Smartyfair
The ambition of the old Babel builders was well directed for this world: there are but two strong conquerors of the forgetfulness of men, Poetry and Architecture; and the latter in some sort includes the former, and is mightier in its reality; it is well to have, not only what men have thought and felt, but what their hands have handled, and their strength wrought, and their eyes beheld, all the days of their life.

Where these words come from

How sure this is
95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up
The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1849), The Lamp of Memory; Exact wording and attribution checked. Ruskin considers architecture as a witness to past generations and an obligation to future ones.
Work
The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1849), The Lamp of Memory
Sources checked
  • gutenberg.orgChecked using manual, 21 October 2026The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1849), The Lamp of Memory; Exact wording and attribution checked. Ruskin considers architecture as a witness to past generations and an obligation to future ones.

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