Luis Barragan Quotes

“Life deprived of beauty is not worthy of being called human.”

— Luis Barragan

“My house is my refuge, an emotional piece of architecture, not a cold piece of convenience.”

— Luis Barragan

I think that the ideal space must contain elements of magic, serenity, sorcery and mystery.

— Luis Barragan

“A garden must combine the poetic and the mysterious with a feeling of serenity and joy.”

— Luis Barragan

“Architecture is a art when one consciously or unconsciously creates aesthetic emotion in the atmosphere and when this environment produces well being.”

— Luis Barragan

“I don't divide architecture, landscape and gardening; to me they are one.”

— Luis Barragan

“It is essential to an architect to know how to see: I mean to see in such a way that the vision is not overpowered by rational analysis.”

— Luis Barragan

“Beauty is the oracle that speaks to us all.”

— Luis Barragan

“All architecture, which does not express serenity, fails in its spiritual mission. Thus, it has been a mistake to abandon the shelter of walls for the inclemency of large areas of glass.”

— Luis Barragan

“I have devoted myself to architecture as a sublime act of poetic imagination. Consequently, I am only a symbol for all those who have been touched by beauty. The words Beauty, Inspiration, Magic, Spellbound, Enchantment, as well as the concepts of Serenity, Silence, Intimacy and Amazement, all these have nestled in my soul. Though I am fully aware that I have not done them complete justice in my work, they have never ceased to be my guiding lights.”

— Luis Barragan

Don't ask me about this building or that one, don't look at what I do, see what I see.

— Luis Barragan

In alarming proportions the following words have disappeared from architectural publications: beauty, inspiration, magic, sorcery, enchantment, and also serenity, mystery, silence, privacy, astonishment. All of these have found a loving home in my soul.

— Luis Barragan

“In the creation of a garden, the architect invites the partnership of the Kingdom of Nature. In a beautiful garden the majesty of nature is ever present, but it is nature reduced to human proportions and thus transformed into the most efficient haven against the aggressiveness of contemporary life.”

— Luis Barragan

“Any work of architecture that does not express serenity is a mistake.”

— Luis Barragan

“I believe that architects should design gardens to be used, as much as the houses they build, to develop a sense of beauty and the taste and inclination toward the fine arts and other spiritual values.”

— Luis Barragan

Only in intimate communion with solitude may man find himself. Solitude is good company and my architecture is not for those who fear or shun it.

— Luis Barragan