Dormirse en los laureles
To fall asleep on one's laurels.
to rest on one's laurels; **to become complacent**; **to sit back and relax after succeeding**; **to rely on past achievements**; **to stop pushing oneself**
Dormirse en los laureles means to rest on one's laurels, to become complacent after achieving success, or to stop making an effort because one believes past achievements are enough.
No te duermas en los laureles: todavía queda mucho trabajo.
Don't rest on your laurels; there's still a lot of work to do.
Después de ganar el premio, se durmió en los laureles.
After winning the award, he rested on his laurels.
La empresa se ha dormido en los laureles y ahora está perdiendo clientes.
The company has become complacent and is now losing customers.
Si queremos seguir siendo líderes, no podemos dormirnos en los laureles.
If we want to remain leaders, we can't rest on our laurels.
Aprobaste el examen, pero no te duermas en los laureles.
You passed the exam, but don't get complacent.
The expression usually carries a critical or cautionary meaning.
A common construction is:
Dormirse en los laureles.
→ To rest on one's laurels / to become complacent.
- stops working hard after achieving success
- becomes complacent
- relies too much on past achievements
- assumes that previous success guarantees future success
- stops improving or innovating
- becomes less ambitious after reaching a goal
The expression refers to the laurel wreath, traditionally associated with victory, honour and glory.
In Ancient Greece and Rome, laurel wreaths were awarded to victorious individuals, particularly athletes, poets and military leaders.
The metaphor is straightforward: someone who has won their laurel wreath might become so satisfied with their achievement that they metaphorically fall asleep on it instead of continuing to work.
The expression therefore came to mean becoming complacent after achieving success.
The expression is almost always used as a warning against complacency.
For example:
Has conseguido mucho, pero no te duermas en los laureles.
→ You've achieved a lot, but don't rest on your laurels.
It does not mean that someone is literally lazy. The criticism is specifically that they are resting too much on previous success instead of continuing to make an effort.
The laurel wreath is the origin of the word laureado, meaning someone who has received an honour or distinction.
The same ancient symbol of victory therefore lies behind both:
laureado
and
dormirse en los laureles
The modern idiom turns a symbol of achievement into a warning: past glory is not enough if you stop striving for future success.
This is one of the Spanish idioms for which English has an almost perfect equivalent:
Dormirse en los laureles.
→ To rest on one's laurels.
The two expressions share both the metaphor and the meaning.
However, dormirse adds a slightly stronger image of becoming inactive or complacent.
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