Are you looking for some great quotes on Mexico, something to inspire your travel plans? Maybe a cool caption or popular Mexican saying for your Facebook or Instagram? You have come to the right place!
I have lived in Mexico full-time since 2004. That’s a long time and why I generally refer to myself as an immigrant rather than an expat. I enjoy collecting quotes about the country I now call home. Some of them speak to the beauty of Mexico and the Mexican people. Some of them make me think twice. Some of them I disagree with but I’ve lived here long enough to understand the sentiment.
I have curated this list of quotes on Mexico over the past 20 years. Some of them are funny. Some are poignant and some you may find downright offensive. You will find quotes about Mexican food, culture, and history. There are Mexico travel quotes, inspiring words by famous Mexicans and some of my favorite traditional Mexican sayings and proverbs.
I´ve made up some nice graphics for some of my favorites that are perfect for Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. While it’s uncommon to encourage people to swipe content, I’m doing just that.
I am inviting you to share these Mexican images and Mexican sayings. If you find one that resonates with you, feel free to share it far and wide! The only thing I ask is that you link back to www.comingtomexico.com.
Contents
Quotes on Mexico Travel
The beauty of Mexico cannot be overstated! Some great Mexico travel quotes to inspire you!
“Traveling to Mexico is an opportunity to experience the warmth of its people and the richness of its culture.”
Mark Twain, American writer and humorist
“My attitude when I’m in Mexico is I wake up in the morning with nothing to do and I go to bed half done. I don’t wear a watch. When I live down here, I do nothing according to time. I eat when I’m hungry and go to sleep when I’m tired.”
Jesse Ventura WWE Wrestler, Actor and Politician
“Traveling to Mexico is a journey of discovery, where every corner holds a new story and every person a new adventure.”
Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian novelist and short story writer, The Nobel Prize in Literature 1982
“I went to Mexico City to visit and fell in love with the city.”
Julieta Venegas, American-Mexican singer-songwriter and musician
“Traveling to Mexico is like stepping back in time, to a place where ancient cultures and traditions still thrive.”
Rick Bayless, American chef and restaurateur
“There are parts of L.A. that feel very, very Mexican, and there are weird little enclaves of Northside in Mexico – Cancun for instance.”
William T. Vollmann, American novelist and journalist
“One single visit is not enough to be able to say that you know Mexico.”
Enrique Peña Nieto, Former President of Mexico
“The weirdest place I ever actually woke up in was a villa on the beach in Mexico. It was burning hot, and there were all these crabs walking around me. But I was feeling good, so I went with the vibe.”
Future, American rapper and singer
“Anyone who can leave the Yucatán with indifference has never been an artist and will never be a scholar.”
Désiré Charnay, French explorer
“Oh, Mexico It sounds so simple, I just got to go.”
James Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
“Traveling in Mexico is like eating a spicy dish: it’s exciting and sometimes overwhelming, but always full of flavor and life.”
Paul Theroux, American novelist and travel writer
“Life in Mexico is a rich and rewarding experience, a place where you can truly immerse yourself in the culture and learn to appreciate the beauty of simplicity.”
Pico Iyer, British essayist and novelist
“I took a trip down to Mexico. It kind of changed my perspective on life a little bit.”
Derrick Favors, American basketball player
“But I’m not running away. I’m running toward… toward adventure, toward discovery, toward diversity. And while I was in Mexico I discovered something intriguing: Once I leave the U.S., I am not bound by the rules of my culture. And when I am a foreigner in another country, I am exempt from the local rules. This extraordinary situation means that there are no rules in my life. I am free to live by the standards and ideals and rules I create for myself.”
Rita Golden Gelman, American writer
“Mexico is a land of infinite discovery.”
Diego Rivera, Mexican painter
Quotes About Mexican Food and Drink
Here is my collection of quotes about everybody’s favorite cuisine…Mexican!! Food is the heart of Mexico. The very essence of Mexico is expressed perfectly by its cuisine. The world’s love of Mexican food is perfectly expressed in these quotes!
“Mexican food is far more varied than people think. It changes like dialects.”
