65 Mafalda phrases loaded with humor, criticism and irony

Mafalda is a fictional character made by the Argentine humorist Quino, whose real name is Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón. This girl, who is part of a comic strip, intends to represent and reflect the idealism of the progressive and middle class and the concern and rebellion against the problems of today's society. His ingenious phrases invite reflection on many aspects of our day to day in an ironic and irreverent way.

It is for all this that this article collects a selection of phrases from Mafalda.

• Related article: "123 wise phrases to reflect on life"

Great phrases and reflections of Mafalda

Below you can see some fifty phrases with which Quino's character, Mafalda, questions and criticizes controversial aspects of society.

1. Life is beautiful, the bad thing is that many confuse beautiful with easy

Difficulties and obstacles are something we have to deal with continuously throughout life, and actually allow us to mature and learn to value their beauty.

2. If to live is to last, I prefer a Beatles song to a Boston Pops Long Play

This phrase expresses the need to live intensely and without fear, taking advantage of our life regardless of the time we are here.

3. Half the world likes dogs; and to this day no one knows what wow means

Criticism of the lack of knowledge, communication and mutual understanding.

4. As usual; as soon as you put your feet on the ground the fun ends

Mafalda points out that extreme realism leads us to worry excessively and prevents us from dreaming.

• You may be interested in: "Just World Theory: do we get what we deserve?"

5. The problem is that there are more interested people than interesting people.

Nowadays the prevailing culture tends towards individualism, there being a wide segment of the population that focuses its behavior and lifestyle solely on the search for personal benefit.

6. Everywhere they cook broad beans, but no one dares to strangle the maitre d'.

This phrase expresses that although there are many problems, most simply suffer without seeking a real solution to end them.

7. Life is beautiful, the bad thing is that many confuse beautiful with easy

Difficulties and obstacles are something we have to deal with continuously throughout life, and actually allow us to mature and learn to value their beauty.

8. What do the years matter? What really matters is to verify that, after all, the best age in life is to be alive

Reflection that drives us to stop valuing age so much since it is not important. There is no age that has to be better than another. We have to focus on what is important: living.

9. Stop the world I want to get off!

This phrase, originally from Groucho Marx, expresses a critique of the way the world works today and the need for change.

10. Do we send a father every day for that damn office to return this to us?

In this sentence of Mafalda a criticism is made of the excessive level of demand and absorption from the world of work.

11. The ideal would be to have the heart in the head and the brain in the chest. So we would think with love and love wisely

Reflection that leads us to assess the need for emotion and reason to go hand in hand.

12. What if instead of planning so much we flew a little higher?

Mafalda questions the fact that we do not dare to go further in our dreams and ambitions, limiting ourselves to acting based on self-imposed limits.

13. Yes, I know, there are more problemologists than solutionologists, but what are we going to do?

In this sentence, Mafalda criticizes that most people tend to limit themselves to complaining about reality and pointing out what is wrong, and very few seek solutions.

14. We have men of principles, too bad they never let them get past the beginning

In today's society, values ​​and principles are often beaten and ignored out of interest, restricting and preventing those who try to act in accordance with them from moving forward.

15. And is it not that in this world there are more and more people and fewer people?

Criticism of the progressive dehumanization of society, focused on the economic and competitive and less and less concerned about their peers.

16. The checks of your mockery have no funds in the bank of my mind

The ridicule and the attempt of others to hurt us do not have to make a dent in us.

17. The bad thing about the mass media is that they don't give us time to communicate with ourselves.

The excess of information available through the mass media often makes us forget the importance of communicating with others or even with ourselves.

18. It is not that there is no goodness, what happens is that he is incognito

Kindness is a concept that we can apply in our daily life, although in recent times it rarely appears disinterestedly.

19. Start your day with a smile and you will see how fun it is to go around keeping up with everyone

Criticism of the excessive rigidity, seriousness and sadness that most people manifest, not being so frequent to find expressions of joy in our day to day.

20. Let those who are sick of seeing the world run with their feet raise their hands!

Here the disagreement about how things are and the type of management that is made of global society is expressed.

21. The problem with closed minds is that they always have their mouths open.

Those who are less flexible and more intolerant tend to continually reflect and perpetuate their ideas, trying to impose them on others.

22. In this family there are no bosses, we are a cooperative

This sentence is criticizes the traditional patriarchal model, in which the man is seen as the head of the family.

• Related article: "Patriarchy: 7 keys to understanding cultural machismo"

23. If you don't do stupid things when you're young, you have nothing to smile about when you're old.

Phrase that encourages you to enjoy your youth and not take things too seriously at this vital stage, as well as to experience and live new things and/or things that make you enjoy yourself.

24. Some love me for who I am, others hate me for the same reason, but I came into this life to try to be happy...not to please anyone!

We must forget and stop giving importance to what others think of us and how we are and focus on living freely, in our own way.

25. The bad thing about the great human family is that everyone wants to be the father

This phrase expresses that everyone wants to command and impose their way of acting and their points of view, which is why conflicts between people, countries and cultures arise.

• You may be interested in: "The 8 types of families and their characteristics"

26. The newspapers make up half of what they say. And if we add to that that they don't say half of what happens, it turns out that the newspapers don't exist

This is a criticism of the manipulation and lack of veracity of many media.

27. As always: the urgent leaves no time for the important

We live in a very demanding society where we constantly have something to do and finish promptly, often leaving aside vital aspects for us or forgetting to deal with aspects that, although they may be minority, are still of great importance.

28. Did you ever think that if it weren't for everyone, no one would be anything?

Mafalda makes us see that although we can go very far in life, the fact that we do so is largely due to the contribution or effect of those around us.

