---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Venice would be a fine city if it were…"
description: "\"Venice would be a fine city if it were only drained.\" — Ulysses S. Grant"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/ulysses-s-grant-1793_cities_venice-would-be-a-fine-city-if-it-were-o_3229767.jpg"
---

#  Venice would be a fine city if it were only drained.

![“Venice would be a fine city if it were only drained.” quote by Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/ulysses-s-grant-1793_cities_venice-would-be-a-fine-city-if-it-were-o_3229767.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/ulysses-s-grant-1793_cities_venice-would-be-a-fine-city-if-it-were-o_3229767.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/ulysses-s-grant-1793_cities_venice-would-be-a-fine-city-if-it-were-o_3229767.jpg)

> “Venice would be a fine city if it were only drained.”

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote humorously suggests that Venice's beauty is undermined by its flooding problems.

**In simple terms:** Venice looks great but needs better drainage.

Key Takeaway

Improve infrastructure to enjoy natural beauty.

Themes

urban planning environment infrastructure

Mood

reflective critical

Type

observational commentary

When to use this quote

- tourism
- urban development
- environmental management
- flood control

Key Concepts

hydrology city design public works

Questions to Reflect On

- How would better drainage change Venice’s character?
- What other challenges does Venice face?

A Different Perspective

Even with drainage, other issues like preservation remain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [City Drained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-drained-5193689/) [Drained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drained/) [Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine/) [Fine City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-city-3881786/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Venice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/venice/) [Venice Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/venice-fine-5193688/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/)

## Related quotes

> [“General Grant seriously remarked to a particularly bright young woman that Venice would be a fine city if it were drained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/general-grant-seriously-remarked-to-a-particularly-bright-young-woman/)

[Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/)

> [A fine city with too many socialists and mosquitoes. At least you can spray the mosquitoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-klein/a-fine-city-with-too-many-socialists-and-mosquitoes-at-least-you-can/)

[Ralph Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-klein/)

> [Norwich is a fine city. None finer. If there is another city in the United Kingdom with a school of painters named after it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/norwich-is-a-fine-city-none-finer-if-there-is-another-city-in-the/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [“There are things we feel for certain people, and only they make us feel those things. This was one of those. More than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-adam/there-are-things-we-feel-for-certain-people-and-only-they-make-us/)

[Derek Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-adam/)

> [Just as, in travel, one may miss seeing the sunset because one cannot find the ticket-office or is afraid of missing the train, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-origo/just-as-in-travel-one-may-miss-seeing-the-sunset-because-one-cannot/)

[Iris Origo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-origo/)

> [“Anger was foreign to him; he had only felt it once before. But now it came, a wash of it that made him swell,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/anger-was-foreign-to-him-he-had-only-felt-it-once-before-but-now-it/)

[Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/)

> [James was truly an unknown quantity. He was really, physically drained in the spring and he got dinged in the fall. We brought him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-hoeppner/james-was-truly-an-unknown-quantity-he-was-really-physically-drained/)

[Terry Hoeppner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-hoeppner/)

> [“My energies have been drained. Masturbating too much will do that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-m-pillow/my-energies-have-been-drained-masturbating-too-much-will-do-that/)

[Michelle M. Pillow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-m-pillow/)

> [I did four or five years in telly, and by the end of it was drained. I was a bit sick of myself. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-macfadyen/i-did-four-or-five-years-in-telly-and-by-the-end-of-it-was-drained-i/)

[Matthew Macfadyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-macfadyen/)

> [ Hitler ... lacked the \[inclination\] for anything more than the occasional sensational display of emotion, in particular the great set-piece speech which mesmerized the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keegan/hitler-lacked-the-inclination-for-anything-more-than-the-occasional/)

[John Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keegan/)

> [They rode on and the sun in the east flushed pale streaks of light and then a deeper run of color like blood seeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-rode-on-and-the-sun-in-the-east-flushed-pale-streaks-of-light/)

[Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/)

> [Once the forest has been removed and the swamp starts being drained, that organic matter begins to oxidise and give off continuing emissions. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-ford-seymour/once-the-forest-has-been-removed-and-the-swamp-starts-being-drained/)

[Frances Ford Seymour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-ford-seymour/)

