Mexicans associate the phrase honrosa medianía, “honorable modesty,” with Benito Juárez. It expresses his view that public officials must live on the pay the law gives them. The exact wording varies between sources. One version, dated to 1852, when Juárez was governor of Oaxaca, reads: “Debemos vivir en la honrosa medianía que proporciona el pago que la ley nos señala” (We must live in the honorable modesty that the pay set by law provides).
The phrase returned to political debate with the austeridad republicana, the republican austerity, of President López Obrador.