--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am working right at both the levels…" description: "\"I am working right at both the levels- with the most wealthy clients in the world, but also the poorest. I spend half my time designing for people that..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/william-mcdonough-10055_clients_i-am-working-right-at-both-the-levels-wi_1903146.png" --- # I am working right at both the levels- with the most… ![“I am working right at both the levels- with the most wealthy clients in the world, but also the poorest. I spend half my time designing for people that have nothing.” quote by William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/william-mcdonough-10055_clients_i-am-working-right-at-both-the-levels-wi_1903146.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/william-mcdonough-10055_clients_i-am-working-right-at-both-the-levels-wi_1903146.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/william-mcdonough-10055_clients_i-am-working-right-at-both-the-levels-wi_1903146.png) > “I am working right at both the levels- with the most wealthy clients in the world, but also the poorest. I spend half my time designing for people that have nothing.” [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing work between affluent clients and those lacking resources highlights the ethical responsibility of designers to serve all societal layers. **In simple terms:** Design should help both rich and poor. Key Takeaway Consider impact on all users. Themes ethics design social responsibility Mood reflective inspired Type thought‑provoking ethical When to use this quote - architectural projects - product design for low-income markets - community workshops - pro bono consulting Key Concepts sustainability human-centered design equity Questions to Reflect On - How can designers allocate time fairly? - What metrics assess benefit for the poorest? A Different Perspective Wealthy clients may dominate resources, limiting focus on the poor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I charge my wealthy clients a lot and put 10 per cent in a fund which I use to pay the expenses of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-charge-my-wealthy-clients-a-lot-and-put-10-per-cent-in-a-fund-which/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [The best clients in the world are the people who cause you to struggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-eisenman/the-best-clients-in-the-world-are-the-people-who-cause-you-to-struggle/) [Peter Eisenman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-eisenman/) > [We can take our Japanese clients around the world. We can take them to Brazil, Europe, anywhere. And we also take companies from around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/we-can-take-our-japanese-clients-around-the-world-we-can-take-them-to/) [Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/) > [We know from our business with clients around the world that when companies bring together people of different genders, races, cultures, and perspectives, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-nanterme/we-know-from-our-business-with-clients-around-the-world-that-when/) [Pierre Nanterme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-nanterme/) > [I want you to understand that I respect the rights of the poorest and weakest of colored people, oppressed by the slave system, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-brown/i-want-you-to-understand-that-i-respect-the-rights-of-the-poorest-and/) [John Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-brown/) > [It is interesting to note that the 200 richest people have more assets than the 2 billion poorest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-korten/it-is-interesting-to-note-that-the-200-richest-people-have-more/) [David Korten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-korten/) > [Over no nation does the press hold a more absolute control than over the people of America, for the universal education of the poorest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/over-no-nation-does-the-press-hold-a-more-absolute-control-than-over/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say. Most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-role-of-the-writer-is-not-to-say-what-we-can-all-say-but-what-we/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Anger is the poorest of counselors, and revenge is suicide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blair-lee/anger-is-the-poorest-of-counselors-and-revenge-is-suicide/) [Elizabeth Blair Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blair-lee/) > [Maybe we need a tax credit for the poorest Americans to buy a laptop. Now, maybe that's wrong, maybe that's expensive, maybe we can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/maybe-we-need-a-tax-credit-for-the-poorest-americans-to-buy-a-laptop/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [Jesus was the poorest of the poor. 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It could cause more human and financial suffering than the two world wars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-miliband/first-climate-change-is-the-greatest-long-term-threat-faced-by/) [David Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-miliband/) > [Global poverty is the product of reversible policy failures overseen by politicians, past and present. The poorest of the poor don't vote in American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-evans/global-poverty-is-the-product-of-reversible-policy-failures-overseen/) [Hugh Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-evans/) > [“I'm called 'the poorest president', but I don't feel poor. Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mujica/i-m-called-the-poorest-president-but-i-don-t-feel-poor-poor-people/) [Jose Mujica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mujica/) ## More by William McDonough > [Honor commerce as the engine of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/honor-commerce-as-the-engine-of-change/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [I am very focused on large-scale deployments of renewable power and how we're going to get this done. Imagine our military bases covered with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-am-very-focused-on-large-scale-deployments-of-renewable-power-and/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [You don't filter smokestacks or water. Instead, you put the filter in your head and design the problem out of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/you-don-t-filter-smokestacks-or-water-instead-you-put-the-filter-in/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If design is the first signal of human intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-design-is-the-first-signal-of-human-intention/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [ You need that same creative force that exists in a building like Disney \[Walt Disney Concert Hall\] to actually tackle that most prosaic of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/you-need-that-same-creative-force-that-exists-in-a-building-like/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [And to use something as elegant as a tree? 