throughout history, builders have always been revered for their ability to mold the natural elements into something new, perhaps something never seen before. building is therefore a creative act on a momentous scale.
for those lucky enough to be involved in construction & building, it’s an incredible joy to be involved in bringing forth from mere drawings and ideas a structure that will stand for many lifetimes.
with this in mind, here are some of my favourite quotes on construction & building. i hope they inspire you to see the role of builder as much more than just someone wearing a hard hat.
famous quotes on construction & building
11. “there is nothing more poetic and terrible than the skyscrapers’ battle with the heavens that cover them.” -federico garcia lorca
10. “each of us is carving a stone, erecting a column, or cutting a piece of stained glass in the construction of something much bigger than ourselves.” -adrienne clarkson
9. “it is not the beauty of a building you should look at; it is the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.” -david allan coe
8. “we shape our buildings: thereafter, they shape us.” -winston churchill
7. “good buildings come from good people, and all problems are solved by good design.” -stephen gardiner
6. “i call architecture frozen music.” -johann wolfgang von goethe
5. “you can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. but it takes people to make the dream a reality.” -walt disney
4. “when we build, let us think that we build forever.” -john ruskin
3. “a doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines.” -frank lloyd wright
2. “the whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.” -charles dickens
1. “a world which sees art and engineering as divided is not seeing the world as a whole.” -professor sir edmund happold
and here’s my favourite construction movie quote that fits right in:
“if you build it, they will come.” –field of dreams.
do you have a favourite quote about construction or building? i’d like to learn about it in the comments below.
nterlace apartments photo on flickr by mcartmell