> [If European symbols and traditions have grown tired, perfunctory and oppressively banal in Australia, or been drained of spirit and meaning by the dreary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/if-european-symbols-and-traditions-have-grown-tired-perfunctory-and/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [The bourgeois thinkers of the eighteenth century thus turned Aristotle's formula on its head: satisfactions which the Greek philosopher had identified with leisure were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/the-bourgeois-thinkers-of-the-eighteenth-century-thus-turned/)

[Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/)

> [The first rose on my rose-tree Budded, bloomed, and shattered, During sad days when to me Nothing mattered. Grief or grief has drained me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/the-first-rose-on-my-rose-tree-budded-bloomed-and-shattered-during/)

[Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/)

## More by Ulysses S. Grant

> [“In the early days of the country, before we had railroads, telegraphs and steamboats—in a word, rapid transit of any sort—the States were each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/in-the-early-days-of-the-country-before-we-had-railroads-telegraphs/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [“The much talked of surrendering of Lee’s sword and my handing it back, this and much more that has been said about it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/the-much-talked-of-surrendering-of-lee-s-sword-and-my-handing-it-back/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [“General Lee was dressed in a full uniform which was entirely new, and was wearing a sword of considerable value, very likely the sword…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/general-lee-was-dressed-in-a-full-uniform-which-was-entirely-new-and/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [“The great bulk of the legal voters of the South were men who owned no slaves; their homes were generally in the hills and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/the-great-bulk-of-the-legal-voters-of-the-south-were-men-who-owned-no/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/if-we-are-to-have-another-contest-in-the-near-future-of-our-national/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [...but for a soldier his duty is plain. He is to obey the orders of all those placed over him and whip the enemy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/but-for-a-soldier-his-duty-is-plain-he-is-to-obey-the-orders-of-all/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [“I was afraid, every morning, that I would awake from my sleep to hear that Lee had gone, and that nothing was left but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/i-was-afraid-every-morning-that-i-would-awake-from-my-sleep-to-hear/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [“The efforts to kill off politically the two successful generals, made them both candidates for the Presidency. General Taylor was nominated in 1848, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/the-efforts-to-kill-off-politically-the-two-successful-generals-made/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [Hold fast to the Bible. To the influence of this Book we are indebted for all the progress made in true civilization and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/hold-fast-to-the-bible-to-the-influence-of-this-book-we-are-indebted/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [“The fact is the constitution did not apply to any such contingency as the one existing from 1861 to 1865. Its framers never dreamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/the-fact-is-the-constitution-did-not-apply-to-any-such-contingency-as/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [It was my fortune, or misfortune, to be called to the office of Chief Executive without any previous political training.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/it-was-my-fortune-or-misfortune-to-be-called-to-the-office-of-chief/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [No other terms than unconditional and immediate surrender. I propose to move immediately upon your works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/no-other-terms-than-unconditional-and-immediate-surrender-i-propose/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [I would suggest the taxation of all property equally whether church or corporation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/i-would-suggest-the-taxation-of-all-property-equally-whether-church/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [I know only two tunes: one of them is 'Yankee Doodle,' and the other isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/i-know-only-two-tunes-one-of-them-is-yankee-doodle-and-the-other-isn-t/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [“I could have allowed myself more time. I have used my best efforts, with the aid of my eldest son, F. D. Grant, assisted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/i-could-have-allowed-myself-more-time-i-have-used-my-best-efforts/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

[Explore all 208 Ulysses S. Grant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

## More Cities quotes

> [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/)

[Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/)

> [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/)

[Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/)

> [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/)

[James Cross Giblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cross-giblin/)

> [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/)

[Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/)

> [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/)

[Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/)

[John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/)

> [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/)

[Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/)

> [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/)

[Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/)

> [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/)

[Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/)

> [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Venice would be a fine city if it were only drained.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ulysses S. Grant"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/venice-would-be-a-fine-city-if-it-were-only-drained/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cities"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/venice-would-be-a-fine-city-if-it-were-only-drained/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/ulysses-s-grant-1793_cities_venice-would-be-a-fine-city-if-it-were-o_3229767.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/ulysses-s-grant-1793_cities_venice-would-be-a-fine-city-if-it-were-o_3229767.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/ulysses-s-grant-1793_cities_venice-would-be-a-fine-city-if-it-were-o_3229767.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Venice would be a fine city if it were only drained.” — Ulysses S. Grant",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ulysses S. Grant",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Venice would be a fine city...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/venice-would-be-a-fine-city-if-it-were-only-drained/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/venice-would-be-a-fine-city-if-it-were-only-drained/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
