Philip Johnson quotes

Philip Johnson was an influential American architect and critic, best known for his role in defining modern and postmodern architecture. His most celebrated works include the Glass House and the AT&T Building. He played a pivotal role in shaping architectural trends of the 20th century. Here are 54 of his quotes:

Architecture is art, nothing else. (Philip Johnson)
If architects weren't arrogant, they wouldn't be architects. I don't know a modest good architect. View quote
Philip Johnson
I call myself a traditionalist, although I have fought against tradition all my life. View quote
Philip Johnson
Architecture is basically the design of interiors, the art of organizing interior space. View quote
Philip Johnson
All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space. View quote
Philip Johnson
All architects want to live beyond their deaths. View quote
Philip Johnson
Doing a house is so much harder than doing a skyscraper. View quote
Philip Johnson
I hate vacations. If you can build buildings, why sit on the beach? View quote
Philip Johnson
I guess I can't be a great architect. Great architects have a recognizable style. But if every building I did were the same, it would be pretty boring. View quote
Philip Johnson
Houston is undoubtedly my showcase city. I saved all my best buildings for Houston. View quote
Philip Johnson
The people with money to build today are corporations - they are our popes and Medicis. The sense of pride is why they build. (Philip Johnson)
To me, the drive for monumentality is as inbred as the desire for food and sex, regardless of how we denigrate it. Monuments differ in different periods. Each age has its own. View quote
Philip Johnson
The automobile is the greatest catastrophe in the entire history of City architecture. View quote
Philip Johnson
The painters have every advantage over us today...Besides being able to tear up their failures-we never can seem to grow ivy fast enough-their materials cost them nothing. They have no committees of laymen telling them what to do. They have no deadlines, no budgets. We are all sickeningly familiar with the final cuts to our plans at the last moment. Why not take out the landscaping, the retaining walls, the colonnades? The building would be just as useful and much cheaper. True, an architect leads a hard life-for an artist. View quote
Philip Johnson
I like Houston. It's the last great 19th-century city. Houston has a spirit about it that is truly American, an optimism. People there aren't afraid to try something new. View quote
Philip Johnson
I always think of buildings in their settings, but so do other architects. View quote
Philip Johnson
I got everything from someone. Nobody can be original. View quote
Philip Johnson
The future of architecture is culture. View quote
Philip Johnson
Purpose is not necessary to make a building beautiful. View quote
Philip Johnson
There's no worse feeling than seeing my buildings and realizing the mistakes. View quote
Philip Johnson
I haven't any wisdom - just a child like everybody else. I'm not as great as Frank Lloyd Wright. (Philip Johnson)
I wish someone would ask me to design a cathedral. View quote
Philip Johnson
We all see the world differently. And thank God for that. Otherwise, what a boring world this would be. View quote
Philip Johnson
I used to think that each phase of life was the end. But now that my view on life is more or less fixed, I believe that change is a great thing. In fact, it's the only real absolute in the world. View quote
Philip Johnson
Don't build a glass house if you're worried about saving money on heating. View quote
Philip Johnson