Gael Garcia Bernal, Mexican actor and filmmaker
“Deal with your wins and losses alike. With tequila, lemon, and a pinch of salt.“
Saleem Sharma, Author
“Mexican food is like a beautiful woman, you want to taste all of her.”
Rick Bayless, American chef and restaurateur
“I’m convinced that anyone who doesn’t like Mexican food is a psychopath.”
Jim Gaffigan, American comedian and actor
“It becomes evident, when the glorious plunge is taken, that to cook and eat Mexican food is to celebrate sensuality.”
Richard Condon, American novelist
“The best little tamale factories are shrines… And there are fanatics among us. I am one, a Mexico border boy who lost his jalapeño innocence by the age of six.”
Lawrence W. Cheek, Travel Author
“Mexican food is an aphrodisiac which excites the passion for living. It courts, seduces, ravishes, then cherishes all five senses…”
Richard Condon, American novelist
“I’m gonna open a small restaurant on the beach in Mexico. We’re only gonna have a few tables, and we’re only gonna cook what’s fresh that day.”
Guy Fieri, American restaurateur and author
“Drinking tequila is more about the journey than the destination.”
Rainbow Rowell, American author
“I’ve seen zero evidence of any nation on Earth other than Mexico even remotely having the slightest clue what Mexican food is about.”
Anthony Bourdain, American chef and author
“All good stories start in cantinas.”
Rudolfo Anaya, Author
“Tacos are like what the voices of a hundred angels singing Bob Dylan while sitting on rainbows and playing banjos would taste like if that sound were edible.”
Isabel Quintero, Writer
“Mexican food is one of the best culinary experiences that people can have.”
Karla Souza, Mexican actress
“Pardon me if I grow moist-eyed and slightly mystical, but there is something about Mexican cooking that is akin to the essence of life.”
Lawrence W. Cheek, Travel Author
“Never underestimate how much assistance, how much satisfaction, how much comfort, how much soul and transcendence there might be in a well-made taco and a cold bottle of beer.”
Tom Robbins, American novelist
“Mexican food is like music, it has the power to bring people together.”
Aarón Sánchez, American chef and restaurateur
“It is a known fact that it is impossible to eat quality Mexican food and not be in a good mood afterward. Even bad Mexican food is better than 90 percent of all other foods.”
Jim Gaffigan, American comedian and actor
“I suppose there are people who can pass up free guacamole, but they’re either allergic to avocado or too joyless to live.“
Frank Bruni, American journalist
“Long ago, she and I agreed on the merits of Mexican food. It is, we decided, earthy food, festive food, happy food, celebration food. It is, in short, peasant food raised to the level of high and sophisticated art.“
Craig Claiborne, American restaurant critic
Funny Quotes Inspired By Mexico
“Mexican food is so good, you’d think the real immigration problem would be fat guys like me sneaking across the border into Mexico.“
Jim Gaffigan, American comedian and actor
“We went to Mexico, had some tequila, eloped with a pair of drug smugglers, and took part-time jobs as exotic dancers. You know, same old, same old.”
Jennifer Lynn Barnes, American writer
“Mexico… or as you may know it: spicy Canada.”
John Oliver, British-American comedian
“It’s okay if you fall apart sometimes. Tacos fall apart and we still love them.“
Unknown
“In Mexico, they have a holiday where they burn an effigy of a bad politician. In America, we call that Election Day.”
Conan O’Brien, American television host and comedian
“I’m in a good place right now. Not emotionally, I’m just in Mexico.“
Unknown
“If you had to decide between being given a million dollars and eating tacos, which would you choose — corn or flour?”
Unknown
“If you’re trying to get ahead in the corporate world, appearing smart in meetings should be your top priority. This can be hard if you find yourself daydreaming about Mexico, margaritas or queso cheese dip.”
Sarah Cooper, American author
“If you don’t know what a churro is, just try to picture a ribbed doughnut stick… It’s like the pipe cleaner of pastry.”
Jim Gaffigan, American comedian and actor
“In Mexico, an air conditioner is called a politician because it makes a lot of noise but doesn’t work very well.”
Len Deighton, British author
“Maybe eating tacos isn’t cheating on my diet. Maybe me dieting is cheating on tacos.”
