--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have become so quick and effective in…" description: "\"We have become so quick and effective in building things today. It would be easy to build another Pyramid of Giza or another Great Wall. But these buil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c46/zhang-xin-16964_building_we-have-become-so-quick-and-effective-in_2691505.jpg" --- # We have become so quick and effective in building things… ![“We have become so quick and effective in building things today. It would be easy to build another Pyramid of Giza or another Great Wall. But these buildings haven't withstood the test of time because of their building quality. They stand tall because they have a symbolic value, they represent a…” quote by Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c46/zhang-xin-16964_building_we-have-become-so-quick-and-effective-in_2691505.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c46/zhang-xin-16964_building_we-have-become-so-quick-and-effective-in_2691505.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c46/zhang-xin-16964_building_we-have-become-so-quick-and-effective-in_2691505.jpg) > “We have become so quick and effective in building things today. It would be easy to build another Pyramid of Giza or another Great Wall. But these buildings haven't withstood the test of time because of their building quality. They stand tall because they have a symbolic value, they represent a culture.” [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern construction is fast, but lasting value comes from cultural symbolism, not just durability. **In simple terms:** Buildings need cultural meaning to endure. Key Takeaway Create structures with lasting cultural impact. Themes culture legacy architecture Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - city development - heritage preservation Key Concepts symbolic design urban planning Questions to Reflect On - What makes a building culturally significant? - How can modern projects honor tradition? A Different Perspective Fast building may ignore cultural depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Build Pyramid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build-pyramid-2188317/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Building things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-things/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Great wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-wall/) [Havens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/havens/) [Pyramids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pyramids/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Stand tall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-tall/) [Symbolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbolic/) [Tall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tall/) [Tall Symbolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tall-symbolic-2661961/) [Test of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/test-of-time/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Wall Buildings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall-buildings-2661962/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [You will achieve grand dream, a day at a time, so set goals for each day - not long and difficult projects, but chores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/you-will-achieve-grand-dream-a-day-at-a-time-so-set-goals-for-each/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [We should be focusing on building things that do not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/we-should-be-focusing-on-building-things-that-do-not-exist/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [You want to know how to be like indians? Live close to the earth. Get rid of some of your things. Help each other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/you-want-to-know-how-to-be-like-indians-live-close-to-the-earth-get/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [As a kid, I was always building things. My father had a shop in the house, and we built things - we were kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/as-a-kid-i-was-always-building-things-my-father-had-a-shop-in-the/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [When I say artist I mean the one who is building things ¦ some with a brush some with a shovel some choose a pen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhatsprincess/when-i-say-artist-i-mean-the-one-who-is-building-things-some-with-a/) [ZhatsPrincess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhatsprincess/) > [So what makes me happy? I was really happy to build this house. That's it; building things. The trouble with software is that it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-ellison/so-what-makes-me-happy-i-was-really-happy-to-build-this-house-that-s/) [Larry Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-ellison/) > [I have this passion for building things, so I always wanted to build a startup. I always wanted to start my own company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananya-birla/i-have-this-passion-for-building-things-so-i-always-wanted-to-build-a/) [Ananya Birla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananya-birla/) > [I was focused on building things from an early age. When I was about 3, our toilet broke, and my mother was ready to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-angle/i-was-focused-on-building-things-from-an-early-age-when-i-was-about-3/) [Colin Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-angle/) > [One of the purposes of life, and selfishly what makes people happy, is building things that are impactful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-moskovitz/one-of-the-purposes-of-life-and-selfishly-what-makes-people-happy-is/) [Dustin Moskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-moskovitz/) > [Remarkable marketing is the art of building things worth noticing right into your product or service. Not slapping on marketing as a last-minute add-on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/remarkable-marketing-is-the-art-of-building-things-worth-noticing/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [When I started building things, obviously I was pretty bad at it. You cant be good at it from the start, and I decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-giertz/when-i-started-building-things-obviously-i-was-pretty-bad-at-it-you/) [Simone Giertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-giertz/) > [For the better part of my last semester at Garden City High, I constructed a physical pendulum and used it to make a "precision"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/for-the-better-part-of-my-last-semester-at-garden-city-high-i/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [American government is not dominated by engineers, it is dominated by lawyers. Engineers are interested in substance and building things; lawyers are interested in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/american-government-is-not-dominated-by-engineers-it-is-dominated-by/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [Electronics are getting more and more accessible now - you don't have to be an engineer to start building things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-giertz/electronics-are-getting-more-and-more-accessible-now-you-don-t-have/) [Simone Giertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-giertz/) > [I love making things. I love building things. I love the idea that something's in the world that wasn't there before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-love-making-things-i-love-building-things-i-love-the-idea-that/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More by Zhang Xin > [But the higher our standard of living, the higher our levels of education, the further people will look around. And we can see which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/but-the-higher-our-standard-of-living-the-higher-our-levels-of/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [I'm very, very focused on my children. In fact, I'm very religious about having breakfast with them every morning, having dinner with them every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/i-m-very-very-focused-on-my-children-in-fact-i-m-very-religious-about/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Because people along the route had realized that there was demand and quickly organized supply. That's so Chinese. In a well-organized country like Germany,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/because-people-along-the-route-had-realized-that-there-was-demand-and/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Many years ago, we were only able to build boxes. Today, architects from all over the world are working with us - Zaha Hadid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/many-years-ago-we-were-only-able-to-build-boxes-today-architects-from/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Many Chinese companies are run like military camps with military discipline. We do not run a company that way. It does not help the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/many-chinese-companies-are-run-like-military-camps-with-military/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Isolation means a lack of growth. I grew up in China at a time when the country was completely isolated. That era is over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/isolation-means-a-lack-of-growth-i-grew-up-in-china-at-a-time-when/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [China - if you think about what is the character of China, it's enormous scale. It's bigness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/china-if-you-think-about-what-is-the-character-of-china-it-s-enormous/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Investors don't like uncertainty. The market is telling us that they need certainty, they need to see where the economy is heading. If the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/investors-don-t-like-uncertainty-the-market-is-telling-us-that-they/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [I find it hard to be labelled in this new 'super-rich' category because we all grew up with very little. The idea that 'to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/i-find-it-hard-to-be-labelled-in-this-new-super-rich-category-because/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Quickly, after I landed in England, I found out ways to get scholarships. England turned out to be a very encouraging place for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/quickly-after-i-landed-in-england-i-found-out-ways-to-get/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [On the one hand the world is getting more integrated and we should not dismiss social values as "Western" when they are actually modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/on-the-one-hand-the-world-is-getting-more-integrated-and-we-should/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [When we started out, we were among the first. Beijing had no and Shanghai had very few large buildings. At that time, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/when-we-started-out-we-were-among-the-first-beijing-had-no-and/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Our company has only been active in Beijing and Shanghai, two very market-dominated cities. This was an advantage. Land is purchased here in public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/our-company-has-only-been-active-in-beijing-and-shanghai-two-very/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [China's economy became more complex. By now there is a large number of small- and medium-sized companies that work quite differently from big, state-owned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/china-s-economy-became-more-complex-by-now-there-is-a-large-number-of/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Many Chinese entrepreneurs are now donating for education; others support foundations in health care and research. None of us wants to be the richest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/many-chinese-entrepreneurs-are-now-donating-for-education-others/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) [Explore all 38 Zhang Xin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) ## More Building quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/) [Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) [Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have become so quick and effective in building things today. 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