--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no reason we can't design a car…" description: "\"There is no reason we can't design a car to last for 35 years instead of six or seven.\" — Vaclav Smil" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/vaclav-smil-11559_car_there-is-no-reason-we-can-t-design-a-car_729476.jpg" --- # There is no reason we can't design a car to last for 35… ![“There is no reason we can't design a car to last for 35 years instead of six or seven.” quote by Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/vaclav-smil-11559_car_there-is-no-reason-we-can-t-design-a-car_729476.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/vaclav-smil-11559_car_there-is-no-reason-we-can-t-design-a-car_729476.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/vaclav-smil-11559_car_there-is-no-reason-we-can-t-design-a-car_729476.jpg) > “There is no reason we can't design a car to last for 35 years instead of six or seven.” [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Design longevity reduces waste and resource use, but current market pressures favor short‑term profit. **In simple terms:** Long‑lasting products cut waste. Key Takeaway Design for durability. Themes sustainability design economics Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type advisory inspirational When to use this quote - product development - policy making - consumer education Key Concepts Lifecycle analysis planned obsolescence Questions to Reflect On - How can incentives shift toward durable goods? - What barriers exist for long‑life product adoption? A Different Perspective Market demand for cheap goods may resist long‑life designs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [In 2011, I did an internship in Seven Dials, a junction in London where seven roads come together. 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And shoes, like funky Keds maybe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaba-gupta/i-would-love-to-design-a-car-and-shoes-like-funky-keds-maybe/) [Masaba Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaba-gupta/) > [Why do people measure life by the years instead of how good the years were?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-iglesias/why-do-people-measure-life-by-the-years-instead-of-how-good-the-years/) [Gabriel Iglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-iglesias/) > [“If there had been mile markers on the side of the road, they would have clicked off the years instead of the miles: 1994...1982...1974.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silas-house/if-there-had-been-mile-markers-on-the-side-of-the-road-they-would/) [Silas House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silas-house/) > [“How much different might this world be if we had someone such as Einstein for even just another 30 years? Instead,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rj-lawrence/how-much-different-might-this-world-be-if-we-had-someone-such-as/) RJ Lawrence > [I was disappointed, not because we had lost the war but because our people had allowed it to go on for so many years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-grosz/i-was-disappointed-not-because-we-had-lost-the-war-but-because-our/) [George Grosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-grosz/) > [You know, a lot of people think that just 'cause you work out, lift weights, eat right, and do what people tell you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-iglesias/you-know-a-lot-of-people-think-that-just-cause-you-work-out-lift/) [Gabriel Iglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-iglesias/) > [Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler's match was the one thing people believed most about wrestling in the last 35 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cornette/andy-kaufman-and-jerry-lawler-s-match-was-the-one-thing-people/) [Jim Cornette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cornette/) > [I was a stunt man for 35 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-farnsworth/i-was-a-stunt-man-for-35-years/) [Richard Farnsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-farnsworth/) > [I'm a union guy; I've always been. 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You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sullivan-stapleton/i-never-believed-i-d-have-a-six-pack-especially-not-at-35-years-old-i/) [Sullivan Stapleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sullivan-stapleton/) > [I was 35 years old and in a position to take a shot at whatever I wanted to try. The Air Force said I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-doyle/i-was-35-years-old-and-in-a-position-to-take-a-shot-at-whatever-i/) [Jerry Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-doyle/) ## More by Vaclav Smil > [Meat eaters don't like me because I call for moderation, and vegetarians don't like me because I say there's nothing wrong with eating meat.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/meat-eaters-don-t-like-me-because-i-call-for-moderation-and/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [America tends to assume Silicon Valley-style innovators can drive quick and transformative changes, but even Silicon Valley's would-be masters of the universe have discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/america-tends-to-assume-silicon-valley-style-innovators-can-drive/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [When you talk in terms of electricity, renewable is very important. Hydro in Manitoba. Hydro in Sweden. Wind in Denmark. Of course, those are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/when-you-talk-in-terms-of-electricity-renewable-is-very-important/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [...no matter how complex or affluent, human societies are nothing but subsystems of the biosphere, the Earth's thin veneer of life, which is ultimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/no-matter-how-complex-or-affluent-human-societies-are-nothing-but/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [Energy use is merely a means to many rewarding ends: economic