--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To build is to be robbed." description: "\"To build is to be robbed.\" — Samuel Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8e/samuel-johnson-50_architecture_to-build-is-to-be-robbed-1161454_1161454.png" --- # To build is to be robbed. ![“To build is to be robbed.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8e/samuel-johnson-50_architecture_to-build-is-to-be-robbed-1161454_1161454.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8e/samuel-johnson-50_architecture_to-build-is-to-be-robbed-1161454_1161454.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8e/samuel-johnson-50_architecture_to-build-is-to-be-robbed-1161454_1161454.png) > “To build is to be robbed.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating something often involves loss or sacrifice, suggesting that building entails giving up something valuable. **In simple terms:** Building requires sacrifice. Key Takeaway Accept loss as part of creation. Themes creation sacrifice cost Mood cautious motivational Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - artistic projects - home renovations - personal growth Key Concepts resource allocation opportunity cost Questions to Reflect On - What are you willing to give up? - How can you minimize loss? A Different Perspective Not all loss is necessary; balance is key. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Build](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build/) [Build Robbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build-robbed-2716141/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Robbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robbed/) ## Related quotes > [Though I love to spend, I hate be cheated, and I found that to build is to be robbed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/though-i-love-to-spend-i-hate-be-cheated-and-i-found-that-to-build-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The happiness of building lasted but a little while, for though I love to spend, I hate to be cheated; and I soon found,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-happiness-of-building-lasted-but-a-little-while-for-though-i-love/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [When you design a building, you start from a general philosophy, and you come down, and you start from detail and come up. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-piano/when-you-design-a-building-you-start-from-a-general-philosophy-and/) [Renzo Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-piano/) > [Unfortunately, we are not painters and authors, where we can do something in isolation. We require a lot of money to create what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-favreau/unfortunately-we-are-not-painters-and-authors-where-we-can-do/) [Jon Favreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-favreau/) > [He that wishes to see his country robbed of its rights cannot be a patriot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/he-that-wishes-to-see-his-country-robbed-of-its-rights-cannot-be-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [I want to build the India that we all want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roopa-ganguly/i-want-to-build-the-india-that-we-all-want/) [Roopa Ganguly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roopa-ganguly/) > [When we build, let us think that we build for ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/when-we-build-let-us-think-that-we-build-for-ever/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [“Every great building once begun as a building plan. 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But a thing is then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-cherubim-were-never-intended-as-an-object-of-worship-because-they/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own self-esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/that-kind-of-life-is-most-happy-which-affords-us-most-opportunities/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The time will come to every human being when it must be known how well he can bear to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-time-will-come-to-every-human-being-when-it-must-be-known-how/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Explore all 1,998 Samuel Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## 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. 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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. 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