--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like to be buttoned onto tradition. The…" description: "\"I like to be buttoned onto tradition. The thing is to improve it, twist it and mold it; to make something new of it; not to deny it. The riches of hist..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/philip-johnson-10392_culture_i-like-to-be-buttoned-onto-tradition-the_453015.png" --- # I like to be buttoned onto tradition. The thing is to… ![“I like to be buttoned onto tradition. The thing is to improve it, twist it and mold it; to make something new of it; not to deny it. The riches of history can be plucked at any point.” quote by Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/philip-johnson-10392_culture_i-like-to-be-buttoned-onto-tradition-the_453015.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/philip-johnson-10392_culture_i-like-to-be-buttoned-onto-tradition-the_453015.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/philip-johnson-10392_culture_i-like-to-be-buttoned-onto-tradition-the_453015.png) > “I like to be buttoned onto tradition. The thing is to improve it, twist it and mold it; to make something new of it; not to deny it. The riches of history can be plucked at any point.” [Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Innovation builds on tradition, reshaping existing ideas into something new rather than discarding the past. **In simple terms:** Use history as a springboard for new designs. Key Takeaway Respect tradition, then transform it. Themes innovation tradition design Mood reflective inspirational Type theoretical practical When to use this quote - building projects - product design - urban planning - educational curricula Key Concepts architecture creativity history Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance respect for tradition with bold innovation? - When should you break from the past? A Different Perspective Overreliance on tradition can stifle radical change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Riches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riches/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) ## Related quotes > [In terms of the first Christmas when I met everybody, I went over to Nick's grandfather's house where they were having the big Christmas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mullally/in-terms-of-the-first-christmas-when-i-met-everybody-i-went-over-to/) [Megan Mullally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mullally/) > [What an enormous magnifier is tradition! 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Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) [Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I like to be buttoned onto tradition. The thing is to improve it, twist it and mold it; to make something new of it; not to deny it. 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