security, education, health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/energy-use-is-merely-a-means-to-many-rewarding-ends-economic-security/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [In every society, manufacturing builds the lower middle class. If you give up manufacturing, you end up with haves and have-nots, and you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/in-every-society-manufacturing-builds-the-lower-middle-class-if-you/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [ Everyone \[in higher education\] was what I call drillers of deeper wells. These academics sit at the bottom of a deep well and they… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/everyone-in-higher-education-was-what-i-call-drillers-of-deeper-wells/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [Meat is undoubtedly an environmentally expensive food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/meat-is-undoubtedly-an-environmentally-expensive-food/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [I've read about 80 books a year for the past 50 years. I come from cultural breeding. I don't have a cellphone. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/i-ve-read-about-80-books-a-year-for-the-past-50-years-i-come-from/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [“I wrote this book because I wanted to narrate the great, and a truly nation-building, story of US manufacturing—and because I believe that without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/i-wrote-this-book-because-i-wanted-to-narrate-the-great-and-a-truly/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [Apple! Boy, what a story. No taxes paid, everything made abroad—yet everyone worships them. This new iPhone, there’s nothing new in it. Just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/apple-boy-what-a-story-no-taxes-paid-everything-made-abroad-yet/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [A useful analogy is to see traditional societies as relying on instantaneous (or minimally delayed) and constantly replenished solar income, while modern civilization is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/a-useful-analogy-is-to-see-traditional-societies-as-relying-on/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [People shouldn't be living in certain places - on earthquake faults or on flood plains. But they do, and there are consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/people-shouldn-t-be-living-in-certain-places-on-earthquake-faults-or/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [Your past always leads to who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/your-past-always-leads-to-who-you-are/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [I live in a province where we have the cheapest electricity in North America - indeed, in the Western world - but all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/i-live-in-a-province-where-we-have-the-cheapest-electricity-in-north/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) [Explore all 59 Vaclav Smil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) ## More Car quotes > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... 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The only thing that improves is that when race conditions come, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danica-patrick/i-mean-you-ve-kind-of-got-the-track-down-especially-with-ovals-the/) [Danica Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danica-patrick/) > [I was with Dre when he was just selling tapes. He didn't have a car, a license or a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-le/i-was-with-dre-when-he-was-just-selling-tapes-he-didn-t-have-a-car-a/) [Michel'le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-le/) > ['Melanin Man' was inspired by the words of an Uber driver in L.A. Before I got out of the car he said, 'They're scared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masego/melanin-man-was-inspired-by-the-words-of-an-uber-driver-in-l-a-before/) [Masego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masego/) > [The things that don't happen to us that we'll never know didn't happen to us. The nonstories. 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Don't let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/whether-you-are-buying-a-car-or-casting-a-ballot-choosing-a-job-or/) [Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/) > [I don't have to have the biggest house or the biggest car or the longest mink, but quality of life is really glamorous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/i-don-t-have-to-have-the-biggest-house-or-the-biggest-car-or-the/) [Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/) Browse all 6,849 Car quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no reason we can't design a car to last for 35 years instead of six or seven.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vaclav Smil" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/there-is-no-reason-we-can-t-design-a-car-to-last-for-35-years-instead/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Car" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/there-is-no-reason-we-can-t-design-a-car-to-last-for-35-years-instead/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/vaclav-smil-11559_car_there-is-no-reason-we-can-t-design-a-car_729476.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/vaclav-smil-11559_car_there-is-no-reason-we-can-t-design-a-car_729476.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/vaclav-smil-11559_car_there-is-no-reason-we-can-t-design-a-car_729476.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no reason we can't design a car to last for 35 years instead of six or seven.” — Vaclav Smil", "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": "Vaclav Smil", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is no reason we can't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/there-is-no-reason-we-can-t-design-a-car-to-last-for-35-years-instead/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/there-is-no-reason-we-can-t-design-a-car-to-last-for-35-years-instead/#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 } } ] } ```