Maya Lin

Explore inspiring quotes by Maya Lin, a remarkable figure whose words continue to inspire and motivate people around the world.

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Top Categories by Maya Lin

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architecture

9 quotes

war

5 quotes

learning

2 quotes

age

1 quotes

art

1 quotes

business

1 quotes

dad

1 quotes

death

1 quotes

Featured Quotes by Maya Lin

Some of the most memorable quotes from this author

"Some of your teachers are actually closer in age to you than you think."

— Maya Linage

"I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That's art to me."

— Maya Linarchitecture

"Warmth isn't what minimalists are thought to have."

— Maya Linarchitecture

"Even though I build buildings and I pursue my architecture, I pursue it as an artist. I deliberately keep a tiny studio. I don't want to be an architectural firm. I want to remain an artist."

— Maya Linarchitecture

"I probably spent the first 20 years of my life wanting to be as American as possible. Through my 20s, and into my 30s, I began to become aware of how so much of my art and architecture has a decidedly Eastern character."

— Maya Linarchitecture

"I left science, then I went into art, but I approach things very analytically. I choose to pursue both art and architecture as completely separate fields rather than merging them."

— Maya Linarchitecture

All Quotes by Maya Lin

Browse all quotes from this author

"Some of your teachers are actually closer in age to you than you think."

-Maya Lin

ageView Quote

"I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That's art to me."

-Maya Lin

architectureView Quote

"Warmth isn't what minimalists are thought to have."

-Maya Lin

architectureView Quote

"Even though I build buildings and I pursue my architecture, I pursue it as an artist. I deliberately keep a tiny studio. I don't want to be an architectural firm. I want to remain an artist."

-Maya Lin

architectureView Quote

"I probably spent the first 20 years of my life wanting to be as American as possible. Through my 20s, and into my 30s, I began to become aware of how so much of my art and architecture has a decidedly Eastern character."

-Maya Lin

architectureView Quote

"I left science, then I went into art, but I approach things very analytically. I choose to pursue both art and architecture as completely separate fields rather than merging them."

-Maya Lin

architectureView Quote

"The process I go through in the art and the architecture, I actually want it to be almost childlike. Sometimes I think it's magical."

-Maya Lin

architectureView Quote

"In art or architecture your project is only done when you say it's done. If you want to rip it apart at the eleventh hour and start all over again, you never finish. I was one of those crazy creatures."

-Maya Lin

architectureView Quote

"I loved logic, math, computer programming. I loved systems and logic approaches. And so I just figured architecture is this perfect combination."

-Maya Lin

architectureView Quote

"Art is very tricky because it's what you do for yourself. It's much harder for me to make those works than the monuments or the architecture."

-Maya Lin

architectureView Quote

"I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That's art to me."

-Maya Lin

artView Quote

"When I was building the Vietnam Memorial, I never once asked the veterans what it was like in the war, because from my point of view, you don't pry into other people's business."

-Maya Lin

businessView Quote

"My dad was dean of fine arts at the university. I was casting bronzes in the school foundry. I was using the university as a playground."

-Maya Lin

dadView Quote

"If we can't face death, we'll never overcome it. You have to look it straight in the eye. Then you can turn around and walk back out into the light."

-Maya Lin

deathView Quote

"When I was very little, we would get letters from China, in Chinese, and they' be censored. We were a very insular little family."

-Maya Lin

familyView Quote

"To me, the American Dream is being able to follow your own personal calling. To be able to do what you want to do is incredible freedom."

-Maya Lin

freedomView Quote

"It's funny, as you live through something you're not aware of it."

-Maya Lin

funnyView Quote

"How we are using up our home, how we are living and polluting the planet is frightening. It was evident when I was a child. It's more evident now."

-Maya Lin

homeView Quote

"The only thing that mattered was what you were to do in life, and it wasn't about money. It was about teaching, or learning."

-Maya Lin

learningView Quote

"You should be having more fun in high school, exploring things because you want to explore them and learning because you love learning-not worrying about competition."

-Maya Lin

learningView Quote

"I deliberately did not read anything about the Vietnam War because I felt the politics of the war eclipsed what happened to the veterans. The politics were irrelevant to what this memorial was."

-Maya Lin

politicsView Quote

"I left science, then I went into art, but I approach things very analytically. I choose to pursue both art and architecture as completely separate fields rather than merging them."

