Quotes by I.M. Pei

Great artists need great clients.

I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity.

Contemporary architects tend to impose modernity on something. There is a certain concern for history but it’s not very deep. I understand that time has changed, we have evolved. But I don’t want to forget the beginning. A lasting architecture has to have roots.

Architecture is the very mirror of life. You only have to cast your eyes on buildings to feel the presence of the past, the spirit of a place; they are the reflection of society.

I want to bring out the best in a community and contribute something of permanent value.

At the beginning, I thought the best Islamic work was in Spain - the mosque in Cordoba, the Alhambra in Granada. But as I learned more, my ideas shifted. I traveled to Egypt, and to the Middle East many times.I found the most wonderful examples of Islamic work in Cairo, it turns out. Id visited mosques there before, but I didnt see them with the same eye as I did this time. They truly said something to me about Islamic architecture.

Stop worrying about missed opportunities and start looking for new ones.

Success is a collection of problems solved.

Be the best, not necessarily the original.

It is not an individual act, architecture. You have to consider your client. Only out of that can you produce great architecture. You cannot work in the abstract.

Life is architecture and architecture is the mirror of life.

Lets do it right. This is for the ages.

You cannot defend your design without knowing what youre designing for.