Vitruvius Quotes

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (born ca. 80/70 BC?; died ca. 25 BC) was a Roman writer, architect and engineer, active in the 1st century BC.

Taking courage and looking forward from the standpoint of higher ideas born of the multiplication of the arts, they gave up huts and began to build houses with foundations, having brick or stone walls, and roofs of timber and tiles; next, observation and application led them from fluctuating and indefinite conceptions to definite rules of symmetry. Perceiving that nature had been lavish in the bestowal of timber and bountiful in stores of building material, they... embellished them with luxuries.

Chapter I, Sec. 7

Share

More Vitruvius Quotes

Some people do indeed say that Eratosthenes could not have inferred the true measure of the earth. Whether true or untrue, it cannot affect the truth of what I have written on the fixing of the quarters from which the different winds blow.

Vitruvius
— De architectura, Book I, Chapter VI, Section 11 (~15 BC).

Tags: people, indeed, Eratosthenes, inferred, true, measure, earth, untrue, affect

Share
twitter

The stone in quarries is found to be of different and unlike qualities. In some it is soft... in others it is medium... in still others it is hard as in lava quarries. There are also numerous other kinds: for instance, in Campania , red and black tufas ; in Umbria , Picenum, and Venetia , white tufa which can be cut with a toothed saw like wood.

Vitruvius
— Chapter VII, Sec. 1

Tags: stone, quarries, found, different, unlike, qualities, soft, others, medium

Share
twitter

It is no secret that the moon has no light of her own, but is, as it were, a mirror, receiving brightness from the influence of the sun.

Vitruvius
— Chapter II, Sec. 3

Tags: secret, moon, light, own, mirror, receiving, brightness, influence, sun

Share
twitter

Propriety is that perfection of style which comes when a work is authoritatively constructed on approved principles. It arises from prescription, from usage, or from nature.

Vitruvius
— Chapter II, Sec. 5

Tags: Propriety, perfection, style, when, work, authoritatively, constructed, approved, principles

Share
twitter

Remembering... that Eratosthenes of Cyrene, employing mathematical theories and geometrical methods, discovered from the course of the sun, the shadows cast by an equinoctial gnomon, and the inclination of the heaven that the circumference of the earth is two hundred and fifty-two thousand stadia, that is, thirty-one million five hundred thousand paces.

Vitruvius
— Chapter VI, Sec. 9

Tags: Remembering, Eratosthenes, Cyrene, employing, mathematical, theories, geometrical, methods, discovered

Share
twitter

They drew near, and observing that they were very comfortable standing before the warm fire, they put on logs and, while thus keeping it alive, brought up other people to it, showing them by signs how much comfort they got from it. In that gathering of men, at a time when utterance of sound was purely individual, from daily habits they fixed upon articulate words just as these had happened to come; then, from indicating by name things in common use, the result was that in this chance way they began to talk, and thus originated conversation with one another.

Vitruvius
— Chapter I "The Origin of the Dwelling House" Sec. 1

Tags: drew, near, observing, comfortable, standing, before, warm, fire, logs

Share
twitter

The steps in front must be arranged so that there shall always be an odd number of them; for thus the right foot, with which one mounts the first step, will also be the first to reach the level of the temple itself.

Vitruvius
— Chapter IV, Sec. 4

Tags: steps, front, arranged, there, odd, number, right, foot, one

Share
twitter

Hence, men that are born in the north are rendered over-timid and weak by fever, but their wealth of blood enables them to stand up against the sword without timidity.

Vitruvius
— Chapter I, Sec. 4

Tags: Hence, men, born, north, rendered, overtimid, weak, fever, wealth

Share
twitter

It was a wise and useful provision of the ancients to transmit their thoughts to posterity by recording them in treatises, so that they should not be lost, but, being developed in succeeding generations through publications in books, should gradually attain in later times, to the highest refinement of learning.

Vitruvius
— De architectura (Translation: The Ten Books On Architecture), Book VII, Introduction, Sec. 1 (~ 15BC)

Tags: wise, useful, provision, ancients, transmit, thoughts, posterity, recording, treatises

Share
twitter

They make a fine purple colour by treating bilberry in the same way and mixing it with milk.

Vitruvius
— Chapter XIV, Sec. 2

Tags: purple, colour, treating, bilberry, mixing, milk

Share
twitter

Architects who have aimed at acquiring manual skill without scholarship have never been able to reach a position of authority to correspond to their pains, while those who relied only upon theories and scholarship were obviously hunting the shadow, not the substance. But those who have a thorough knowledge of both, like men armed at all points, have the sooner attained their object and carried authority with them.

