Cuando despertó, el dinosaurio todavía estaba allí.
“When he awoke, the dinosaur was still there.”
Often read as a meditation on how the past, or a fear, persists even after we hope it has vanished; widely cited as the shortest short story in Spanish-language literature.
— Augusto Monterroso, Guatemala
Source: Augusto Monterroso, "El Dinosaurio," in Obras completas (y otros cuentos) (1959)
More Proverbs from Guatemala
The shrimp that falls asleep gets carried off by the current.
Complacency or inattention lets opportunity or danger overtake you.
There is no bad from which good does not come.
Even misfortune eventually brings some hidden benefit.
A tree that grows crooked never straightens its trunk.
Deeply ingrained character or habits are very hard to change.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Do not criticize or judge something given to you for free.
Better late than never.
Doing something after a delay is preferable to never doing it at all.
God helps him who rises early.
Effort and early diligence tend to be rewarded.