Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Quotes

Nothing can express the aim and meaning of our work better than the profound words of St. Augustine - 'Beauty is the splendor of Truth.'

Less is more.

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This famous quote, associated with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, advocates for simplicity and minimalism in design. It implies that by reducing complexity and removing unnecessary elements, a design can achieve greater elegance and impact.

Architecture begins when you place two bricks care... -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Architecture begins when you place two bricks carefully together.

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This quote suggests that the process of creating architecture starts with the thoughtful arrangement of fundamental building blocks, symbolized by two bricks. It implies that architecture is born from careful attention to detail and the precise composition of elements.

Wherever technology reaches its real fulfillment, ... -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Wherever technology reaches its real fulfillment, it transcends into architecture.

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This quote suggests that when technology achieves its true potential, it becomes integrated into architectural design and construction. It implies that advanced technology can elevate architecture, leading to new possibilities and innovations in the field.

I don't want to be interesting. I want to be good.

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This quote reflects a desire for personal integrity and moral character rather than merely seeking attention or being intriguing to others. It suggests that the speaker values goodness, virtue, and ethical behavior over superficial or attention-seeking qualities. It implies a focus on inner values, authenticity, and making choices aligned with personal principles. It underscores the idea of prioritizing goodness and integrity over external validation or the pursuit of being perceived as interesting.

God is in the details.

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This quote suggests that God's presence or divine significance can be found in the intricacies and subtleties of life or creation, emphasizing the importance of paying attention to and appreciating the small or overlooked aspects.

Not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today can be giv... -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today can be given form. Only this architecture creates.

Architecture depends on facts, but its real field ... -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Architecture depends on facts, but its real field of activity lies in the realm of the significance.

When one looks at Nature through the glass walls of the Farnsworth House, it takes on a deeper significance than when one stands outside. More of Nature is thus expressed - it becomes part of a greater whole.

I thought a lot and I controlled my thoughts in my work - and I controlled my work through my thoughts.

Technology is rooted in the past. It dominates the present and tends into the future. It is a real historical movement - one of the great movements which shape and represent their epoch.

Architecture starts when you carefully put two bri... -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Architecture starts when you carefully put two bricks together. There it begins.

Discovering the context

This quote emphasizes the fundamental act of construction as the starting point of architecture. It implies that architectural creation commences with the careful assembly of basic building elements, such as bricks, marking the initial step in the realization of a design.

Technology is far more than a method, it is a world in itself. As a method, it is superior in almost every respect. But only where it is left to itself, as in gigantic structures of engineering, there technology reveals its true nature.

I hope you will understand that architecture has nothing to do with the inventions of forms. It is not a playground for children, young or old. Architecture is the real battleground of the spirit.

Nature, too, shall live its own life. We must beware not to disrupt it with the color of our houses and interior fittings. yet we should not attempt to bring nature, houses, and human beings together into a higher unity.

The building art is man's spatial dialogue with his environment and demonstrates how he asserts himself therein and how he masters it.

Never talk to a client about architecture. Talk to him about his children. That is simply good politics. he will not understand what you have to say about architecture most of the time.

Simply by not owning three medium-sized castles in Tuscany I have saved enough money in the last forty years on insurance premiums alone to buy a medium-sized castle in Tuscany.

Our utilitarian structures will mature into architecture only when, through their fulfillment of function, they become carriers of the will of the age.

The building art is, in reality, always the spatial execution of spiritual decisions. It is bound to its times and manifests itself only in addressing vital tasks with the means of its times. A knowledge of the times, its tasks, and its means is the necessary precondition of work in the building art.

I especially remember that on All Souls Day, when so many people wanted new monuments for the graves, our whole family pitched in. I did the lettering on the stones, my brother did the carving, and my sisters put the finishing touches on them, the gold leaf and all that.

It must be possible to solve the task of controlling nature and yet simultaneously create a new freedom.

What finally is beauty? Certainly nothing that can be calculated or measured. It is always something imponderable, something that lies between things.

It must be understood that every architecture is bound to its time and manifests itself only in vital tasks and through the materials of its age. It has never been otherwise.