--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If nature has composed the human body so…" description: "\"“If nature has composed the human body so that in its proportions the seperate individual elements answer to the total form, then the Ancients seem to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5e/vitruvius-97280_human-body_if-nature-has-composed-the-human-body-so_1677767.jpg" --- # If nature has composed the human body so that in its… ![“If nature has composed the human body so that in its proportions the seperate individual elements answer to the total form, then the Ancients seem to have had reason to decide that bringing their creations to full completion likewise required a correspondence bewteen the measure of individual…” quote by Vitruvius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5e/vitruvius-97280_human-body_if-nature-has-composed-the-human-body-so_1677767.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5e/vitruvius-97280_human-body_if-nature-has-composed-the-human-body-so_1677767.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5e/vitruvius-97280_human-body_if-nature-has-composed-the-human-body-so_1677767.jpg) > ““If nature has composed the human body so that in its proportions the seperate individual elements answer to the total form, then the Ancients seem to have had reason to decide that bringing their creations to full completion likewise required a correspondence bewteen the measure of individual elements and the appearance of the work as a whole.”” Vitruvius ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ancient thought linked the proportions of individual parts to the whole, suggesting harmony arises when each element matches the overall design. **In simple terms:** Whole harmony depends on balanced parts. Key Takeaway Design with proportionate components. Themes architecture philosophy design Mood thoughtful inspired Type theoretical explanatory When to use this quote - building - art - engineering Key Concepts human anatomy geometry Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure parts fit the whole? - What proportion matters most? A Different Perspective Modern design may ignore holistic harmony. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-body/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Philosophical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophical/) ## Related quotes > [I hate nature. I really do. Nature is composed entirely of sticks, dirt, fall-down places, biting and stinging things, and savageries too numerous to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/i-hate-nature-i-really-do-nature-is-composed-entirely-of-sticks-dirt/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [I usually have a hard time with the fit of off-the-rack suits, thanks to my athletic proportions, but somehow Burberry always fits me perfectly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-lundqvist/i-usually-have-a-hard-time-with-the-fit-of-off-the-rack-suits-thanks/) [Henrik Lundqvist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-lundqvist/) > [The thing about the basics is they don't really change - it's the details and the proportions that change. The shirt may be cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-varvatos/the-thing-about-the-basics-is-they-don-t-really-change-it-s-the/) [John Varvatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-varvatos/) > [Personal size and mental sorrow have certainly no necessary proportions. A large bulky figure has a good a right to be in deep affliction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/personal-size-and-mental-sorrow-have-certainly-no-necessary/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > ['American Idol' became a juggernaut of epic proportions, but to me it was always like home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-lythgoe/american-idol-became-a-juggernaut-of-epic-proportions-but-to-me-it/) [Nigel Lythgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-lythgoe/) > [I have always appreciated designers who dare to reinterpret fabrics and proportions, so I follow the Japanese and Belgian designers. The pieces are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zaha-hadid/i-have-always-appreciated-designers-who-dare-to-reinterpret-fabrics/) [Zaha Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zaha-hadid/) > [Before I got divorced, I was personally unfamiliar with trial, or at least trial of serious, heart-wrenching proportions. I figured that life went smoothly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-armstrong/before-i-got-divorced-i-was-personally-unfamiliar-with-trial-or-at/) [Kristin Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-armstrong/) > [The problem of architecture has always been the same throughout time. Its authentic quality is reached through its proportions, and the proportions cost nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/the-problem-of-architecture-has-always-been-the-same-throughout-time/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [“The first thing you will notice is that Simms’ ark is much closer to the biblical proportions that were given: 300 by 50 by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ham/the-first-thing-you-will-notice-is-that-simms-ark-is-much-closer-to/) [Ken Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ham/) > [I have always been structured. What has changed is the proportions. Now it is eight hours of paperwork and one of painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/i-have-always-been-structured-what-has-changed-is-the-proportions-now/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [“Having described the basic methods of Hindu-Arabic arithmetic in the first seven chapters, Leonardo devoted most of the remainder of the book to practical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-j-devlin/having-described-the-basic-methods-of-hindu-arabic-arithmetic-in-the/) [Keith J. Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-j-devlin/) > [I don't think I realized the extremes of my proportions until I moved to Paris. I thought I'd be 'normal' as a model, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-wren-scott/i-don-t-think-i-realized-the-extremes-of-my-proportions-until-i-moved/) [L'Wren Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-wren-scott/) > [When we consider the weak and nerveless periods of some literary men, who perchance in feet and inches come up to the standard oftheir…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-we-consider-the-weak-and-nerveless-periods-of-some-literary-men/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Fashion is to please your eye. Shapes and proportions are for your intellect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolina-herrera/fashion-is-to-please-your-eye-shapes-and-proportions-are-for-your/) [Carolina Herrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolina-herrera/) > [When a garment is in sync with your body and its proportions, it looks and feels amazing, and in France that is something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-wren-scott/when-a-garment-is-in-sync-with-your-body-and-its-proportions-it-looks/) [L'Wren Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-wren-scott/) ## More by Vitruvius > [“I think that men have no right to profess themselves architects hastily, without having climbed from the steps of these studies and thus, nursed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitruvius/i-think-that-men-have-no-right-to-profess-themselves-architects/) Vitruvius Explore all 2 Vitruvius quotes ## More Human body quotes > [Don't think you can...know you can! You human body is the most impressive tool you'll ever own. Even if you can't control everything, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hardy/don-t-think-you-can-know-you-can-you-human-body-is-the-most/) [Jeff Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hardy/) > [The human body has been designed to resist an infinite number of changes and attacks brought about by its environment. The secret of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-johnson/the-human-body-has-been-designed-to-resist-an-infinite-number-of/) Harry Johnson > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [Alas, everything that men say to one another is alike; the ideas they exchange are almost always the same, in their conversation. But inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-de-musset/alas-everything-that-men-say-to-one-another-is-alike-the-ideas-they/) [Alfred de Musset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-de-musset/) > [“Can I tell you a boring science fact?" she whispered. "I bet you didn't learn it in Shadowhunter history class." "If you're trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/can-i-tell-you-a-boring-science-fact-she-whispered-i-bet-you-didn-t/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [If the estimated age of the cosmos were shortened to seventy-two years, a human life would take about ten seconds. But look at time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-grudin/if-the-estimated-age-of-the-cosmos-were-shortened-to-seventy-two/) [Robert Grudin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-grudin/) > [“We are his temple. We do not turn in a certain directlon to pray. We are not bound by having to go into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/we-are-his-temple-we-do-not-turn-in-a-certain-directlon-to-pray-we/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“My holy of holies are the human body, health, intelligence, talent, inspiration, love, and the most absolute freedom - freedom from force and falsity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/my-holy-of-holies-are-the-human-body-health-intelligence-talent/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“artificial intelligence is forcing human endeavor away from simple, algorithmic and repetitive tasks towards solving problems and incubating new ideas. It is the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyan-nagpal/artificial-intelligence-is-forcing-human-endeavor-away-from-simple/) [Gyan Nagpal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyan-nagpal/) > [Human ingenuity has given centuries to the goal of ensuring that the human body might move around at an even 68 degrees all year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-morrow/human-ingenuity-has-given-centuries-to-the-goal-of-ensuring-that-the/) [Lance Morrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-morrow/) > [No lens is quick enough to track the movement of the human body. The molecules are always moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rees/no-lens-is-quick-enough-to-track-the-movement-of-the-human-body-the/) [Roger Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rees/) > [We are victims of the post-Enlightenment view that the world functions like a sophisticated machine, to be understood like a textbook engineering problem and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-are-victims-of-the-post-enlightenment-view-that-the-world/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [The human body is not an instrument to be used, but a realm of one's being to be experienced, explored, enriched and, thereby, educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hanna/the-human-body-is-not-an-instrument-to-be-used-but-a-realm-of-one-s/) Thomas Hanna > [“Epsom Salt - Don't underestimate the powerful healing effects of regular Epsom salt.  Soaking in hot water infused with Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) boosts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-the-veggie-goddess-matthews/epsom-salt-don-t-underestimate-the-powerful-healing-effects-of/) Gina 'The Veggie Goddess' Matthews > [The human body is mostly blood and mystery and sadness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-human-body-is-mostly-blood-and-mystery-and-sadness/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) [Browse all 832 Human body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If nature has composed the human body so that in its proportions the seperate individual elements answer to the total form, then the Ancients seem to have had reason to decide that bringing their creations to full completion likewise required a correspondence bewteen the measure of individual elements and the appearance of the work as a whole.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vitruvius" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitruvius/if-nature-has-composed-the-human-body-so-that-in-its-proportions-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Human body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitruvius/if-nature-has-composed-the-human-body-so-that-in-its-proportions-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5e/vitruvius-97280_human-body_if-nature-has-composed-the-human-body-so_1677767.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5e/vitruvius-97280_human-body_if-nature-has-composed-the-human-body-so_1677767.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5e/vitruvius-97280_human-body_if-nature-has-composed-the-human-body-so_1677767.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If nature has composed the human body so that in its proportions the seperate individual elements answer to…” — Vitruvius", "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": "Vitruvius", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitruvius/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If nature has composed the human...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitruvius/if-nature-has-composed-the-human-body-so-that-in-its-proportions-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitruvius/if-nature-has-composed-the-human-body-so-that-in-its-proportions-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 } } ] } ```