Louis Sullivan

Architecture American 1856 – 1924 99 quotes

An American architect, often called the 'father of skyscrapers' and 'father of modernism,' known for the phrase 'form follows function.'

Quotes by Louis Sullivan

The true value of a building is its harmony with its environment.

Ornament in Architecture 1901

Man's life is a search for truth.

Autobiography of an Idea 1924

The ornament should grow out of the structure.

The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered 1896

In the domain of architecture, the new is the eternal.

Autobiography of an Idea 1922

The soul of a building is its function fulfilled.

Emotional Architecture 1901

Freedom in design leads to true expression.

Apropos of Recent Happenings 1924

The skyscraper must express the spirit of the age.

The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered 1896

Life is a continuous becoming.

Autobiography of an Idea 1922

Architecture without function is mere decoration.

Ornament in Architecture 1901

The great architect is he who builds for the future.

Autobiography of an Idea 1924

In art, as in life, sincerity is the key.

The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered 1896

The building should sing its purpose.

Democracy: A Man-Search 1922

Truth in architecture is organic truth.

Emotional Architecture 1901

The lie of ornamentation destroys the soul of design.

The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered 1896

Man must create his own destiny through his works.

Autobiography of an Idea 1924

The essence of architecture is human expression.

Autobiography of an Idea 1922

Form is the expression of function.

Ornament in Architecture 1901

In the silence of nature, we find the true forms.

The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered 1896

Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space.

Apropos of Recent Happenings 1924

The architect's role is to interpret the spirit of the time.

Democracy: A Man-Search 1922