Advice comes too late when a thing is done.
Meaning: Counsel offered after the deed is already done is worthless.
Origin: A saying found in several European languages, including Romanian. Counsel is only useful before the act; once the deed is done, advice can only lament it.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: A chose faite conseil pris (literally: When a thing is done advice comes too late)
- Spanish: A burro muerto, la cebada al rabo (literally: When the donkey is dead, the barley at its tail)
- Japanese: 後の祭り (Ato no matsuri) (literally: After the festival (too late to be of use))
- German: Rat nach der Tat kommt zu spät (literally: Advice after the deed comes too late)
More proverbs about Perseverance
- Every one has a penny to spend at a new ale-house. — Novelty draws everyone's custom; people always find a coin for the latest attraction.
- Keep from the anger of a great man. — Avoid provoking the powerful, whose wrath can do you real harm.
- He that is angry without a cause must be pleased without amends. — Anger without real cause deserves no apology to soothe it.
- Never be ashamed to eat your meat. — Feel no shame in satisfying an honest, natural appetite.
- A wet August never brings dearth. — Rain in August secures the harvest and keeps famine away.
- A bad day never hath a good night. — Persistent troubles prevent rest; unresolved daytime conflicts disturb evening peace and…
From our idioms
- Procurar pelo em ovo — To nitpick over nothing.
- Ficar a ver navios — To be left disappointed and empty-handed.
- Onde Judas perdeu as botas — In the middle of nowhere; the back of beyond.