Every beetle is beautiful to its own mother — parental love is blind, seeing beauty where others see none. Also: beauty is entirely subjective and conditioned by love.
This proverb is found across Italy but is particularly beloved in Lombardy, where it is used with characteristic directness. The scarrafon (beetle or cockroach in some dialects) is deliberately the least beautiful creature imaginable — by choosing the ugliest of insects rather than an imperfect but still appealing creature, the proverb makes its point with maximum force. Lombard family culture is not sentimental: parents are expected to see their children clearly. But love overrides clarity, and this proverb acknowledges that fact without embarrassment. In Milan's competitive environment, the saying is also used professionally: every entrepreneur thinks his business idea is beautiful; every designer thinks his collection is perfect. The proverb is a gentle reminder that external judgment may not agree.
Pan-Italian proverb with strong Lombard usage. The directness of the image (choosing a beetle rather than anything more flattering) reflects the Milanese preference for unvarnished truth.
A Milanese mother defending her son's questionable career choice
— Tuo figlio ha aperto il quarto ristorante in un anno, tutti falliti. — Ogni scarrafon è bell a mamma soja. Per me è ancora il miglior cuoco del mondo.
— Tu hijo ha abierto el cuarto restaurante en un año, todos fracasos. — Todo escarabajo es hermoso para su madre. Para mí sigue siendo el mejor cocinero del mundo.
Two friends at a Milanese design fair
— Questo designer espone le stesse sedie brutte ogni anno e pensa siano geniali. — Ogni scarrafon è bell a mamma soja. Qualcuno gliele compra, quindi...
— Este diseñador expone las mismas sillas feas cada año y cree que son geniales. — Todo escarabajo es hermoso para su madre. Alguien las compra, así que...
A grandmother looking at an unflattering baby photo
— Il bambino nella foto non è molto bello, devo dire. — Ogni scarrafon è bell a mamma soja! Per quella mamma è la cosa più bella del mondo.
— El bebé de la foto no es muy guapo, debo decirlo. — ¡Todo escarabajo es hermoso para su madre! Para esa madre es lo más bonito del mundo.
A startup mentor at a Milan accelerator
Ogni fondatore pensa che la sua app sia rivoluzionaria. Ogni scarrafon è bell a mamma soja — il mercato poi decide.
Cada fundador cree que su app es revolucionaria. Todo escarabajo es hermoso para su madre — luego el mercado decide.