Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Más vale maña que fuerza.»
¿Cómo se dice «Más vale maña que fuerza» en inglés? Skill beats brute strength.
Word for word
More is worth skill than strength.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Skill beats brute strength.
Said when intelligence or cleverness solves a problem that raw force cannot. It highlights the value of wisdom and technique over sheer power.
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Hear it in a sentence
No necesitas ser el más fuerte; más vale maña que fuerza.
You don't need to be the strongest; skill beats brute strength.
More Spanish sayings
- Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo. — With age comes wisdom.
- Hablando se entiende la gente. — Talking things through solves problems.
- Si la montaña no va a Mahoma, Mahoma va a la montaña. — If the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain.
- Poderoso caballero es don Dinero. — Money makes the world go round.
- El que nace para maceta, del corredor no pasa. — You can't escape your destiny.
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Why learn dichos?
Proverbs like this one are everywhere in spoken Spanish — dropped mid-conversation, usually just the first half, with the rest left for you to complete. Recognizing them is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and follow real speech. Every Lingocito edition signs off with the dicho del día, so you meet one a day next to news written at your level.