---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's no worse feeling than seeing my…"
description: "\"There's no worse feeling than seeing my buildings and realizing the mistakes.\" — Philip Johnson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/philip-johnson-10392_building_there-s-no-worse-feeling-than-seeing-my_1785056.png"
---

#  There's no worse feeling than seeing my buildings and…

![“There's no worse feeling than seeing my buildings and realizing the mistakes.” quote by Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/philip-johnson-10392_building_there-s-no-worse-feeling-than-seeing-my_1785056.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/philip-johnson-10392_building_there-s-no-worse-feeling-than-seeing-my_1785056.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/philip-johnson-10392_building_there-s-no-worse-feeling-than-seeing-my_1785056.png)

> “There's no worse feeling than seeing my buildings and realizing the mistakes.”

[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.

Realizing errors in one's own creations can be deeply unsettling and prompts reflection on design choices.

**In simple terms:** Seeing mistakes in your work feels terrible.

Key Takeaway

Learn from errors, improve future designs.

Themes

architecture self‑assessment humility

Mood

reflective serious

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- project review
- construction phase
- post‑mortem analysis

Key Concepts

design critique error awareness

Questions to Reflect On

- What can this error teach you about your process?
- How might you prevent similar oversights?

A Different Perspective

Mistakes are inevitable; focus on corrective action.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Buildings Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buildings-realizing-1895795/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Feeling Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-seeing-1895796/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Realizing Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing-mistakes-1895793/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Seeing Buildings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing-buildings-1895794/) [Worse Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse-feeling-392995/)

## Related quotes

> ['The Panorama' is also the last place anywhere in New York where the World Trade Center still stands, whole, as it stood in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-panorama-is-also-the-last-place-anywhere-in-new-york-where-the/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [I feel like I am a better person because of my struggles, because of my challenges and persevering through them and realizing the mistakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-baldwin/i-feel-like-i-am-a-better-person-because-of-my-struggles-because-of/)

[Doug Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-baldwin/)

> [“I have a certain amazing genius; worthy of a Nobel Prize I’m sure, and that’s making mistakes. Yes, of course, all of us make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riitta-klint/i-have-a-certain-amazing-genius-worthy-of-a-nobel-prize-i-m-sure-and/)

[Riitta Klint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riitta-klint/)

> [“It’s hard to describe, this feeling of seeing your kids spending time together like adults, meeting up again after being out there in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/it-s-hard-to-describe-this-feeling-of-seeing-your-kids-spending-time/)

[John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/)

> [Understanding the customer, feeling what they are feeling, seeing what competitors are doing, you end up having a richer sense of the marketplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-flannery/understanding-the-customer-feeling-what-they-are-feeling-seeing-what/)

[John L. Flannery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-flannery/)

> [The Worst Feeling: Seeing a cop car make a u-turn behind you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-worst-feeling-seeing-a-cop-car-make-a-u-turn-behind-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Best feeling ever: seeing your ex with someone uglier than you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/best-feeling-ever-seeing-your-ex-with-someone-uglier-than-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When you're my age, you have the feeling sometimes that you're seeing the show come round again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/when-you-re-my-age-you-have-the-feeling-sometimes-that-you-re-seeing/)

[John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/)

> [“I had the sudden strange feeling that she was seeing me and not the cloud of Danny Tate around me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/i-had-the-sudden-strange-feeling-that-she-was-seeing-me-and-not-the/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [Never stop feeling and seeing and being excited with great things like air and engines and sounds of sunlight within you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/never-stop-feeling-and-seeing-and-being-excited-with-great-things/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [My feeling about seeing the world is that its going to change you necessarily, just the very fact of being out there and meeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/my-feeling-about-seeing-the-world-is-that-its-going-to-change-you/)

[Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/)

> [“He stands there, facing the largest windows, touching the glass with the open palm of his hands, feeling everything, but seeing nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-owen/he-stands-there-facing-the-largest-windows-touching-the-glass-with/)

[Katherine Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-owen/)

