Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty.
No person who is not a great sculptor or painter can be an architect. If he is not a sculptor or painter, he can only be a builder.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Only those with a deep understanding of artistry can truly excel in architecture, beyond mere construction.
In this quote, John Ruskin emphasizes the importance of artistic skill and creativity in the field of architecture. He argues that a successful architect must possess the artistic sensibilities of a sculptor or painter, as these skills allow them to create structures that are not only functional but also beautifully integrated into their surroundings. Without this artistic foundation, architecture may lack depth and meaning, reducing it to mere construction work.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about the importance of artistic skills in various fields, this quote can serve to highlight architecture's roots in art.
More from John Ruskin
All quotes βIn health of mind and body, men should see with their own eyes, hear and speak without trumpets, walk on their feet, not on wheels, and work and war with their arms, not with engine-beams, nor rifles warranted to kill twenty men at a shot before you can see them.
You talk of the scythe of Time, and the tooth of Time: I tell you, Time is scytheless and toothless; it is we who gnaw like the worm - we who smite like the scythe. It is ourselves who abolish - ourselves who consume: we are the mildew, and the flame.
To be able to ask a question clearly is two-thirds of the way to getting it answered.
See that your children be taught, not only the labors of the earth, but the loveliness of it.
A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money.
Similar quotes
Female characters in literature are full. They're messy: they've got runny noses and burp and belch. Unfortunately, in film, female characters don't often have that kind of richness.
Life is very nice, but it lacks form. It's the aim of art to give it some.
I don't go to shows because I just want to listen to the music performed live. I want to get to know the person who's performing it. Or I want to, like, take away a sense that I had an experience that nobody else is going to have again, or a unique experience for that moment.
The concept with Off-White is that I have no ideal target. It's more about trying to make something for everyone. And I think that's what helps make it unique. That there isn't a specific muse.
We are the sons of Sorrow; we are the poets and the prophets and the musicians.
In some ways I believe music is the more convincing communicator of ideas than words. For instance, we can hear of Kordaly and Bartok and recognise them as Hungarian, but very few of us speak Hungarian, but the music itself speaks to more people.