Online Maltese Community Team Up To Choose ‘Qwiel’ Best Describing Life In Malta
A post on popular Facebook group The Salott has sparked a wave of comments as hundreds of people replied to one simple question: “What Maltese qawl (proverb) best describes the true identity of Malta?”.
These are some of our favourites, and probably the most apt.
1. “Min ħexa mexa; min ħexiex, inħexa.”
Daniel / The Salott
Rough translation: Those who fucked around moved forward; those who didn’t fuck around, got fucked.
Meaning: In life, those who play by the rules tend to get screwed over.
2. “Il-qaħba milli jkollha ttik”
Josette / The Salott
Rough translation: The whore can only give as much as she has.
Meaning: There’s only so much you can expect to receive from someone or something that has limited resources.
3. “Bormot ġarek tfuħ iktar minn ta’ darek”
Rita / The Salott
Rough translation: Your neighbour’s pot smells better than yours.
Meaning: The grass is always greener on the other side, and we tend to never be satisfied with what we’ve got.
4. “Bil-flus tagħmel triq fil-baħar”
Joseph / The Salott
Rough translation: With money you can build a road through the sea.
Meaning: If you’ve got the cash to back it up, you can do pretty much anything.
5. “Iddardarx l-għajn li trid tixrob minnha”
Dennis / The Salott
Rough translation: Don’t mess up the spring you need to drink from.
Meaning: In Malta’s case this can be applied both metaphorically and literally. Don’t fuck up something you need to survive.
6. “L-ikbar għama dak li ma jridx jara”
John / The Salott
Rough translation: The blindest person is one who refuses to see.
Meaning: Refusing to see the truth that’s in plain sight makes you blind to the facts.