My parents are both college professors, and it made me want to question authority, standards and traditions.
Maya LinRead
I deliberately did not read anything about the Vietnam War because I felt the politics of the war eclipsed what happened to the veterans. The politics were irrelevant to what this memorial was.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Maya Lin emphasizes that the personal experiences of veterans are more important than the political aspects of the Vietnam War.
Maya Lin's quote reflects her vision and intent behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. By choosing not to focus on the political debates surrounding the Vietnam War, she aimed to create a space that honors the profound sacrifices and experiences of the veterans themselves, separating their reality from the often contentious political narrative associated with the war. This perspective highlights the importance of recognizing the human stories behind historical events.
Themes
VeteransMemorialPoliticsWarExperience
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a speech at a Veterans Day ceremony to highlight the importance of honoring veterans beyond the political discussions.
More from Maya Lin
All quotes →I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That's art to me.
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How we are using up our home, how we are living and polluting the planet is frightening. It was evident when I was a child. It's more evident now.
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Sometimes you have to stop thinking. Sometimes you shut down completely. I think that's true in any creative field.
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A lot of my works deal with a passage, which is about time. I don't see anything that I do as a static object in space. It has to exist as a journey in time.
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When I was building the Vietnam Memorial, I never once asked the veterans what it was like in the war, because from my point of view, you don't pry into other people's business.
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