-Maya Lin

scienceView Quote

"The role of art in society differs for every artist."

-Maya Lin

societyView Quote

"I really enjoyed hanging out with some of the teachers. This one chemistry teacher, she liked hanging out. I liked making explosives. We would stay after school and blow things up."

-Maya Lin

teacherView Quote

"When I was building the Vietnam Memorial, I never once asked the veterans what it was like in the war, because from my point of view, you don't pry into other people's business."

-Maya Lin

warView Quote

"I started studying what the nature of a monument is and what a monument should be. And for the World War III memorial I designed a futile, almost terrifying passage that ends nowhere."

-Maya Lin

warView Quote

"It was a requirement by the veterans to list the 57,000 names. We're reaching a time that we'll acknowledge the individual in a war on a national level."

-Maya Lin

warView Quote

"The definition of a modern approach to war is the acknowledgement of individual lives lost."

-Maya Lin

warView Quote

"I deliberately did not read anything about the Vietnam War because I felt the politics of the war eclipsed what happened to the veterans. The politics were irrelevant to what this memorial was."

-Maya Lin

warView Quote

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Maya Lin

Top Categories by Maya Lin

architecture

war

learning

age

art

business

dad

death

Featured Quotes by Maya Lin

All Quotes by Maya Lin

"Some of your teachers are actually closer in age to you than you think."

"I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That's art to me."

"Warmth isn't what minimalists are thought to have."

"Even though I build buildings and I pursue my architecture, I pursue it as an artist. I deliberately keep a tiny studio. I don't want to be an architectural firm. I want to remain an artist."

"I probably spent the first 20 years of my life wanting to be as American as possible. Through my 20s, and into my 30s, I began to become aware of how so much of my art and architecture has a decidedly Eastern character."

"I left science, then I went into art, but I approach things very analytically. I choose to pursue both art and architecture as completely separate fields rather than merging them."

"The process I go through in the art and the architecture, I actually want it to be almost childlike. Sometimes I think it's magical."

"In art or architecture your project is only done when you say it's done. If you want to rip it apart at the eleventh hour and start all over again, you never finish. I was one of those crazy creatures."

"I loved logic, math, computer programming. I loved systems and logic approaches. And so I just figured architecture is this perfect combination."

"Art is very tricky because it's what you do for yourself. It's much harder for me to make those works than the monuments or the architecture."

"I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That's art to me."

"When I was building the Vietnam Memorial, I never once asked the veterans what it was like in the war, because from my point of view, you don't pry into other people's business."

"My dad was dean of fine arts at the university. I was casting bronzes in the school foundry. I was using the university as a playground."

"If we can't face death, we'll never overcome it. You have to look it straight in the eye. Then you can turn around and walk back out into the light."

"When I was very little, we would get letters from China, in Chinese, and they' be censored. We were a very insular little family."

"To me, the American Dream is being able to follow your own personal calling. To be able to do what you want to do is incredible freedom."

"It's funny, as you live through something you're not aware of it."

"How we are using up our home, how we are living and polluting the planet is frightening. It was evident when I was a child. It's more evident now."

"The only thing that mattered was what you were to do in life, and it wasn't about money. It was about teaching, or learning."

"You should be having more fun in high school, exploring things because you want to explore them and learning because you love learning-not worrying about competition."

"I deliberately did not read anything about the Vietnam War because I felt the politics of the war eclipsed what happened to the veterans. The politics were irrelevant to what this memorial was."

"I left science, then I went into art, but I approach things very analytically. I choose to pursue both art and architecture as completely separate fields rather than merging them."

"The role of art in society differs for every artist."

"I really enjoyed hanging out with some of the teachers. This one chemistry teacher, she liked hanging out. I liked making explosives. We would stay after school and blow things up."

"When I was building the Vietnam Memorial, I never once asked the veterans what it was like in the war, because from my point of view, you don't pry into other people's business."

"I started studying what the nature of a monument is and what a monument should be. And for the World War III memorial I designed a futile, almost terrifying passage that ends nowhere."

"It was a requirement by the veterans to list the 57,000 names. We're reaching a time that we'll acknowledge the individual in a war on a national level."

"The definition of a modern approach to war is the acknowledgement of individual lives lost."

"I deliberately did not read anything about the Vietnam War because I felt the politics of the war eclipsed what happened to the veterans. The politics were irrelevant to what this memorial was."

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