Quote by Honore de Balzac, The Search for

The events of human life, whether public or private, are so intimately linked to architecture that most observers can reconstruct nations or individuals in all the truth of their habits from the remains of their public monuments or from their domestic relics. Archaeology is to social nature what comparative anatomy is to organized nature. A mosaic reveals an entire society, just as a skeleton of an ichthyosaur suggests an entire creation. Everything is deducible, everything is linked. The cause allows one to guess the effect, just as each effect allows one to reconstruct a cause. The scientist can resuscitate in this manner even the warts of ancient times. From this comes without doubt the prodigious interest that an architectural description can inspire when the writer's fantasy is faithful to its basic elements. Cannot each person reattach it to its past by rigorous deductions? And as for man, does not the past singularly resemble the future? Tell him what was and is this not almost always the same thing as telling him what will be?

Summary

This quote highlights the significant role that architecture plays in understanding the events and habits of individuals and societies. The remains of public monuments and domestic relics allow observers to reconstruct the truth about nations or individuals. Comparing archaeology to comparative anatomy, the quote suggests that just as a mosaic reveals an entire society, even the smallest details can deduce the cause and effect of events. By accurately describing architecture, one can inspire interest and help people connect to their past and foresee the future, suggesting that the past is often similar to the future.