Unknown
“You know how Mexicans are: If they go high, we go underneath, with tunnels.”
Ariel Najum, Mexican Businessman
“Happy Cinco de Mayo! It’s a holiday that’s as respectful of Mexican traditions as Epcot Center’s Mexican food pavilion.”
Conan O’Brien, American television host and comedian
“Tequila is not even a drink; it’s a way for having the cops around without using a phone.”
Dylan Moran, Irish comedian and writer
“Suicide by carbon monoxide used to be done in the garage. Now, all you have to do is go to Mexico City and inhale.”
Richard Bayan, Author
Mexican History Quotes
“The truth is that the history of Mexico is a history in the image of its geography: abrupt and tortuous.”
Octavio Paz, Mexican poet and diplomat
[The Mexican revolution] was a break with the past to recover the past.”
Carlos Fuentes, Mexican novelist and essayist
“The difference between the Pyramids in Egypt and the ones in Mexico is there is nothing inside the Mexican Pyramids.”
John Henrik Clarke, American historian and professor
“In Mexico the gods ruled, the priests interpreted and interposed, and the people obeyed.”
Richard Condon, American novelist
“A millennium before Europeans were willing to divest themselves of the Biblical idea that the world was a few thousand years old, the Mayans thought of millions and the Hindus billions.”
Carl Sagan, American astronomer and planetary scientist
“Don’t let it end like this. Tell them I said something.”
Pancho Villa, Mexican revolutionary and general in the Mexican Revolution
Quotes About Mexican Culture
“Mexico is a mosaic of different realities and beauties.”
Enrique Peña Nieto, Former President of Mexico
“Mexico extends beyond its borders.“
Vicente Fox, Former President of Mexico
“Life in Mexico has a way of making the most mundane things feel like a fiesta.”
Tom Miller, American travel author
“Man is alone everywhere. But the solitude of the Mexican, under the great stone night of the high plateau that is still inhabited by insatiable gods, is very different.”
Octavio Paz, Mexican poet and diplomat
“In Mexico your wishes have a dream power. When you want to see someone, he turns up.“
William Burroughs, American writer and visual artist
“Mexico is a place where the past and present are constantly colliding. It’s a rich history andreand a vibrant culture that I find endlessly fascinating.”
Andrew Zimmern, American chef and restaurateur
“The howling pariah dogs, the cocks that herald dawn all night, the drumming, the moaning that will be found later white plumage huddled on telegraph wires in back gardens or fowl roosting in apple trees, the eternal sorrow that never sleeps of great Mexico.”
Malcolm Lowry, English poet and novelist
“The Mexican is familiar with death. [He] jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it. It is one of his favorite toys and his most steadfast love.”
Octavio Paz, Mexican poet and diplomat
“Every act of creation is an act of love.”
José Revueltas, Mexican writer
“I was taken in by the bravado and the sounds of Mexico… not so much the music, but the spirit.”
Herb Alpert, American trumpeter
“Mexico is not a country of the past but of the infinite future.”
Octavio Paz, Mexican poet and diplomat
“The most expressive Spanish is that of Mexico, which is, at the same time, the most impure. The Mexicans made a mixture of Spanish and pre-Columbian Nahuatl.” (translation from Spanish)
Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian novelist and short story writer, The Nobel Prize in Literature 1982
“In Mexico, wrestling is part of the cultural fabric. The guys wear masks and they are real-life superheroes.”
Chris Jericho, American-Canadian professional wrestler
“People still say to me, ‘What, you still live in Mexico?’ I don’t have to go to the United States simply to find work, and I don’t have to stop what I’m doing.”
Gael Garcia Bernal, Mexican actor and filmmaker
“One of the main reasons I came back to Mexico is because I’ve found freedom and democracy here, something I never found in the United States.”
Willie Wells, American baseball player
“Mexico is known throughout the world thanks to mariachi.”
Juan Gabriel, Mexican singer-songwriter and actor
“Mexico. melancholy profoundly right and wrong, it embraces as it strangulates.”
Ana Castillo, Spanish Actress
“There’s no such thing as a specific authenticity to what Mexico is, because Mexico is incredibly complex and varied.”
