--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't make anything authentic by…" description: "\"You can't make anything authentic by asking people what they want because they don't know what they want. That's what they're looking at you for.\" — Th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/thom-mayne-12101_asking_you-can-t-make-anything-authentic-by-ask_2974863.jpg" --- # You can't make anything authentic by asking people what… ![“You can't make anything authentic by asking people what they want because they don't know what they want. That's what they're looking at you for.” quote by Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/thom-mayne-12101_asking_you-can-t-make-anything-authentic-by-ask_2974863.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/thom-mayne-12101_asking_you-can-t-make-anything-authentic-by-ask_2974863.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/thom-mayne-12101_asking_you-can-t-make-anything-authentic-by-ask_2974863.jpg) > “You can't make anything authentic by asking people what they want because they don't know what they want. That's what they're looking at you for.” [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authenticity cannot be dictated by market research because people often lack self‑knowledge of desires. **In simple terms:** Ask less, observe more. Key Takeaway Design for real needs. Themes design authenticity innovation Mood analytical creative Type design business When to use this quote - product development - marketing strategy - user experience - entrepreneurship Key Concepts User insight behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - How can you uncover hidden desires? - What methods reveal true user needs? A Different Perspective Market data still offers useful trends. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authenticity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [From the very beginning, I always tried to make dialogue flow comfortably; I always did that to make it seem more authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-murphy/from-the-very-beginning-i-always-tried-to-make-dialogue-flow/) [Eddie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-murphy/) > [It's when you are trying to make something that is "authentic" as opposed to real - people who appreciate music for the wrong reasons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hunter/it-s-when-you-are-trying-to-make-something-that-is-authentic-as/) [James Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hunter/) > [My job as the director is to make that as authentic as I can and not to disturb the revelry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hicks/my-job-as-the-director-is-to-make-that-as-authentic-as-i-can-and-not/) [Scott Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hicks/) > [Fiction is fun because you get to steal an identity and try to make it authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/fiction-is-fun-because-you-get-to-steal-an-identity-and-try-to-make/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [When you smile, I just want to keep looking at your face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-smile-i-just-want-to-keep-looking-at-your-face/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Why in the world am I not finding what I want? It may be that I’m not looking for things where they are to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/why-in-the-world-am-i-not-finding-what-i-want-it-may-be-that-i-m-not/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“She wants him to want to be looking at her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-m-smith/she-wants-him-to-want-to-be-looking-at-her/) [Alexis M. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-m-smith/) > [I just looked at him because I want to be looking in someone's eyes when I die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hurt/i-just-looked-at-him-because-i-want-to-be-looking-in-someone-s-eyes/) [William Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hurt/) > [I want you to see that I'm looking. Look at me look at you. I'm cool with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/busta-rhymes/i-want-you-to-see-that-i-m-looking-look-at-me-look-at-you-i-m-cool/) [Busta Rhymes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/busta-rhymes/) > [I don't want to see anyone else looking like me.That'd be my nightmare. Though if I saw someone wearing what I did, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-shumpert/i-don-t-want-to-see-anyone-else-looking-like-me-that-d-be-my/) [Iman Shumpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-shumpert/) > [I want to be something that you're looking for, that you have, and that you preserve.Pray for each other, and God knows we never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-abraham/i-want-to-be-something-that-you-re-looking-for-that-you-have-and-that/) Jerry Abraham > [Which you want to see while you are looking at mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/which-you-want-to-see-while-you-are-looking-at-mak-786/) Mak\_786 > [I want to keep looking for roles that have an element of surprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-raj-bhasin/i-want-to-keep-looking-for-roles-that-have-an-element-of-surprise/) [Tahir Raj Bhasin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-raj-bhasin/) > [I'm not really good at asking people questions in interviews. I just try to have fun, to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-ibaka/i-m-not-really-good-at-asking-people-questions-in-interviews-i-just/) [Serge Ibaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-ibaka/) > [I'm not asking people to feel sorry for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-not-asking-people-to-feel-sorry-for-me/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) ## More by Thom Mayne > [I think all good architecture should challenge you, make you start asking questions. You don't have to understand it. You may not like it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/i-think-all-good-architecture-should-challenge-you-make-you-start/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [The multiplicity of ideas is what I'm interested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/the-multiplicity-of-ideas-is-what-i-m-interested-in/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [I've been such an outsider my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/i-ve-been-such-an-outsider-my-whole-life/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [For me the meaning of my work is much more fluid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/for-me-the-meaning-of-my-work-is-much-more-fluid/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [The multiplicity of ideas is what Im interested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/the-multiplicity-of-ideas-is-what-im-interested-in/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [There is no modern prototype for a campus. You have to have a completely different model which has to do with transparency and exposing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/there-is-no-modern-prototype-for-a-campus-you-have-to-have-a/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [Architecture is a negotiated art, and it's highly political, and if you want to make buildings, there is diplomacy required.