{"id":75464,"date":"2023-05-19T07:40:47","date_gmt":"2023-05-19T05:40:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/visitanddo_1790.test\/?p=75464"},"modified":"2026-10-01T00:02:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T22:02:26","slug":"best-phrases-of-the-alhambra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/best-phrases-of-the-alhambra\/","title":{"rendered":"Quotes about the Alhambra and Granada"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Granada is one of the most frequently mentioned cities in Spain, and not all the sayings about it are true.<\/p>\n

Here are the ones that are actually documented<\/strong>, to whom he said them and in what context. And finally, the most famous of them all, which turns out to be a hoax<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

Quotes about Granada and the Alhambra<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1. Francisco de Icaza \u2014 the best known<\/h3>\n

\u00abGive him alms, woman, for there is nothing in life quite like the misery of being blind in Granada.\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It is the quintessential phrase associated with Granada<\/strong>, and it has its own story: it was written by the Mexican poet Francisco de As\u00eds de Icaza<\/strong> after seeing a blind beggar begging near the Alhambra. It is carved into the wall of the Torre de la P\u00f3lvora.<\/p>\n\n

2. Lope de Vega<\/h3>\n

\u00abI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve called this earth beneath my feet \u00bbheaven\u201d; if this place down here is paradise, what on earth must the Alhambra be?\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From the Golden Age, and among the few predating romantic tourism.<\/p>\n\n

3. Federico Garc\u00eda Lorca<\/h3>\n

\u00abOn the waters of Granada, only sighs flow.\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lorca was from Granada<\/strong> and he wrote about his city constantly. Other works of his, equally well-researched:<\/p>\n

\u00abGranada is defenceless against the people; for when it comes to flattery, nothing and no one can defend themselves.\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00abGranada is a place for dreams and reverie; everywhere it borders on the ineffable\u2026 Granada will always be more artistic than philosophical, more lyrical than dramatic.\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

4. Washington Irving<\/h3>\n

\u00abNever in my life have I lived in a more delightful place than this, and I shall never find another to match it.\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And he knew what he was talking about: lived inside the Alhambra in 1829<\/strong>, when the site was half in ruins and occupied by local residents.<\/p>\n\n

5. Antonio Machado<\/h3>\n

\u00abEvery city has its own charm. Granada has its own, and that of all the others.\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

6. Chateaubriand<\/h3>\n

\u00abYou really ought to see the Alhambra and Granada. It\u2019s like something out of a fairy tale; it\u2019s magic, splendour, love; it\u2019s unlike anything you\u2019ve ever seen.\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

7. Ernest Hemingway<\/h3>\n

\u00abIf we had to visit just one city in Spain, it would have to be Granada.\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is the one Hemingway actually said.<\/strong> There is another quote attributed to him \u2014 \u00aba gift from history that stands the test of time\u00bb \u2014 which does not appear in any source and does not fit with his writing style.<\/p>\n\n

8. Manuel de Falla<\/h3>\n

\u00abNowhere else in the world does the landscape sound quite like it does in Granada.\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The composer He lived in a country house at the foot of the Alhambra<\/strong>, which is now a museum.<\/p>\n\n

9. Victor Hugo<\/h3>\n

\u00abThere is no city that, without a touch of madness, \/ can rival Granada \/ for the crown of beauty.\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Also hers: \u00abIn Granada there are more spells than there are reddish seeds in the fruit found in the valleys.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n

10. Henri Matisse<\/h3>\n

\u00abGranada stirs the soul to the point of overwhelming and blurring all the senses.\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

\u26a0\ufe0f The false claim that everyone keeps repeating<\/h2>\n

\u00abEvery curious traveller holds Granada dear to their heart, even if they have never visited it.\u00bb \u2014 attributed to William Shakespeare<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Shakespeare never wrote that.<\/strong> Neither about Granada nor about the Alhambra. He died in 1616<\/strong> and there is not a single line in his entire body of work that mentions the city.<\/p>\n

And yet you\u2019ll find it everywhere<\/strong>: in guidebooks, in compilations and even on official tourism websites. It is one of the most widespread misconceptions about Spanish tourism.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going to quote someone in a caption<\/strong>, you\u2019d be better off choosing the ones at the top \u2013 they do stand up to scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n

The phrase written on the walls: the same one 9,000 times<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The most oft-repeated phrase at the Alhambra was not written by any poet: it is carved into its walls.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00abThere is no victory except through Allah<\/em>\u00bb \u2014 \u00abThere is no victor but God\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It was the motto of the Nasrid dynasty<\/strong>, and it is estimated that it appears around 9,000 times<\/strong> carved into the stucco work, arches, columns and plinths throughout the complex.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s more to it than meets the eye:<\/strong> The Nasrids ruled Granada as a vassal kingdom of Castile<\/strong>, paying tribute. The motto served as a reminder that no human victory is definitive, something that was particularly relevant in their situation.<\/p>\n

Keep an eye out for it during your visit.<\/strong> Once you recognise it, you start to see it everywhere, and the d\u00e9cor ceases to be mere decoration and becomes a form of text. The clearest example of this is in the Patio de los Leones<\/a>, the fountain of which has an entire poem carved onto its rim.<\/p>\n\n

The Tales of the Alhambra<\/h2>\n

If the Alhambra is now a world-famous destination, it owes this in large part to a book.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Washington Irving<\/strong>, an American writer and diplomat, it was established on the site in 1829<\/strong>. At that time, the Alhambra was not a monument: it was a dilapidated building, with families living inside. Irving recorded what its inhabitants told him and published it in 1832<\/strong> as Tales of the Alhambra<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The book put the monument on the map<\/strong> from Europe and the Americas, and gave rise to romantic tourism in Granada.<\/p>\n

His best-known stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n