Gael Garcia Bernal, Mexican actor and filmmaker
“My parents weren’t artistic, but I was always surrounded by beautiful things. And Mexico is a country which has experienced thousands of years of art and culture.”
Carlos Slim, Mexican business magnate and investor
Quotes About Being Mexican
“True love in Mexico isn’t between lovers. It’s between a parent and a child.”
Sandra Cisneros, American writer
“I find Mexico exciting to visit, but I think [it] is looked down upon. Mexico is not a very respected place, unless you’re Mexican, and even then it’s something of a love/hate relationship.”
Devendra Banhart, American-Venezuelan singer-songwriter and visual artist
“I was born in Mexico, I grew up in Mexico and along the way, I learned to love Mexico. I think anyone who has stepped foot on this land – not to mention all Mexican people – will agree that it’s not difficult to love Mexico.”
Emiliano Salinas, Mexican venture capitalist and businessman
“What I’ve seen from keeping in touch as well as I can is that what I find so typical in Mexican culture is the helpfulness of the people to each other.“
Alice Walker, American novelist and short story writer
“I have tried my whole life to represent my Mexican roots with honor and pride.”
Salma Hayek, Mexican-American actress and film producer
“Family is something that I grew up with, and the Mexican culture has a lot of, you know Sunday is the day you spend with your family, and you have 40 to 50 people at your house, the uncles and the cousins, and I grew up with that.“
Karla Souza, Mexican actress
“In Mexico you have death very close. That’s true for all human beings because it’s a part of life, but in Mexico, death can be found in many things.”
Gael Garcia Bernal, Mexican actor and filmmaker
“In the Mexican culture, we never miss a baptism, a birthday, a baby shower, a wedding shower, a wedding. You must show up. Otherwise, you’ll be in big trouble.”
Eva Longoria, American actress and film producer
Quotes on Mexico and U.S. Relations
“Poor Mexico. So far from God and so close to the United States.”
Porfirio Diaz, Former President of Mexico
“Any Mexican would recognize that Mexico was abused, undervalued and downgraded in international circles, most of all by the United States.“
Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, Former Senator of the Mexican Republic
“I do not think there was ever a more wicked war than that waged by the United States on Mexico.”
Ulysses S. Grant, 18th U.S. President
“So how as a nation can we sit around and eat Mexican food and drink beer and make friends? That’s the question. If we can do that on a broader scale, I think we’ll come out of it all right.”
Sandra O’Connor, Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
“The history of Mexican-American relations has had its troubled moments, but today our people enrich each other in trade and culture and family ties… I’ve often said that family values don’t stop at the Rio Grande.”
President George W. Bush, 43rd U.S. President
“A wall that Mexico will pay for: a bad idea from an even worse negotiator.”
Hillary Clinton, Former United States Secretary of State
“In Mexico and Latin America, everything is big: Bigger emotions, bigger reactions. Here in the U.S., everything is more natural, more grounded and down to earth.”
Eugenio Derbez, Mexican actor and comedian
“Mexico has produced a great and unique culture—one that today finds beautiful expression in art, literature, music, dance, and in architecture of extraordinary vitality.”
President Jimmy Carter, 39th U.S. President
“For more than a century that country has appeared to our eyes as a gigantic but scarcely human reality. Smiling or angry, its hand clenched or open, the United States neither sees nor hears us, but keeps striding on, and as it does so, enters our land and crushes us. It is impossible to hold back a giant. It is possible, though far from easy, to make him listen to others. If he listens, this opens the possibility of coexistence.”
Octavio Paz, Mexican poet and diplomat
“The U.S.- Mexican border es un herida abierta [is an open wound] where the third world grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages again, the lifeblood of two worlds merging to form a third country – a border culture.”
Gloria E. Anzaldúa, American scholar
“America and Mexico are both a nation of immigrants and we are a nation of laws and we can act accordingly.”
