I have always accepted and respected all other schools of architecture, from the chill and elemental structures of Mies van der Rohe to the imagination and delirium of Gaudi. I must design what pleases me in a way that is naturally linked to my roots and the country of my origin.
Oscar NiemeyerArchitecture is my work, and Ive spent my whole life at a drawing board, but life is more important than architecture. What matters is to improve human beings.
Oscar NiemeyerLife is very fleeting. Itโs important to be gentle and optimistic. We look behind and think what weโve done in this life has been good. It was simple; it was modest. Everyone creates their own story and moves on. Thatโs it. I donโt feel particularly important. What we create is not important. Weโre very insignificant.
Oscar NiemeyerA church is something very beautiful. It is nice when people feel happy in it. But I am not a religious man. Look at us, and then at the infinity of space. We are rather small insignificant creatures, wouldnโt you say?
Oscar Niemeyer