> [Yes. I know but I really love you, you my world, your my everything until now I hate this feeling but it goes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherie-sleeman/yes-i-know-but-i-really-love-you-you-my-world-your-my-everything/)

[Cherie Sleeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherie-sleeman/)

> [I hate being let down more then anything. There's nothing worse then that feeling, it just sucks ya know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-being-let-down-more-then-anything-there-s-nothing-worse-then/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There's nothing worse than feeling lonely in a relationship, its time to move on...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-feeling-lonely-in-a-relationship-its-time/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Philip Johnson

> [Architecture is the art of how to waste space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/architecture-is-the-art-of-how-to-waste-space/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [I'm a chameleon, so changeable. I see myself as a gadfly and a questioner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/i-m-a-chameleon-so-changeable-i-see-myself-as-a-gadfly-and-a/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [ Scientific naturalism is a story that reduces reality to physical particles and impersonal laws, \[and\] portrays life as a meaningless competition among organisms that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/scientific-naturalism-is-a-story-that-reduces-reality-to-physical/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [I hate vacations. If you can build buildings, why sit on the beach?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/i-hate-vacations-if-you-can-build-buildings-why-sit-on-the-beach/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [I like to be buttoned onto tradition. The thing is to improve it, twist it and mold it; to make something new of it;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/i-like-to-be-buttoned-onto-tradition-the-thing-is-to-improve-it-twist/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [So now the floodgates are open to the delight of pure form, whatever its origin. Anything goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/so-now-the-floodgates-are-open-to-the-delight-of-pure-form-whatever/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [You cannot not know history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/you-cannot-not-know-history/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [Purpose is not necessary to make a building beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/purpose-is-not-necessary-to-make-a-building-beautiful/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [I haven't any wisdom - just a child like everybody else. I'm not as great as Frank Lloyd Wright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/i-haven-t-any-wisdom-just-a-child-like-everybody-else-i-m-not-as/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [Don't build a glass house if you're worried about saving money on heating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/don-t-build-a-glass-house-if-you-re-worried-about-saving-money-on/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [In our greatest universities, naturalism - the doctrine that nature is all there is - is the virtually unquestioned assumption that underlies not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/in-our-greatest-universities-naturalism-the-doctrine-that-nature-is/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [The automobile is the greatest catastrophe in the entire history of City architecture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/the-automobile-is-the-greatest-catastrophe-in-the-entire-history-of/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [I wish someone would ask me to design a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/i-wish-someone-would-ask-me-to-design-a-cathedral/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [We do pretty much whatever we want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/we-do-pretty-much-whatever-we-want-to/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

> [Some of the opera houses in Italy had to be burnt down because people could neither see nor hear. They gave up seeing years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/some-of-the-opera-houses-in-italy-had-to-be-burnt-down-because-people/)

[Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

[Explore all 66 Philip Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/)

## More Building quotes

> [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/)

[Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/)

[David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/)

> [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/)

[Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/)

> [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/)

[Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/)

> [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/)

[Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/)

> [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [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/)

> [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/)

[Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/)

> [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/)

[Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/)

> [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/)

> [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/)

[Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/)

[Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There's no worse feeling than seeing my buildings and realizing the mistakes.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Philip Johnson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/there-s-no-worse-feeling-than-seeing-my-buildings-and-realizing-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Building"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/there-s-no-worse-feeling-than-seeing-my-buildings-and-realizing-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/philip-johnson-10392_building_there-s-no-worse-feeling-than-seeing-my_1785056.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/philip-johnson-10392_building_there-s-no-worse-feeling-than-seeing-my_1785056.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/philip-johnson-10392_building_there-s-no-worse-feeling-than-seeing-my_1785056.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There's no worse feeling than seeing my buildings and realizing the mistakes.” — Philip Johnson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Philip Johnson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There's no worse feeling than seeing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/there-s-no-worse-feeling-than-seeing-my-buildings-and-realizing-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/there-s-no-worse-feeling-than-seeing-my-buildings-and-realizing-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
