See MacDonald, Architecture of the Roman Empire, p. 135: “Hadrian ordered, suggested, and criticized, shaping buildings more by the force of his intellect and personality than by any painstaking professional procedures for which in any event he had little or no time…Through his passion for building he influenced architecture profoundly, not the least because he was able to manipulate so much talent, manpower, and money in its favor.” Hence, conversely, the buildings reveal the mind of the builder.