Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Sarna con gusto no pica.»
Word for word
Scabies with pleasure does not itch.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: A labor of love is no burden.
Said when someone willingly takes on something difficult or unpleasant and therefore doesn't complain about it. Common throughout the Spanish-speaking world to justify chosen hardships.
Hear it in a sentence
Me paso horas cuidando el jardín, pero sarna con gusto no pica.
I spend hours tending the garden, but a labor of love is no burden.
More Spanish sayings
- Una de cal y otra de arena. — Give and take.
- El amor es ciego. — Love is blind.
- La verdad no peca, pero incomoda. — The truth doesn't sin, but it makes people uncomfortable.
- Quien mal anda, mal acaba. — Those who go astray come to a bad end.
- Dios aprieta, pero no ahoga. — God tests us but never gives us more than we can bear.
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.