--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is a roofless cathedral to a…" description: "\"What is a roofless cathedral to a well-built pie?\" — William Maginn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51d/william-maginn-84158_built_what-is-a-roofless-cathedral-to-a-well-b_1671141.jpg" --- # What is a roofless cathedral to a well-built pie? ![“What is a roofless cathedral to a well-built pie?” quote by William Maginn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51d/william-maginn-84158_built_what-is-a-roofless-cathedral-to-a-well-b_1671141.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51d/william-maginn-84158_built_what-is-a-roofless-cathedral-to-a-well-b_1671141.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51d/william-maginn-84158_built_what-is-a-roofless-cathedral-to-a-well-b_1671141.jpg) > “What is a roofless cathedral to a well-built pie?” [William Maginn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-maginn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A metaphorical question highlighting absurdity when comparing unrelated things. **In simple terms:** Comparing unlike things shows absurdity. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about mismatched comparisons. Themes literature philosophy humor Mood playful thought‑provoking Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - debate - creative writing - advertising - teaching logic Key Concepts metaphor absurdity critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - What does this comparison reveal about our reasoning? - When is absurd humor effective? A Different Perspective May be seen as purely whimsical without deeper insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) [Built Pie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built-pie-860159/) [Cathedral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathedral/) [Cathedral Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathedral-built-474193/) [Cathedrals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathedrals/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Pie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pie/) [Roofless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roofless-860158/) [Roofless Cathedral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roofless-cathedral-860157/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [He who bears in his heart a cathedral to be built is already victorious. He who seeks to become sexton of a finished cathedral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/he-who-bears-in-his-heart-a-cathedral-to-be-built-is-already/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [“The sun was just coming up over the mountains--blood red and cold. I felt as if I was standing in the mightiest cathedral that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-specht/the-sun-was-just-coming-up-over-the-mountains-blood-red-and-cold-i/) [Robert Specht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-specht/) > [Christian faith is a grand cathedral, with divinely pictured windows. Standing without, you see no glory, nor can possibly imagine any; standing within, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/christian-faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely-pictured-windows/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [I wish someone would ask me to design a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/i-wish-someone-would-ask-me-to-design-a-cathedral/) [Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/) > [The library is my cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bretton/the-library-is-my-cathedral/) [Barbara Bretton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bretton/) > [The Gothic cathedral is a blossoming in stone subdued by the insatiable demand of harmony in man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-gothic-cathedral-is-a-blossoming-in-stone-subdued-by-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the cathedral of my heart a candle will always be lit for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hardy-kruger/in-the-cathedral-of-my-heart-a-candle-will-always-be-lit-for-you/) [Hardy Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hardy-kruger/) > [The challenge of a cathedral is very good for architectural inventiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/the-challenge-of-a-cathedral-is-very-good-for-architectural/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [The perfume of the flowers and of the bay tree are wafted on high, like incense. The birds sing sweet songs of praise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wendt/the-perfume-of-the-flowers-and-of-the-bay-tree-are-wafted-on-high/) [William Wendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wendt/) > [We thought of universities as the cathedrals of the modern world. In the middle ages, the cathedral was the center and symbol of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-revelle/we-thought-of-universities-as-the-cathedrals-of-the-modern-world-in/) [Roger Revelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-revelle/) > [You can't build a cathedral in a day. A look at the club's history tells you these things take time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-houllier/you-can-t-build-a-cathedral-in-a-day-a-look-at-the-club-s-history/) [Gerard Houllier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-houllier/) > [“When we look at a perfect cathedral, two different emotions emerge in us: On the one hand, the feeling of admiration for the architect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-we-look-at-a-perfect-cathedral-two-different-emotions-emerge-in/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it made a cathedral: a thing as simple and specious as a statue to the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/mankind-was-never-so-happily-inspired-as-when-it-made-a-cathedral-a/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The Sabbath is a weekly cathedral raised up in my dining room, in my family, in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-diament/the-sabbath-is-a-weekly-cathedral-raised-up-in-my-dining-room-in-my/) [Anita Diament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-diament/) > [A cathedral, a wave of a storm, a dancer's leap, never turn out to be as high as we had hoped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/a-cathedral-a-wave-of-a-storm-a-dancer-s-leap-never-turn-out-to-be-as/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) ## More by William Maginn > [No cigar-smoker ever committed suicide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-maginn/no-cigar-smoker-ever-committed-suicide/) [William Maginn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-maginn/) > [Some people tell you you should not drink claret after strawberries. They are wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-maginn/some-people-tell-you-you-should-not-drink-claret-after-strawberries/) [William Maginn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-maginn/) [Explore all 3 William Maginn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-maginn/) ## More Built quotes > [It's really fun and challenging to build things that have never been built before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/it-s-really-fun-and-challenging-to-build-things-that-have-never-been/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) > [Call me the rap assassinator / rhymes rugged and built like Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/call-me-the-rap-assassinator-rhymes-rugged-and-built-like/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) > [Do we make ourselves into what we become or is it built into our genes, into the fate spun for us by whatever shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/do-we-make-ourselves-into-what-we-become-or-is-it-built-into-our/) [Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [God and I have built an immense fire together. We keep each other happy and warm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafez/god-and-i-have-built-an-immense-fire-together-we-keep-each-other/) [Hafez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafez/) > [When we built Roomba, we explicitly designed it to not have a face. We didn't want to think it was cute; we wanted people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-angle/when-we-built-roomba-we-explicitly-designed-it-to-not-have-a-face-we/) [Colin Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-angle/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Mostly what I'm focused on is finding people who are younger who haven't built companies before but have a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughes/mostly-what-i-m-focused-on-is-finding-people-who-are-younger-who/) [Chris Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughes/) > [“Imagine what I could have done in ten years. I could have learned to speak Japanese. I could have played every RPG video game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imagine-what-i-could-have-done-in-ten-years-i-could-have-learned-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 3,164 Built quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is a roofless cathedral to a well-built pie?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Maginn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-maginn/what-is-a-roofless-cathedral-to-a-well-built-pie/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Built" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-maginn/what-is-a-roofless-cathedral-to-a-well-built-pie/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51d/william-maginn-84158_built_what-is-a-roofless-cathedral-to-a-well-b_1671141.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51d/william-maginn-84158_built_what-is-a-roofless-cathedral-to-a-well-b_1671141.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51d/william-maginn-84158_built_what-is-a-roofless-cathedral-to-a-well-b_1671141.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What is a roofless cathedral to a well-built pie?” — William Maginn", "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": "William Maginn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-maginn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What is a roofless cathedral to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-maginn/what-is-a-roofless-cathedral-to-a-well-built-pie/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-maginn/what-is-a-roofless-cathedral-to-a-well-built-pie/#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 } } ] } ```