"But inspiration? - That's when you come home from abroad and are asked: Well, have you found inspiration? - and fortunately you haven't. But the impressions sink in, of course, and may emerge later: None of us has invented the house; that was done many thousands of years ago"

Arne Jacobsen’s reflection explores the nature of inspiration in creative work, particularly in architecture and design. Upon returning from travels abroad, people often expect designers to bring back newfound ideas or moments of inspiration, something tangible and immediate. Instead, Jacobsen suggests that genuine inspiration is rarely so direct or instantaneous. Rather than returning home brimming with fresh, ready-to-use concepts, the designer finds that overt inspiration is elusive, almost notably absent.

However, experiences accumulated during travels are not without value. Jacobsen observes that the true impact of such journeys takes time to manifest. The impressions, subtle observations, and feelings gathered while away gradually work into the designer’s subconscious. Instead of sparking immediate revelations or direct copies, these accumulated insights lie dormant, sinking in and blending with the individual's prior experiences and knowledge. Over time, they may resurface, influencing future ideas or guiding intuitive decisions in unexpected ways. Inspiration, then, is less about a sudden flash of genius and more about an organic internalization and transformation of what one has seen, felt, and learned.

Jacobsen emphasizes humility in the creative process by recalling that no individual has “invented the house”, that fundamental ideas, such as the concept of a house, belong to human history rather than any single creator. This acknowledgment puts personal creativity into perspective. New works are always connected to a long lineage of shared knowledge and collective invention. The process of design thus becomes a dialogue with what has come before rather than a quest to be entirely original.

The quotation ultimately challenges common romantic notions about inspiration. It encourages a slow, patient approach to creativity, trusting that experiences and insights will naturally influence one’s work over time, and that innovation is most often a process of reinterpreting and recombining enduring human ideas, rather than inventing them anew.