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/architecture-is-a-negotiated-art-and-it-s-highly-political-and-if-you/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [We're producing spaces that accommodate human activity. And what I'm interested in is not the styling of that, but the relationship of that as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/we-re-producing-spaces-that-accommodate-human-activity-and-what-i-m/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [No matter what I've done, what I've tried to do, everybody says it can't be done. And it's continuous across the complete spectrum of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/no-matter-what-i-ve-done-what-i-ve-tried-to-do-everybody-says-it-can/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [I'm not a tabula rasa type. In some ways, the more constraints I have, the work is more interesting to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/i-m-not-a-tabula-rasa-type-in-some-ways-the-more-constraints-i-have/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [I lived in a state of rage from 12 to 20. Until college, I was beyond an outsider. I was a voyeur of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/i-lived-in-a-state-of-rage-from-12-to-20-until-college-i-was-beyond/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [I think a lot of people have the Frank Lloyd Wright model in their brains. The architect comes in with this act of creation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/i-think-a-lot-of-people-have-the-frank-lloyd-wright-model-in-their/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [I think my clients would tell you I'm a problem solver. I'm not there to agree with people. I'm there to articulate a point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/i-think-my-clients-would-tell-you-i-m-a-problem-solver-i-m-not-there/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [Architecture is involved with the world, but at the same time it has a certain autonomy. This autonomy cannot be explained in terms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/architecture-is-involved-with-the-world-but-at-the-same-time-it-has-a/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [Large-scale public projects require the agreement of large numbers of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/large-scale-public-projects-require-the-agreement-of-large-numbers-of/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) [Explore all 56 Thom Mayne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) ## More Asking quotes > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Stop asking yourself how or why and tell yourself you can." - Charmainism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-smith-ladd/stop-asking-yourself-how-or-why-and-tell-yourself-you-can-charmainism/) [Charmaine Smith Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-smith-ladd/) > [Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for God's sake, stop sending him signals that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/closing-his-eyes-he-sent-up-a-prayer-to-anyone-who-was-listening/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [If you're having a bad day already and everybody is just asking you petty questions, it drives people to the edge, or something really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-weixler/if-you-re-having-a-bad-day-already-and-everybody-is-just-asking-you/) [Jess Weixler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-weixler/) > [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I'm not asking people to feel sorry for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-not-asking-people-to-feel-sorry-for-me/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [Use Google Before Asking A Stupid Question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muskaan/use-google-before-asking-a-stupid-question/) [Muskaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muskaan/) > [There were people asking 'Can women be funny?' People still ask that. It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-people-asking-can-women-be-funny-people-still-ask-that-it/) [Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/love-cannot-be-had-for-the-asking-it-comes-only-as-a-gift-from-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [“In such a regime, I say you died a good death if your life had inspired someone to come forward and shoot your murdered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-such-a-regime-i-say-you-died-a-good-death-if-your-life-had/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) Browse all 3,313 Asking quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't make anything authentic by asking people what they want because they don't know what they want. That's what they're looking at you for.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thom Mayne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/you-can-t-make-anything-authentic-by-asking-people-what-they-want/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asking" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/you-can-t-make-anything-authentic-by-asking-people-what-they-want/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/thom-mayne-12101_asking_you-can-t-make-anything-authentic-by-ask_2974863.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/thom-mayne-12101_asking_you-can-t-make-anything-authentic-by-ask_2974863.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/thom-mayne-12101_asking_you-can-t-make-anything-authentic-by-ask_2974863.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can't make anything authentic by asking people what they want because they don't know what they want…” — Thom Mayne", "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": "Thom Mayne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can't make anything authentic by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/you-can-t-make-anything-authentic-by-asking-people-what-they-want/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/you-can-t-make-anything-authentic-by-asking-people-what-they-want/#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 } } ] } ```