Better late than never
Meaning: Doing something late is better than not doing it at all.
Origin: The Roman historian Livy used potius sero quam numquam — better late than never — in his History of Rome. Chaucer's The Canon's Yeoman's Tale has it in English: "For better than never is late."
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and Italian
- French: Mieux vaut tard que jamais (literally: Better late than never)
- Spanish: Más vale tarde que nunca (literally: Better late than never)
- Japanese: 遅くとも何もしないよりはまし (Osoku tomo nani mo shinai yori wa mashi) (literally: Late is better than doing nothing)
- German: Besser spät als nie (literally: Better late than never)
- Italian: È meglio tardi che mai (literally: Better late than never)
More proverbs about Perseverance
- Slow and steady wins the race — Consistency and patience lead to success.
- Good things come to those who wait — Patience is rewarded.
- In for a penny, in for a pound — Once committed to something, go all the way with it.
- Every dog has its day — Everyone will have their moment of success or good fortune.
- A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step — Great accomplishments start with small beginnings.
- If at first you don't succeed, try, try again — Persistence is essential to success.