Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built.
Daniel LibeskindRead
And you have to remember that I came to America as an immigrant. You know, on a ship, through the Statue of Liberty. And I saw that skyline, not just as a representation of steel and concrete and glass, but as really the substance of the American Dream.
Interpretation
The skyline represents the hopes and dreams of immigrants in America.
In this quote, Daniel Libeskind expresses the profound emotional and symbolic significance of the American skyline as perceived by an immigrant. He reflects on his journey, emphasizing that the skyline is more than just a physical structure; it embodies the aspirations and dreams of countless individuals who seek a better life in America, representing freedom, opportunity, and the ultimate realization of the American Dream.
In practice
In a speech about immigration, one might cite this quote to highlight the contributions of immigrants to American culture.
Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built.
There are more people living in Lower Manhattan now than before the terrorist attacks. That's faith for you. There's such a strong spirit here.
Architecture is not just for the moment, it is not just for the next fashion magazine.
In a strange way, architecture is really an unfinished thing, because even though the building is finished, it takes on a new life. It becomes part of a new dynamic: how people will occupy it, use it, think about it.
I think there is a new awareness in this 21st century that design is as important to where and how we live as it is for museums, concert halls and civic buildings.
Architecture is not based on concrete and steel, and the elements of the soil. It's based on wonder.
We live in hope of deliverance from the darkness that surrounds us
Something good was happening. My life was rising from the ashes, and the sight of it left me feeling something like hopeful.
Let it never be said by future generations that indifference, cynicism or selfishness made us fail to live up to the ideals of humanism which the Nobel Peace Prize encapsulates. Let the strivings of us all, prove Martin Luther King Jr. to have been correct, when he said that humanity can no longer be tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war.
Above everything else I've done, I've always said I've had more guts than I've got talent.
All of us have at least one great voice deep inside. People are products of their environment. A lucky few are born into situations in which positive messages abound. Others grow up hearing messages of fear and failure, which they must block out so the positive can be heard. But the positive and courageous voice will always emerge, somewhere, sometime, for all of us. Listen for it, and your breakthroughs will come.
I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.
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