up in a big sky country. Then I lived in Manhattan, where you can only see the sky between buildings, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-grew-up-in-a-big-sky-country-then-i-lived-in-manhattan-where-you/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [Seoul will strictly limit the total greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and expand the construction of zero-energy buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-won-soon/seoul-will-strictly-limit-the-total-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from/) [Park Won-soon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-won-soon/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) ## 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/) > [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/) [Explore all 42 Peter Zumthor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. 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That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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