Hillary Clinton, Former United States Secretary of State
“We had a Mexican president who dominated the country for 34 years — very little time. His name was Porfirio Díaz. And he would say, “Poor Mexico — so far from God, and yet so close to the United States.” I can now say that it’s wonderful for Mexico to be close to God and not so far from the United States. “
President López Obrador, 65th president of Mexico
Famous Frida Kahlo Quotes
Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter and wife of the famous muralist Diego Rivera, is famous for her deeply personal and symbolic self-portraits that explore identity, post-colonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Her resilience in facing personal hardships and her unapologetic expression of her cultural heritage resonate deeply in Mexico and beyond. Here are some famous quotes from this iconic figure.
“I don’t paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality.”
Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter
“Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?”
Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter
“At the end of the day we can endure much more than we think we can.”
Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter
“Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light.”
Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter
“Surrealism is the magical surprise of finding a lion in a wardrobe, where you were ‘sure’ of finding shirts.”
Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter
“I love you more than my own skin.”
Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter
“Only one mountain can know the core of another mountain.”
Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter
“Choose a person who looks at you as if you were magic.”
Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter
“I drank to drown my sorrows, but the damned things learned how to swim.“
Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter
Mexican Proverbs and Popular Mexican Quotes
15 well-known Mexican sayings you need to know. Some are Mexican proverbs that are unique to Mexico and other Latin American countries. Many will be familiar as they transcend all languages and are universal to the human condition.
“Más vale ser cabeza de ratón que cola de león.”
Literal translation: Better to be the head of a mouse than the tail of a lion.
Meaning: It’s better to lead in a small domain than to follow in a larger one.
“Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.”
Literal translation: The devil knows more by being old than by being the devil.
Meaning: Experience brings wisdom, suggesting that age often leads to knowledge beyond cunning or talent.
“Salió más caro el caldo que las albóndigas.”
Literal translation: The broth was more expensive than the meatballs.
Meaning: Sometimes, the solution to a problem can end up costing more than the problem itself. A warning against overcomplicating solutions.
“A la mejor cocinera se le queman los frijoles.”
Literal Translation: Even the best cook burns her beans.
Meaning: Everyone makes mistakes, regardless of their expertise or experience.
“Barriga llena, corazón content.”
Literal translation: Full belly, happy heart.
Meaning: In Mexico, food is a cure for all that ails you. A full belly makes you happy.
“Agua que no has de beber, déjala correr.”
Literal translation: Water that you don’t have to drink, let it run.
Meaning: Don’t involve yourself in matters that don’t concern you or won’t benefit you.
“El que busca encuentra.”
Literal Translation: If you search, you will find.
Meaning: Persistence leads to results; if you actively seek something, you’re likely to find it.
“A quien madruga Dios lo ayuda.”
Literal translation: God helps the one who wakes up early.
Meaning: Success comes to those who are diligent and start their efforts early. “The early bird gets the worm.”
“Camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente.”
Literal Translation: The shrimp that falls asleep is swept away by the current.
Meaning: If you’re not alert and proactive, you’ll be swept away by the challenges of life. “You snooze, you lose.”
“Echarle mucha crema a sus tacos.”
Literal translation: Add a lot of cream to their tacos.
Meaning: Referring to one who boasts or exaggerates their achievements or qualities.
“Estoy pariendo chayotes.”
Literal Translation: I’m birthing chayotes.
Meaning: Going through a difficult, painful situation, like giving birth to a prickly gourd!
“El que con lobos anda, a aullar se enseña.”
Literal Translation: He who runs with wolves will learn to howl.
Meaning: You’ll adopt the habits or characteristics of those you spend time with, for better or worse. “When you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas.”
“Mucho ayuda el que poco estorba.”
Literal translation: The one who hinders little helps greatly.
Meaning: Sometimes, the best help is staying out of the way, highlighting the value of not complicating situations.
“Cuando el río suena es que agua lleva.”
Literal Translation: When the river sounds, water is running.
Meaning: There’s truth behind rumors; if something is being talked about, there’s likely some truth to it. “Where there is smoke, there is fire.”
“En boca cerrada no entran moscas.”
Literal Translation: No flies enter a closed mouth.
Meaning: Keep quiet, mind your own business or don’t comment on something that you know nothing about.
Do you have a favorite Mexican expression or a fantastic quote about Mexico to share? Drop it in the comments!
