The sun never knew how great it was until it hit the side of a building.
Louis KahnRead
We are born of light. The seasons are felt through light. We only know the world as it is evoked by light.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the fundamental role light plays in our perception and understanding of the world.
Louis Kahn's quote highlights the intrinsic connection between light and our experience of reality. It suggests that light is not just a physical phenomenon, but a vital element that shapes our existence and perception. The mention of seasons implies a dynamic relationship between light and nature, indicating that our understanding of the world is significantly influenced by light's presence and variations. Thus, the quote invites us to consider how our perceptions might shift in conditions of different illumination.
Themes
LightPerceptionWorldSeasonsExistenceNature
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the impact of nature on our lives.
More from Louis Kahn
All quotes βI sense a Threshold: Light to Silence, Silence to Light - an ambiance of inspiration, in which the desire to be, to express, crosses with the possible Light to Silence, Silence to Light crosses in the sanctuary of art.
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Greek architecture taught me that the column is where the light is not, and the space between is where the light is. It is a matter of no-light, light, no-light, light. A column and a column brings light between them. To make a column which grows out of the wall and which makes its own rhythm of no-light, light, no-light, light: that is the marvel of the artist.
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The room is the beginning of architecture.
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Architecture is the reaching out for the truth.
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The creation of art is not the fulfillment of a need but the creation of a need. The world never needed Beethoven's Fifth Symphony until he created it. Now we could not live without it.
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