---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Artists to my mind are the real…"
description: "\"Artists to my mind are the real architects of change\" — William S. Burroughs"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/william-s-burroughs-528_architect_artists-to-my-mind-are-the-real-architec_1699954.png"
---

#  Artists to my mind are the real architects of change

![“Artists to my mind are the real architects of change” quote by William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/william-s-burroughs-528_architect_artists-to-my-mind-are-the-real-architec_1699954.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/william-s-burroughs-528_architect_artists-to-my-mind-are-the-real-architec_1699954.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/william-s-burroughs-528_architect_artists-to-my-mind-are-the-real-architec_1699954.png)

> “Artists to my mind are the real architects of change”

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote suggests that artists, through their creative visions, shape societal change more profoundly than conventional architects, highlighting the transformative power of imagination.

**In simple terms:** Artists design cultural change like architects design buildings.

Key Takeaway

Support and value artistic expression.

Themes

creativity change influence culture vision

Mood

inspirational critical

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- education
- media
- urban planning
- policy making
- community activism

Key Concepts

art theory social impact innovation

Questions to Reflect On

- How can art be leveraged for concrete social impact?
- What responsibilities do artists have to society?

A Different Perspective

Not all art leads to tangible change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Architect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/) [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Legislators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislators/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/)

## Related quotes

> [Artists to my mind are the real architects of change, and not the political legislators who implement change after the fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/artists-to-my-mind-are-the-real-architects-of-change-and-not-the/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [Women are the real architects of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/women-are-the-real-architects-of-society/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Tina, finding herself and her husband on a sandbank, so to speak, between two classes, had gone to the artists. The artists do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-gibbons/tina-finding-herself-and-her-husband-on-a-sandbank-so-to-speak/)

[stella gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-gibbons/)

> [Footballers can be like artists when the mind and body are working as one. It is what Miles Davis does when he plays free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-thuram/footballers-can-be-like-artists-when-the-mind-and-body-are-working-as/)

[Lilian Thuram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-thuram/)

> [Responsibilty is about showing the mind what is real to make oneslef honest to their cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/responsibilty-is-about-showing-the-mind-what-is-real-to-make-oneslef/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

> [In my mind, not in real life. My rap name will be Optimus Rhymes. Or the Notorious B.o.B.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-moynihan/in-my-mind-not-in-real-life-my-rap-name-will-be-optimus-rhymes-or-the/)

[Bobby Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-moynihan/)

> [“How can something that is true in your heart and in your mind not be real?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hester-velmans/how-can-something-that-is-true-in-your-heart-and-in-your-mind-not-be/)

Hester Velmans

> [The mind is a real dangerous neighborhood to travel by ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/the-mind-is-a-real-dangerous-neighborhood-to-travel-by-ourselves/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [Many emotions go under the name of love, and almost any one of them will for a while divert the mind from the real,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-rendell/many-emotions-go-under-the-name-of-love-and-almost-any-one-of-them/)

[Ruth Rendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-rendell/)

> [Dreaming means 'rehearsing' what you see, playing it over and over in your mind until it becomes as real to you as your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmitt-smith/dreaming-means-rehearsing-what-you-see-playing-it-over-and-over-in/)

[Emmitt Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmitt-smith/)

> [“The image of her in another man's arms was stuck in my mind, as real as life. As if there was a demon with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-image-of-her-in-another-man-s-arms-was-stuck-in-my-mind-as-real/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“It sometimes takes a state of solitude to bring to mind the real power of companionship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/it-sometimes-takes-a-state-of-solitude-to-bring-to-mind-the-real/)

[Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/)

> [God is as real as mind and the mind is as real as nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thiruman-archunan/god-is-as-real-as-mind-and-the-mind-is-as-real-as-nature/)

[Thiruman Archunan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thiruman-archunan/)

> [The world in your mind is as real as the world outside of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-de-la-cruz/the-world-in-your-mind-is-as-real-as-the-world-outside-of-it/)

[Melissa de la Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-de-la-cruz/)

> [Life on the road is very different from a normal, day to day life, and sometimes that surrealistic existence can have an effect on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-nichols/life-on-the-road-is-very-different-from-a-normal-day-to-day-life-and/)

[Joe Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-nichols/)

