If you're serious about being an architect, you've got to learn how to take responsibility.

An architect is given a program, budget, place, and schedule. Sometimes the end product rises to art - or at least people call it that.

You've got to like the people you work with.

I do my best to choose carefully. If I don’t feel that collaboration is going to happen, I say no. Think about it. These projects can involve a five-to-seven-year partnership. If you don’t feel comfortable with someone, you can’t get rid of them. I just walked away from a job for that reason. Every one of these projects is an emotional investment, like falling in love. You’ve got to believe in it and you’ve got to like the people you work with.

That's where you have to look for your inspiration. Don't separate the rest of your life - who you are, what you love - from your work.

It's not new that architecture can profoundly affect a place, sometimes transform it.

When I was a kid, my father didn't really have much hope for me. He thought I was a dreamer; he didn't think I would amount to anything. My mother also.