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We're different, we're multi dimensional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/we-are-not-a-green-standard-we-are-a-quality-standard-we-re-different/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion to fission. And it just so happens that there's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-love-nuclear-energy-it-s-just-that-i-prefer/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If anybody here has trouble with the concept of design humility, reflect on this: It took us 5,000 years to put wheels on our luggage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-anybody-here-has-trouble-with-the-concept-of-design-humility/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [The problem I have with carbon as a bad thing issue, is that people go out and say they want to be zero carbon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/the-problem-i-have-with-carbon-as-a-bad-thing-issue-is-that-people-go/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If you don't have an end game of something delightful, you're just moving chess pieces around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-you-don-t-have-an-end-game-of-something-delightful-you-re-just/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [“Ultimately a regulation is a signal of design failure...it is what we call a license to harm: a permit issued by a government to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/ultimately-a-regulation-is-a-signal-of-design-failure-it-is-what-we/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [I just think it is so delightful to see people, let their elbows free. I think the exuberance of it all is really exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-just-think-it-is-so-delightful-to-see-people-let-their-elbows-free/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) [Explore all 68 William McDonough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) ## More Clients quotes > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [My Client Brock Lesnar conquered the Undertakers Undefeated Streak at Wrestlemania](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-heyman/my-client-brock-lesnar-conquered-the-undertakers-undefeated-streak-at/) [Paul Heyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-heyman/) > [I hear a lot of 'Top Model' girls say they are dismissed by clients because they recognize them, but it never happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatima-siad/i-hear-a-lot-of-top-model-girls-say-they-are-dismissed-by-clients/) [Fatima Siad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatima-siad/) > [“Clients steer the ship in the sea of business.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utibe-samuel-mbom/clients-steer-the-ship-in-the-sea-of-business/) [Utibe Samuel Mbom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utibe-samuel-mbom/) > [I want my clients to trust me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-goreski/i-want-my-clients-to-trust-me/) [Brad Goreski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-goreski/) > [It is the client who knows what hurts, what directions to go, what problems are crucial, what experiences have been deeply buried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/it-is-the-client-who-knows-what-hurts-what-directions-to-go-what/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [Some men can be very rude. On the other hand, some clients are absolute angels. One john always brought me a gift every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-sprinkle/some-men-can-be-very-rude-on-the-other-hand-some-clients-are-absolute/) [Annie Sprinkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-sprinkle/) > [I have learned that trying to guess what the boss or the client wants is the most debilitating of all influences in the creation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/i-have-learned-that-trying-to-guess-what-the-boss-or-the-client-wants/) [Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/) > [Our focus in the client group had always been to build products and features that people wanted to use. That we wanted to use.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-zawinski/our-focus-in-the-client-group-had-always-been-to-build-products-and/) [Jamie Zawinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-zawinski/) > [I don't care about awards and public image. We know the business of entertainment. 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To”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-port/clients-who-understand-the-return-on-investment-you-offer-will-jump/) [Michael Port](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-port/) > [Most of my clients don't realize that the way they look and the way they think about their looks are two separate issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/most-of-my-clients-don-t-realize-that-the-way-they-look-and-the-way/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [One of my closest friends is a trans man who is incredible. And a lot of my clients are trans women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-van-ness/one-of-my-closest-friends-is-a-trans-man-who-is-incredible-and-a-lot/) [Jonathan Van Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-van-ness/) > [If you do good work for good clients, it will lead to other good work for other good clients. If you do bad work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/if-you-do-good-work-for-good-clients-it-will-lead-to-other-good-work/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) Browse all 737 Clients quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am working right at both the levels- with the most wealthy clients in the world, but also the poorest. 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