Better late than never — completing something after the ideal moment is still preferable to not completing it at all. The proverb counsels persistence over perfectionism.
The Venetian form of this pan-European proverb (known in Latin as potius sero quam numquam, documented by Livy) acquired a specific local flavour in the context of a commercial republic where timing was everything but failure to deliver was worse than delay. A Venetian merchant who arrived at the Levantine spice markets a week late still made a sale; one who never arrived made nothing. In the agricultural context, a late harvest is better than no harvest: the grapes left on the vine too long can still make a passito wine; the grain cut after a storm can still be dried. The proverb is also associated with the Venetian tradition of late Carnevale celebrations — it was not unusual for Venetian nobility to extend the festivities well beyond their official end, the attitude being that pleasure enjoyed late is still pleasure. In the context of Venetian emigration, the proverb took on a poignant dimension: many emigrants who left late — in the 1920s and 1930s rather than the great wave of the 1880s — found doors closing in America but still built lives in Brazil, Australia, and Belgium. Mejo tardi che mai was the consolation and the encouragement.
The Venetian form of the classical Latin potius sero quam numquam (Livy, Ab Urbe Condita); circulated widely in the commercial and agricultural context of the Republic where delay was preferable to non-delivery.
A craftsman delivering a delayed order
Mi dispiace per il ritardo, ma eccolo finalmente. — Mejo tardi che mai — grazie.
I am sorry for the delay, but here it is at last. — Better late than never — thank you.
A man who learns to drive at sixty
Ha preso la patente a sessant'anni. — Mejo tardi che mai — adesso può portare sua moglie dal medico da solo.
He got his driving licence at sixty. — Better late than never — now he can drive his wife to the doctor by himself.
A woman calling her brother who forgot her birthday but eventually sent a message
Hai chiamato con tre giorni di ritardo. — Mejo tardi che mai, sorella. Auguri.
You called three days late. — Better late than never, sister. Happy birthday.
A student who finally completes a degree he had abandoned
Hai finito la tesi dopo quindici anni. — Mejo tardi che mai — ho il pezzo di carta adesso.
You finished your thesis after fifteen years. — Better late than never — I have the certificate now.