Ideas should be clear and chocolate thick. [Las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso.]

A traditional Spanish saying—often heard in everyday conversation—used to insist on plain speaking and straightforward intentions. It plays on a familiar domestic image: Spanish-style hot chocolate is characteristically served very thick, sometimes almost spoonable. The proverb is typically invoked when someone is being evasive, overcomplicating an explanation, or hiding their true aims; the speaker calls for “clear things” (clarity, transparency) while humorously demanding “thick chocolate” (richness, substance) in what really matters. Because it circulates orally and regionally, it is hard to pin to a single first appearance or definitive printed origin.

A popular Spanish saying, “Las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso,” pairs two everyday ideals: clarity in speech and thought, and richness in what one consumes. The proverb urges plain dealing—no evasions, no muddle—while humorously insisting that some things (like hot chocolate) are better when dense and satisfying. The contrast works rhetorically: ideas should be transparent and easy to grasp, but substance (whether literal nourishment or figurative “content”) should be substantial rather than watered down. In practice it’s often invoked to praise direct communication and to criticize overcomplication, hedging, or thin, diluted explanations.

“Las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso.”
“Las cuentas claras y el chocolate espeso.”
“Las cosas claras, y el chocolate, espeso.”