Vitruvius
— Chapter I, Sec. 2

Tags: Architects, who, aimed, acquiring, manual, skill, without, scholarship, never

Share
twitter

From astronomy we find the east, west, south, and north, as well as the theory of the heavens, the equinox, solstice, and courses of the stars. If one has no knowledge of these matters, he will not be able to have any comprehension of the theory of sundials.

Vitruvius
— Chapter I, Sec. 10

Tags: astronomy, we, find, east, west, south, north, theory, heavens

Share
twitter

Men have no right to profess themselves architects hastily, without having climbed from boyhood the steps of these studies and thus, nursed by the knowledge of many arts and sciences, having reached the heights of the holy ground of architecture.

Vitruvius
— Chapter I, Sec. 11

Tags: Men, right, profess, themselves, architects, hastily, without, having, climbed

Share
twitter

Reflexion is careful and laborious thought, and watchful attention directed to the agreeable effect of one's plan. Invention, on the other hand, is the solving of intricate problems and the discovery of new principles by means of brilliancy and versatility.

Vitruvius
— De architectura (The Ten Books On Architecture), Chapter II, Sec. 2 (~15 BC)

Tags: Reflexion, careful, laborious, thought, watchful, attention, directed, agreeable, effect

Share
twitter

Eurythmy is beauty and fitness in the adjustments of the members. This is found when the members of a work are of a height suited to their breadth, of a breadth suited to their length, and, in a word, when they all correspond symmetrically.

Vitruvius
— Chapter II, Sec. 3

Tags: Eurythmy, beauty, fitness, adjustments, members, found, when, work, height

Share
twitter

When the morning breezes blow toward the town at sunrise, if they bring with them mists from marshes and, mingled with the mist, the poisonous breath of the creatures of the marshes to be wafted into the bodies of the inhabitants, they will make the site unhealthy.

Vitruvius
— Chapter IV "The Site of a City" Sec. 1

Tags: When, morning, breezes, blow, town, sunrise, mists, marshes, mingled

Share
twitter

The system of fortification by wall and towers may be made safest by the addition of earthen ramparts .

Vitruvius
— Chapter V, Sec. 5

Tags: system, fortification, wall, towers, may, safest, addition, earthen, ramparts

Share
twitter

Lay a second foundation enough inside the first... Having laid these two foundations... build cross walls between them uniting the outer and inner foundation in a comb like arrangement set like teeth of a saw. With this form of construction the burden of earth will be distributed into small bodies and will not lie with all its weight in one crushing mass so as to thrust out substructures.

Vitruvius
— Chapter V, Sec. 7

Tags: Lay, second, foundation, enough, inside, first, Having, laid, two

Share
twitter

Quoth he [ Alexander ] "...as a newborn babe cannot be nourished without the nurse's milk, nor conducted to the approaches that lead to growth in life, so a city cannot thrive without fields and the fruits thereof pouring into its walls."

Vitruvius
— Introduction, Sec. 3

Tags: Quoth, newborn, babe, nourished, without, nurse's, milk, conducted, approaches

Share
twitter

There is no kind of material, no body, and no thing that can be produced or conceived of, which is not made up of elementary particles; and nature does not admit of a truthful exploration in accordance with the doctrines of the physicists without an accurate demonstration of the primary causes of things, showing how and why they are as they are.

Vitruvius
— Chapter I, Sec. 9

Tags: There, kind, material, body, thing, can, produced, conceived, elementary

Share
twitter

While in Campania the burning of the earth makes ashes, in Tuscany the combustion of the stone makes carbuncular sand. Both are excellent in walls but one is better to use for buildings on land, the other for piers under salt water.

Vitruvius
— Chapter VI, Sec. 6

Tags: While, Campania, burning, earth, makes, ashes, Tuscany, combustion, stone

Share
twitter

Next comes the consideration of stone quarries from which dimension stone and supplies of rubble to be used in building are taken and brought together.

Vitruvius
— Chapter VII "Stone" Sec. 1

Tags: Next, consideration, stone, quarries, dimension, supplies, rubble, used, building

Share
twitter

On the top of the wall lay a structure of burnt brick, about a foot and a half in height, under the tiles and projecting like a coping . ...when the tiles on the roof are broken or thrown down by the wind so that rain-water can leak through, this burnt brick coating will prevent the crude brick from being damaged, and the cornice -like projection will throw off the drops beyond the vertical face, and thus the walls, though of crude brick structure, will be preserved intact.

