You finally finished the report; better late than never.
better late than never
idiomBetter to arrive late than not to come at all
Origin
first recorded 14th c.Ancient proverb; appears in Livy's History of Rome ('potius sero quam numquam') and in English in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (c. 1386).
The train arrived two hours behind schedule, but since I really needed to get home, I figured it was better late than never.
Although the government took years to address the environmental crisis, the new laws were welcomed by activists who believed it was better late than never.
Last updated June 7, 2026