Lewis Mumford
Lewis Mumford
Lewis Mumford, KBEwas an American historian, sociologist, philosopher of technology, and literary critic. Particularly noted for his study of cities and urban architecture, he had a broad career as a writer. Mumford was influenced by the work of Scottish theorist Sir Patrick Geddes and worked closely with his associate the British sociologist Victor Branford...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSociologist
Date of Birth19 October 1895
CountryUnited States of America
art creativity cities
The chief function of the city is to convert power into form, energy into culture, dead matter into the living symbols of art, biological reproduction into social creativity.
beauty truth sight
A day spent without the sight or sound of beauty, the contemplation of mystery, or the search of truth or perfection is a poverty-stricken day; and a succession of such days is fatal to human life.
art happy-life practice
Life is an art we are required to practice without preparation, a score that we play at sight even before we have mastered our instruments.
men may weapons
A man of courage never needs weapons, but he may need bail.
life art practice
Life is the only art that we are required to practice without preparation, and without being allowed the preliminary trials, the failures and botches, that are essential for training.
funny witty flower
Our national flower is the concrete cloverleaf.
art times-like-these voice
When art seems to be empty of meaning, as no doubt some of the abstract painting of our own day actually does seem, what the painting says, indeed what the artist is shrieking at the top of his voice, is that life has become empty of all rational content and coherence, and that, in times like these, is far from a meaningless statement.
travel mean cooking
Restore human legs as a means of travel. Pedestrians rely on food for fuel and need no special parking facilities.
inspirational motivational courage
A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with, the wind.
men civilization giving
Man's Chief purpose... is the creation and preservation of values; that is what gives meaning to our civilization, and the participation in this is what gives significance, ultimately, to the individual human life.
mystery consciousness life-is
The ultimate gift of conscious life is a sense of the mystery that encompasses it.
home men self
Before modern man can gain control over the forces that now threaten his very existence, he must resume possession of himself. This sets the chief mission for the city of the future: that of creating a visible regional and civic structure, designed to make man at home with his deeper self and his larger world, attached to images of human nature and love.
cities age building
The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is actually the right to destroy the city.
memories men cities
The great city is the best organ of memory man has yet created.