Vitruvius
— Chapter VIII, Sec. 18

Tags: top, wall, lay, structure, burnt, brick, foot, half, height

Share
twitter

The cedar and the juniper tree have the same uses and good qualities... from the cedar is produced an oil called cedar oil. Books as well as other things smeared with this are not hurt by worms or decay. ...the grain of the wood is straight. The statue of Diana in the temple at Ephesus is made of it, and so are the coffered ceilings both there and in all other famous fanes , because that wood is everlasting.

Vitruvius
— Chapter IX, Sec. 13

Tags: cedar, juniper, tree, uses, good, qualities, produced, oil, Books

Share
twitter

For the eye is always in search of beauty, and if we do not gratify its desire for pleasure by a proportionate enlargement in these measures, and thus make compensation for ocular deception, a clumsy and awkward appearance will be presented to the beholder.

Vitruvius
— Chapter III, Sec. 13

Tags: eye, search, beauty, we, gratify, desire, pleasure, proportionate, enlargement

Share
twitter

In the same manner the voice executes its movements in concentric circles; but while in the case of water the circles move horizontally on a plane surface, the voice not only proceeds horizontally, but also ascends vertically by regular stages. Therefore, as in the case of the waves formed in the water, so it is in the case of the voice: the first wave, when there is no obstruction to interrupt it, does not break up the second or the following waves, but they all reach the ears of the lowest and highest spectators without an echo.

Vitruvius
— Chapter IV, Sec. 7

Tags: manner, voice, executes, movements, concentric, circles, while, case, water

Share
twitter

Even peasants wholly without knowledge of the quarters of the sky believe that oxen ought to face only in the direction of the sunrise.

Vitruvius
— Chapter VI, Sec. 1

Tags: peasants, wholly, without, knowledge, quarters, sky, believe, oxen, face

Share
twitter

Every hot spring has healing properties because it has been boiled with foreign substances, and thus acquires a new useful quality.

Vitruvius
— Chapter III, Sec. 4

Tags: hot, spring, healing, properties, been, boiled, foreign, substances, acquires

Share
twitter

The moon makes her circuit of the heaven in twenty-eight days plus about an hour, and with her return to the sign from which she set forth, completes a lunar month.

Vitruvius
— Chapter I, Sec. 5

Tags: moon, makes, circuit, heaven, twentyeight, days, plus, hour, return

Share
twitter
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • »
  • Menu
  • Dictionary
    • Dictionary
    • YD Original
    • Webster's
    • American Heritage
    • Wiktionary
    • Ologies
    • Computer
    • Invest
    • Law
  • Thesaurus
  • Examples
    • See in a sentence
    • Example articles
  • Quotes
    • Famous Quotes
    • Quote Articles
  • Flash Cards
  • Spanish
    • Spanish-English Translation
    • Reference
  • Reference
    • Education
    • ESL
    • Grammar
    • Abbreviations
    • Biography
    • Books & Literature
    • Examples
    • Foreign Languages
    • Resources
    • Slideshows
  • Word Finder
    • Word Finder
    • 4 Pics 1 Word Answers
    • Word Game Dictionary
    • Unscramble
    • Words With Friends Cheat
Share
  • Menu
  • Dictionary
    • Dictionary
    • YD Original
    • Webster's
    • American Heritage
    • Wiktionary
    • Ologies
    • Computer
    • Invest
    • Law
  • Thesaurus
  • Examples
    • See in a sentence
    • Example articles
  • Quotes
    • Famous Quotes
    • Quote Articles
  • Flash Cards
  • Spanish
    • Spanish-English Translation
    • Reference
  • Reference
    • Education
    • ESL
    • Grammar
    • Abbreviations
    • Biography
    • Books & Literature
    • Examples
    • Foreign Languages
    • Resources
    • Slideshows
  • Word Finder
    • Word Finder
    • 4 Pics 1 Word Answers
    • Word Game Dictionary
    • Unscramble
    • Words With Friends Cheat
Share
  • Home
  • Quotes
  • Authors
  • vitruvius
Share

Follow YourDictionary

Join YourDictionary today

Create and save customized flash cards. Sign up today and start improving your vocabulary!

Please set a username for yourself.
People will see it as Author Name with your public flash cards.