## More by William S. Burroughs

> [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“Well as, one judge said to the other, 'Be just and if you can't be just be arbitrary.' Regret cannot observe customary obscenities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/well-as-one-judge-said-to-the-other-be-just-and-if-you-can-t-be-just/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say 'I want to see the manager.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/after-one-look-at-this-planet-any-visitor-from-outer-space-would-say/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [For seven days she lay in bed looking sullenly at the ceiling as though resenting the death she had cultivated for so many years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-seven-days-she-lay-in-bed-looking-sullenly-at-the-ceiling-as/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [When you stop growing you start dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-you-stop-growing-you-start-dying/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [Life is a cutup. And to pretend that you write or paint in a timeless vacuum is just simply . . . not .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/life-is-a-cutup-and-to-pretend-that-you-write-or-paint-in-a-timeless/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [When all lies, deceit, pretense is stripped away, what remains? The truth of a painting, or a book or a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-all-lies-deceit-pretense-is-stripped-away-what-remains-the-truth/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“There is no final enough of wisdom, experience - any fucking thing. No Holy Grail, No Final Satori, no solution. Just conflict. Only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-is-no-final-enough-of-wisdom-experience-any-fucking-thing-no/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“For John Dillinger In hope he is still alive Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1986 In hope he is still alive Thanks for the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-john-dillinger-in-hope-he-is-still-alive-thanksgiving-day/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“Did I ever tell you about the man who taught his asshole to talk? His whole abdomen would move up and down, you dig,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/did-i-ever-tell-you-about-the-man-who-taught-his-asshole-to-talk-his/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [You need a good bedside manner with doctors or you will get nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/you-need-a-good-bedside-manner-with-doctors-or-you-will-get-nowhere/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [There couldn't be a society of people who didn't dream. They'd be dead in two weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-couldn-t-be-a-society-of-people-who-didn-t-dream-they-d-be-dead/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [I prefer cats to people, for the most part. Most people aren't cute at all, and if they are cute they very rapidly outgrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-prefer-cats-to-people-for-the-most-part-most-people-aren-t-cute-at/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [ \[Arab peoples\] are stuck back thousands of years and they think they're going to get out with a TV set. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/arab-peoples-are-stuck-back-thousands-of-years-and-they-think-they-re/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“It is not the intensity but the duration of pain that breaks the will to resist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/it-is-not-the-intensity-but-the-duration-of-pain-that-breaks-the-will/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

[Explore all 484 William S. Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

## More Architect quotes

> [When I am asked what I believe in, I say that I believe in architecture. Architecture is the mother of the arts. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meier/when-i-am-asked-what-i-believe-in-i-say-that-i-believe-in/)

[Richard Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meier/)

> [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/)

[Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/)

> [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/)

[Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/)

> [When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-it-comes-to-getting-things-done-we-need-fewer-architects-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/)

[Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/)

> [I was the chairman of the Budget Committee and the lead architect the last time it happened in Washington, and when we did it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-the-chairman-of-the-budget-committee-and-the-lead-architect-the/)

[John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/)

> [The architect is very interesting because the architect is the commander, meaning the one who commands all the workers. The architect is also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-architect-is-very-interesting-because-the-architect-is-the/)

[Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/)

> [The pursuit of peace resembles the building of a great cathedral. It is the work of a generation. In concept it requires a mater-architect;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/the-pursuit-of-peace-resembles-the-building-of-a-great-cathedral-it/)

[Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/)

> [Yes, Garnett Grey was an Architect. Were a psychoanalyst to approach him from behind, tap his shoulder, and say 'Humanity,' Garrett'd spin and respond,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-kidd/yes-garnett-grey-was-an-architect-were-a-psychoanalyst-to-approach/)

[Chip Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-kidd/)

> [The challenge of today's generation of architects is the environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ross-barney/the-challenge-of-today-s-generation-of-architects-is-the-environment/)

[Carol Ross Barney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ross-barney/)

> [I stand on this rostrum with a sense of deep humility and great pride - humility in the weight of those great American architects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/i-stand-on-this-rostrum-with-a-sense-of-deep-humility-and-great-pride/)

[Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/)

> [Architects in the past have tended to concentrate their attention on the building as a static object. I believe dynamics are more important: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/architects-in-the-past-have-tended-to-concentrate-their-attention-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I was the chairman of the House Budget Committee and one of the chief architects the last time we balanced a budget, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-the-chairman-of-the-house-budget-committee-and-one-of-the-chief/)

[John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/)

> [No matter what an architect may be at home, he becomes a monumentalist when he comes to Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/no-matter-what-an-architect-may-be-at-home-he-becomes-a-monumentalist/)

[Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/)

> [As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/as-an-architect-you-design-for-the-present-with-an-awareness-of-the/)

[Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/)

[Browse all 836 Architect quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Artists to my mind are the real architects of change",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William S. Burroughs"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/artists-to-my-mind-are-the-real-architects-of-change/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Architect"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/artists-to-my-mind-are-the-real-architects-of-change/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/william-s-burroughs-528_architect_artists-to-my-mind-are-the-real-architec_1699954.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/william-s-burroughs-528_architect_artists-to-my-mind-are-the-real-architec_1699954.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/william-s-burroughs-528_architect_artists-to-my-mind-are-the-real-architec_1699954.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Artists to my mind are the real architects of change” — William S. Burroughs",
                "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 S. Burroughs",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Artists to my mind are the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/artists-to-my-mind-are-the-real-architects-of-change/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/artists-to-my-mind-are-the-real-architects-of-change/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
