William Coperthwaite

William Coperthwaite (1930-November 26, 2013) was an American architect, author, maker, social critic, and homesteader. He is known for teaching yurt building in the United States and writing A Handmade Life: In Search of Simplicity.

Quotes

A Handmade Life: In Search of Simplicity

• Initially what is important is to be able to successfully make a useful object over which the maker can exclaim, with pleasure and amazement, 'I made this myself!
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• The finest design for society will not be one worked up by specialists but a design created by the people themselves to fit their needs.
• The teacher is the designer of the learning process a choreographer of discovery.
• Many things that if you’re attractive it for us become ugly to us when we gain deeper knowledge: a building that took an oppressed class to build, a tool that will not hold an edge, clothes that shrink or fade on Washington. Are these beautiful? That way we answer this question is momentous impact for our concept of society.
• ...when we have more minds concerned, any challenge shrinks proportionally. The solution to our greatest problems may simply be involvement.
• When as a society we fail to help all people have confidence in their ability to create, we are doubly wasteful. First, we lose from society’s reservoir the creative potential of so many, and second we see those who are left out lose well-being and emotional security.