--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Museums just seem to have this borrowed…" description: "\"Museums just seem to have this borrowed cachet—if I want to seem cultural, I will design something cultural. I resist the idea that culture is only ope..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ac/thomas-heatherwick-16788_art_museums-just-seem-to-have-this-borrowed_471909.jpg" --- # Museums just seem to have this borrowed cachet—if I want… ![“Museums just seem to have this borrowed cachet—if I want to seem cultural, I will design something cultural. I resist the idea that culture is only opera houses or theatres. Culture is your entire life around you: toilets, the bus, the kerb or the dump where you drag your waste. Culture has come…” quote by Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ac/thomas-heatherwick-16788_art_museums-just-seem-to-have-this-borrowed_471909.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ac/thomas-heatherwick-16788_art_museums-just-seem-to-have-this-borrowed_471909.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ac/thomas-heatherwick-16788_art_museums-just-seem-to-have-this-borrowed_471909.jpg) > “Museums just seem to have this borrowed cachet—if I want to seem cultural, I will design something cultural. I resist the idea that culture is only opera houses or theatres. Culture is your entire life around you: toilets, the bus, the kerb or the dump where you drag your waste. Culture has come to mean the arts, but it’s swimming pools as well.” [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Culture permeates everyday life, not just high art; recognizing this broadens our sense of identity and belonging. **In simple terms:** Culture is everywhere, not just museums or opera. Key Takeaway Notice and value everyday cultural moments. Themes culture identity everyday life art urban design Mood reflective inspired thoughtful Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - city planning - public art projects - community events - personal reflection Key Concepts Sociology anthropology design thinking Questions to Reflect On - How does everyday life shape your cultural identity? - What can you do to celebrate ordinary cultural moments? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on elite institutions can marginalize grassroots expressions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Borrowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borrowed/) [Bus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bus/) [Cultural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultural/) [Cultural Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultural-design-4077971/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Culture Entire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture-entire-733991/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Design Cultural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design-cultural-4077972/) [Drag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drag/) [Dump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dump/) [Entire life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-life/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Museums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/museums/) [Opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera/) [Opera house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera-house/) [Pool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pool/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Swimming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swimming/) [Swimming pool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swimming-pool/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Theatres Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatres-culture-4077973/) [Toilets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toilets/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [I am increasingly convinced that technological culture is the entire root of women's liberation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-am-increasingly-convinced-that-technological-culture-is-the-entire/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [A great opera house isn't run by a director, but by a great administrator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/a-great-opera-house-isn-t-run-by-a-director-but-by-a-great/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [“For all the allure of speciously stress-free suburbs, for all the grinding of city life, cities endure. 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Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [The number of opera houses around the world and the high attendance rates show that opera an art form that is more popular than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-beresford/the-number-of-opera-houses-around-the-world-and-the-high-attendance/) [Bruce Beresford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-beresford/) > [I performed in Sydney some years ago for the Sydney Festival and I am just so pleased to be returning to the wonderful Sydney…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-garrett/i-performed-in-sydney-some-years-ago-for-the-sydney-festival-and-i-am/) [Lesley Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-garrett/) > [One of our books has been made into a musical, 'The Great American Mousical,' which I directed at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/one-of-our-books-has-been-made-into-a-musical-the-great-american/) [Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/) > [Americans, they have an incredible operatic tradition: the Metropolitan Opera House is - if not the most prestigious - one of the most prestigious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-carreras/americans-they-have-an-incredible-operatic-tradition-the-metropolitan/) [Jose Carreras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-carreras/) > [I'd want to play the Sydney Opera House.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-hemmings/i-d-want-to-play-the-sydney-opera-house/) [Luke Hemmings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-hemmings/) > [“Have they known scorn like you Five cellars down?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-a-bucchianeri/have-they-known-scorn-like-you-five-cellars-down/) [E.A. Bucchianeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-a-bucchianeri/) > [“I want a shower the size of the Sydney Opera House, because you know damn well I sing in the shower. And I might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-want-a-shower-the-size-of-the-sydney-opera-house-because-you-know/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Rock pools, so-named because they have been hammered out of rocks at the ocean's edge, are one of Sydney's defining characteristics, along with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-bonner/rock-pools-so-named-because-they-have-been-hammered-out-of-rocks-at/) [Raymond Bonner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-bonner/) > [Every orchestra I know, every opera house I know, is desperately looking around trying to find new talent, new composing talent, supporting young composers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/every-orchestra-i-know-every-opera-house-i-know-is-desperately/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [“Standing in the back of the dark opera house and gazing at the huge stage before them, gay with gold-scrolled scenery and sumptuously costumed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-doman/standing-in-the-back-of-the-dark-opera-house-and-gazing-at-the-huge/) [Regina Doman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-doman/) > [I hear what people have said about what they want to see the Opera House used for and what they don't want to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-berejiklian/i-hear-what-people-have-said-about-what-they-want-to-see-the-opera/) [Gladys Berejiklian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-berejiklian/) > [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) ## More by Thomas Heatherwick > [When I was little, I just was very tuned in to the functionality and aesthetics of things around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/when-i-was-little-i-just-was-very-tuned-in-to-the-functionality-and/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [I try to be a positive person, but I'm also always looking and wondering, 'Maybe this could be done differently.' As soon as your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/i-try-to-be-a-positive-person-but-i-m-also-always-looking-and/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [ The British government - any government - is potentially the worst \[architectural\] client in the world. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/the-british-government-any-government-is-potentially-the-worst/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [I have a strong sense that every project is an invention, which is not a word I hear being used in architecture courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/i-have-a-strong-sense-that-every-project-is-an-invention-which-is-not/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [Everything that we start is something that we don't know what the outcome is going to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/everything-that-we-start-is-something-that-we-don-t-know-what-the/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [I'm in love with cities. I find them amazing, the quiet co-ordination of thousands of people, going about what we're trying to do, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/i-m-in-love-with-cities-i-find-them-amazing-the-quiet-co-ordination/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [I'm not really interested in creating things to be seen inside a private gallery. I'm interested in creating things that are all around us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/i-m-not-really-interested-in-creating-things-to-be-seen-inside-a/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [The Garden Bridge has not found its right moment, but I hope one day it will and that London continues to be open to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/the-garden-bridge-has-not-found-its-right-moment-but-i-hope-one-day/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [One great building does not make a great city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/one-great-building-does-not-make-a-great-city/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [Often the most important moment in the design process is figuring out what the right question is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/often-the-most-important-moment-in-the-design-process-is-figuring-out/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [When I heard of the 'garden bridge' idea, it seemed so clear and powerful, the notion of using nature to scale down an enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/when-i-heard-of-the-garden-bridge-idea-it-seemed-so-clear-and/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [I think that human nature is scared of change and justifies it in all sort of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/i-think-that-human-nature-is-scared-of-change-and-justifies-it-in-all/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [An interest in ideas is a sign of human life. People are fascinated by what the future is going to be - and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/an-interest-in-ideas-is-a-sign-of-human-life-people-are-fascinated-by/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [It gives me the creeps when I see a frame for a building going up and recognise the architect. You shouldn't know who a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/it-gives-me-the-creeps-when-i-see-a-frame-for-a-building-going-up-and/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [As a teenager, my father took me to the shows at the Architectural Association and to places like Milton Keynes back when it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/as-a-teenager-my-father-took-me-to-the-shows-at-the-architectural/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) [Explore all 39 Thomas Heatherwick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Museums just seem to have this borrowed cachet—if I want to seem cultural, I will design something cultural. 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