I.M. Pei

At one level my goal is simply to give people pleasure in being in a space and to add to the pleasure of their lives.

There is an ancient Chinese saying, 'A painting is a voiceless poem, and a poem is a sounding painting.' I think architecture must be both.

Modern architecture needs to be more than just functional. It needs to speak to the human spirit.

You cannot define architecture in words. You have to experience it.

I am not a stylist. I don't believe in having a signature style.

The most important thing is to find the right solution. The style is a consequence of that search.

Light is the key. The architecture of the museum is all about light.

Without history, architecture is meaningless. We must build upon the past, not ignore it.

The test of a building is not how it looks on opening day, but how it wears over time.

Architecture is a social art. It must serve people, not just the ego of the architect.

I have always believed that the contemporary architect who ignores history is doomed to failure.

Space has always been the spiritual dimension of architecture. It is not the physical statement of structure so much as what it contains.

The pyramid at the Louvre was the most difficult job of my life.

Success is a collection of problems solved.

To be an architect, you have to be an optimist. You have to believe that what you do will make a better world.

Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space.

I prefer the garden to the street. The garden is a controlled environment, a place of contemplation.

The essence of architecture is the interplay of interior and exterior space.

A building must be true to its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.

The client is a very important participant in the creative process. Without a good client, you cannot do good architecture.