fond of saying

Question

Hi, please can somebody help me with a translation of an English phrase. I want to say:

As Hannibal Smith was fond of saying, "I love it when a plan comes together".

Does this translate directly into Spanish, or is there a Spanish idiomatic phrase that conveys the same idea?

My attempt would be:

Como Hannibal Smith le gustaba hablar, "Me encanta que los planes salgan bien*".

• I lifted the translation of his catchphrase from the spanish wikipedia page, it's the first part of the sentence I am asking for help with.

Thanks in advance!

Normally in Spanish we say, "Como decía Hannibal Smith..." - Zizoun, MAR 8, 2010

Thanks, I think i'll use this one. - Richard-Thomas, MAR 8, 2010

Answer 1

In this case translating literally was the best way,

say=decir

"Como a Hannibal Smith le gustaba decir,"

Answer 2

We also say, " Como Hannibal Smith se acostumbraba decir.........."

Thanks for the alternative Julian. - Richard-Thomas, MAR 8, 2010