I. M. Pei

Quotes

• “To me, form doesn't always follow function. Form has a life of its own, and at times, it may be the motivating force in ...”
• “In northern architecture - the cathedrals of Europe and all the little churches - the details, the carving of stone, bec...”
• “The Louvre for me is a wonderful experience. Because it continues; it didn't get cut off. It was actually a continuous i...”
• “I came, I studied architecture in America, so my technical background's completely western. But my seventeen years, the ...”
• “The essence of architecture is form and space, and light is the essential element to the key to architectural design, pr...”
• “I've never left China. My family's been there for 600 years. But my architecture is not consciously Chinese in any sense...”
• “It is good to learn from the ancients. I'm a bit of an ancient myself. They had a lot of time to think about architectur...”
• “Architecture must not do violence to space or its neighbors.”
• “A lasting architecture has to have roots.”