29. They say that man is an animal of habit, rather, man is an animal of habit

Reflection on cruelty and stubbornness of the human being.

30. Did you put on two kilos since last summer? Well, millions of people couldn't get fat because they had nothing to eat. But I guess you need to be comforted and not feel so stupid

Concern for the figure is something that obsesses today's developed societies, but it does not take into account that a large part of humanity goes hungry and dies of starvation.

31. It's always late when happiness is bad

Mafalda expresses a somewhat pessimistic point of view of reality, as we can see in this sentence that she opposes the popular saying.

32. I'm not disheveled but my hair has freedom of expression

Funny phrase that, however, can express both a criticism of the absence of freedom of expression and the existence of the consideration that anything can be done under its protection.

33. Wouldn't it be more progressive to ask where we are going to continue, instead of where we are going to stop?

Through the language Mafalda expresses the need to make things flow and continue instead of focusing on giving them an end.

34. It's not true that every past time was better. What happened was that those who were worse off still hadn't realized

We must try not to mythologize the past. This is often remembered with nostalgia., without taking into account that at that time they also had different difficulties.

35. Do not leave until tomorrow trying to fit someone else what you have to do today

Not very subtle criticism of the tendency to look for someone who saves us work by doing what one should do oneself.

36. I want to congratulate the countries that lead world politics. So I hope there's ever a reason

Mafalda expresses her discontent with how the world works and current politics.

37. Work to earn a living. But why does that life that one earns have to be wasted working for a living?

Mafalda wonders why we centralize life so much around the world of work and ignore or put down other aspects that are equally or more important such as enjoyment or personal relationships.

38. It's funny, one closes one's eyes and the world disappears

We are often too focused on what surrounds us, on the demands of work and society, on the What will they think... but in the end we are going to be the ones who live our life and we must live it at our own pace. rhythm.

39. Better go take a look, and if there is freedom, justice and those things they wake me up, whatever the world number is, are we there?

Phrase that reflects that today the world is still full of injustice, that we have to fight to achieve a better world.

• You may be interested in: "The 10 types of values: principles that govern our lives"

40. The bad thing about reports is that one has to answer a journalist at the moment everything that he has not been able to answer himself in his entire life... And on top of that they try to make one look intelligent

This phrase expresses the fact that there is a large number of things that we do not know about ourselves or that we do not dare to consider, and that when they are pointed out, they surprise us.

41. Let's ring, guys! It turns out that if you don't rush to change the world, then it's the world that changes you!

This phrase pushes us not to settle and fight to change what we consider unfair.

42. No one can amass a fortune without making flour for others

This phrase expresses a criticism of the way of stepping on and using others to achieve benefits that is still used today.

43. I would say that we all get happy without asking why

Happiness and joy would not have to have an ulterior motive for existing or demand an explanation.

44. In all parts of the world the law of compensation has worked very well, whoever raises their voices lowers their cane

This phrase by Mafalda talks about the risk of protesting against what is established due to the punishment it can entail.

45. Wouldn't the world be beautiful if libraries were more important than banks?

This phrase criticizes the excessive value that we give to money and the little importance that is really given to knowledge.

46. Of course money is not everything, there are also checks

Again, an acid criticism of the excessive importance given to money and economic wealth, such that that seems to be all that matters.

47. Life should not throw one out of childhood without first getting him a good position in youth.

The need to be able to be a child and have basic aspects such as livelihood or education guaranteed in order to develop into adulthood is expressed.

48. There is never a lack of someone who is left over

There will always be something or someone we don't like and who opposes what we believe or do.

49. In the end, humanity is nothing more than a meat sandwich between heaven and earth.

Small reflection that puts us all on the same level: we are all people, neither more nor less.

50. Smile! It's free and relieves the headache

Mafalda encourages us to try to be happy instead of worrying and thinking about everything.

51. Where do they sell cheap bugs? It's just that mine have been very expensive...

Failure, errors and incorrectness were some of the recurring themes that Quino addressed in his comics.

52. The cool answer always comes to us 5 minutes after giving a stupid answer.

Something with which many people can undoubtedly see ourselves reflected.

53. Isn't it amazing how much a pencil can contain?

An allegory of the immensity of the human imagination.

54. Is it not perhaps that this modern life is having more modern than life?

Mafalda habitually criticized the problems of modern Western society.

55. Some people have not understood that the Earth revolves around the sun, not around them.

A very obvious criticism of self-centered and selfish people.

56. In this world everyone has a small or big concern about her.

Most people have their own problems, and their magnitude depends on how they conceive of them.

57. I would think that... But it's better not to touch the subject, right?

A humorous phrase that refers to dealing with controversial or provocative topics.

58. In the end, what is the matter? Is one leading his life forward, or does life take him ahead of him?

A reflection that many adults have made throughout their lives.

59. I'm not antisocial, I'm socially selective.

A phrase that perfectly and humorously sums up introverted people.

60. (Referring to a policeman's baton) See? This is the stick for denting ideologies.

Mafalda criticized for decades the powers and institutions of the state, including the police.

61. From time to time it is convenient to take your instinct for a walk.

Instinct will help us on multiple occasions to take the right direction.

62. Undoubtedly, spring is the most publicity thing in life.

Spring is the most spectacular season of the year, in which all life is reborn.

63. (Referring to a Band-Aid) Well, how does one stick this on their soul?

Interpersonal relationships, pain, poverty, injustice... These were some of the topics that the great Quino dealt with in his cartoons.

64. Doesn't it hurt a little to call the country underdeveloped? And what do you want me to tell him? An amateur country.

In Mafalda's cartoons we can also find many claim messages in favor of social progress and against injustices.

65. Where should we push this country to move it forward?

The problems that Argentina was going through for several decades are usually a regular theme in Mafalda comics.