--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everything should be built top-down…" description: "\"Everything should be built top-down, except the first time.\" — Yogi Berra" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/yogi-berra-1349_built_everything-should-be-built-top-down-exce_2713218.png" --- # Everything should be built top-down, except the first time. ![“Everything should be built top-down, except the first time.” quote by Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/yogi-berra-1349_built_everything-should-be-built-top-down-exce_2713218.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/yogi-berra-1349_built_everything-should-be-built-top-down-exce_2713218.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/yogi-berra-1349_built_everything-should-be-built-top-down-exce_2713218.png) > “Everything should be built top-down, except the first time.” [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Generally build top‑down, but the first project should start bottom‑up. **In simple terms:** Start small, then scale up. Key Takeaway Begin with fundamentals before expanding. Themes strategy learning process Mood pragmatic analytical Type business educational When to use this quote - software development - education - startup planning Key Concepts systems thinking project management Questions to Reflect On - Why is a bottom‑up start beneficial? - When should you switch to top‑down? A Different Perspective May cause confusion without clear guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) [Built Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built-time-2824192/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Top down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/top-down/) ## Related quotes > [Optimization hinders evolution. Everything should be built top-down, except the first time. Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/optimization-hinders-evolution-everything-should-be-built-top-down/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [You cannot teach beginners top-down programming, because they don't know which end is up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/you-cannot-teach-beginners-top-down-programming-because-they-don-t/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [If I'm serious about patients and their GPs being able to have more control of their health care, I can't have a top-down system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lansley/if-i-m-serious-about-patients-and-their-gps-being-able-to-have-more/) [Andrew Lansley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lansley/) > [Enforced by genetics, sexual reproduction, perspective, and experience, the most manifest characteristic of human beings is their diversity. The freer an economy is, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gilder/enforced-by-genetics-sexual-reproduction-perspective-and-experience/) [George Gilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gilder/) > [Anarchism is grounded in a rather definite social-psychological hypothesis: that forceful, graceful and intelligent behaviour occurs only when there is an uncoerced and direct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/anarchism-is-grounded-in-a-rather-definite-social-psychological/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [There is a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/there-is-a-great-deal-of-talk-about-loyalty-from-the-bottom-to-the/) [George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/) > ["Oppression" or "systems of oppression" operate as a shorthand terms in much writing and speaking so that we do not have to list all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/oppression-or-systems-of-oppression-operate-as-a-shorthand-terms-in/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [The traditional view of purpose says it comes from on high, from God, from the Creator. Darwin's idea of natural selection makes people uncomfortable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/the-traditional-view-of-purpose-says-it-comes-from-on-high-from-god/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [You can only succeed when people are communicating, not just from the top down, but in complete interchange. Communication comes from fighting off my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/you-can-only-succeed-when-people-are-communicating-not-just-from-the/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [I don't expect to get 100 percent of what I want, but what we can't do is go back to the kind of top-down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-don-t-expect-to-get-100-percent-of-what-i-want-but-what-we-can-t-do/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ He's \[Louis Brandais\] so suspicious of bigness in government as well as business that he mistrusts even really top-down reforms at the state level.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-rosen/he-s-louis-brandais-so-suspicious-of-bigness-in-government-as-well-as/) [Jeffrey Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-rosen/) > [I was elected because I believed in what we call "grassroots politics," politics from the bottom up, not the top down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-was-elected-because-i-believed-in-what-we-call-grassroots-politics/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [It's always hard for me to find a therapist who is a black woman or even a woman of color. It's something that we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-parker/it-s-always-hard-for-me-to-find-a-therapist-who-is-a-black-woman-or/) [Morgan Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-parker/) > [I don't think top-down works in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-don-t-think-top-down-works-in-america/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) ## More by Yogi Berra > [Almost every Monday I have a charity thing. I like that. I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/almost-every-monday-i-have-a-charity-thing-i-like-that-i-do/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [A nickel ain't worth a dime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/a-nickel-ain-t-worth-a-dime/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [I never said most of the things I said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/i-never-said-most-of-the-things-i-said/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [You can have everything you want as long as you don't want it badly enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/you-can-have-everything-you-want-as-long-as-you-don-t-want-it-badly/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/baseball-is-ninety-percent-mental-the-other-half-is-physical/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [ Glen Cove. \[Referring to Glenn Close on a movie review television show\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/glen-cove-referring-to-glenn-close-on-a-movie-review-television-show/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Swing at the strikes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/swing-at-the-strikes/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [“When you get to the fork in the road…take it!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/when-you-get-to-the-fork-in-the-road-take-it/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [I can see how he (Sandy Koufax) won twenty-five games. What I don't understand is how he lost five.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/i-can-see-how-he-sandy-koufax-won-twenty-five-games-what-i-don-t/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Baseball player: "What time is it?" "You mean now?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/baseball-player-what-time-is-it-you-mean-now/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [In baseball, you don't know nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/in-baseball-you-don-t-know-nothing/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/nobody-goes-there-anymore-it-s-too-crowded/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [I think Little League is wonderful. It keeps the kids out of the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/i-think-little-league-is-wonderful-it-keeps-the-kids-out-of-the-house/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Yeah? For what paper?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/yeah-for-what-paper/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [A good time to hit is with men on base, because the pitcher ain't got no place to put you. He's going to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/a-good-time-to-hit-is-with-men-on-base-because-the-pitcher-ain-t-got/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) [Explore all 251 Yogi Berra quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) ## 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": "Everything should be built top-down, except the first time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yogi Berra" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/everything-should-be-built-top-down-except-the-first-time/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Built" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/everything-should-be-built-top-down-except-the-first-time/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/yogi-berra-1349_built_everything-should-be-built-top-down-exce_2713218.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/yogi-berra-1349_built_everything-should-be-built-top-down-exce_2713218.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/yogi-berra-1349_built_everything-should-be-built-top-down-exce_2713218.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Everything should be built top-down, except the first time.” — Yogi Berra", "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": "Yogi Berra", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Everything should be built top-down, except...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/everything-should-be-built-top-down-except-the-first-time/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/everything-should-be-built-top-down-except-the-first-time/#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 } } ] } ```