Better late than never (Potius sero, quam nunquam). Better late than never

A mosquito won't hurt your nose

Everyone has this phraseology Slavic languages. At first, the phrase “a mosquito won’t undermine your nose” meant tightly fitted boards, logs, and stones, between which it was difficult to insert even such a thin and sharp object as a mosquito’s nose. Nowadays, the phraseology “a mosquito won’t spoil your nose” is used to define high-quality work in which it is difficult to find flaws.

Root of Evil

In the Bible, the expression is used in the sense of “the basis, the primary source of evil.” It has the same meaning in modern language.

A drop wears away a stone

The expression “A drop wears away a stone not by force, but by frequent falling” is attributed to many famous people- poets and scientists, in particular Ovid.

People came to this conclusion as a result of long-term observations. Indeed, if it falls even drop by drop on a hard stone for a long time, its surface is gradually polished, and then a depression appears.

The phraseology “a drop (of water) wears away a stone” means that even the most complex problem can be solved if you continually make efforts, no matter how small.

Better late than never

The author of the phraseological unit is the ancient Roman historian Titus Levi, who used it in his great job"Roman history of the founding of the city." Titus Levi worked on it for almost forty years, and the work consisted of one hundred and forty-two books. In many languages, the phraseology “better late than never” has become widely used. IN figuratively- this is encouragement, approval of the actions of a person who has done, albeit belatedly, an important, necessary, noble deed.

Croesus. Be rich like Croesus

The name of the Lydian king Croesus became well known thanks to his untold riches. Croesus was not only rich, but also generous: he made large sacrifices during the war with Persia. He was defeated, but escaped burning because the victorious king liked his words: “You should not consider yourself happy man until life came to an end." Over time, the name "Croesus" acquired general meaning"rich".

Winged word (expression)

The expression belongs to ancient Greek poet Homer. In his poems, the Iliad and Odyssey are repeated several times. Homer called words “winged” because they seem to fly from the mouth of the one who speaks to the ears of the listener. Now the expression itself has become popular. It is used in the meaning: apt expression, aphorism, popular quote.

Crocodile tears

Even the ancients observed: when a crocodile eats a victim, especially a human, it cries, but does not stop eating. Therefore, crocodile tears have become a symbol of insincere, hypocritical sympathy.

Mutual responsibility

Mutual responsibility is a system of collective obligations of residents of one district to the authorities, the existence of which is reflected in the “Russian Truth” of Yaroslav the Wise (11th century). It persisted almost until the beginning of the 20th century. in rural communities. If the community was subject to taxes or collected some funds (treasury, zemstvo), it had to guarantee their payment. Even if someone evaded his contribution and committed a shameful act, the entire society was responsible; in case of refusal to participate in some kind of lawlessness, he still had to be held accountable with all members. The phraseological unit "mutual responsibility" means mutual responsibility in a certain social environment, team, group for someone, something. There is another meaning: mutual abstinence from honest confession, concealment of something (for the purpose of salvation, reward, etc.). The formula “one for all, and all for one” also applies to mutual responsibility.

Wherever you throw it, there’s a wedge everywhere

During times Kievan Rus communal lands were distributed among peasants in small plots, so that everyone would equally receive plots of good, sandy, and infertile land. The owner of each wedge (one eighth of a dessiatine or 1.25 acres) was determined by lot. So all the fields were divided into blades of peasant land, there was not a single good piece of land. There wasn't enough fertile soil, and you can't grow much on a small blade. Therefore, misunderstandings often arose between peasants. The wedge came between people. Hence the expression “to drive a wedge,” that is, to separate, to quarrel.

The phraseology “no matter where you throw it, there’s a wedge everywhere” means a hopeless situation.

"1... That year (445) was unkind both in domestic affairs and in the military. Already at the very beginning of it, the tribune Gaius Canuleus promulgated a proposal to allow legal marriages between patricians and plebeians, in which the patricians saw a threat to the purity of their blood and orderliness of ancestral rights
2... Meanwhile, the consuls turned the Senate against the tribunes, and the tribunes turned the people against the consuls. The madness of the tribunes, the consuls said, was becoming unbearable: there was nowhere else to go - more wars were being flared up in the City than in foreign lands. And the reason for this is both the people and the patricians, both the tribunes and the consuls
11... And there is no end to this: the people's tribunes and senators cannot coexist in one state: either the estate of some, or the position of others must cease to exist; "

"History of Rome from the foundation of the city" - main book Tita Livia. He wrote it over thirty years and traced the history of the city from its foundation to 9 AD. Today, parts 1–10 and 21–45 of the 142 are fully known, the rest have survived to this day in retellings and fragments

Aphorisms of Titus Livy

• Woe to the vanquished
• Sometimes most of beats the best
• No crime can have a legal basis
• There is no law that would satisfy everyone

Better late than never

• In German: Besser spät als nie
• In English: Better late than never
• In French: Mieux vaut tard que jamais
• In Italian: Meglio tardi che mai
• In Spanish: Mas vale tarde que nunca

The Chinese equivalent of the saying “better late than never” - Don’t be afraid to hesitate, be afraid to stop

Use of the expression in literature

— « But I finally confessed. Better late than never. Why did you attack me like that?"(Evgeny Yevtushenko “Wolf Passport”)
— « And dreams must come true. And better late than never. The rest of the money went quickly."(Nina Katerli (Splash of Champagne)
— « But I remembered in time,” I added quietly. - Better late than never. “Truly better”(Arkady Weiner, Georgy Weiner (“Medicine against fear”)
— « ...Serpilin said dissatisfied to the communications chief. - Better late than never! Pull the connection here!”(Konstantin Simonov “The Living and the Dead”)
— « Where convenience lay, I did not dare question the general; “It’s better late than never,” I just thought, but I realized that I wouldn’t be able to get information from him about the state of the allied army...”(A. A. Ignatiev “Fifty years in service”)
— « ...said mom. - Better late than never. Father walked along the platform"(K. G. Paustovsky “Distant Years”)

Be who you were born to be

Time is slipping away from us. Day after day and even year after year they swim faster and faster. I'm 30. You might be less, maybe more. They say that we will soon be hit by a midlife crisis. And behind it comes something even more interesting.

Are you scared of this? It would be impudent of me to write - no. I’d rather now share Barbara Sher’s thoughts on this matter, set out in her new book.

Another one practical book Barbara Sher for those who like to live their lives according to their wishes, and not complain about the severity of fate. And this is the third book by Barbara that I have read. I'm bored, I scrolled through it, since I'm not a scanner. And I plan to just refresh my memory. Because its usefulness for me was off the charts, I want to find something else important for myself in it.

The book “Better Late Than Never” is about the fears and illusions of middle age and how to deal with them. Although the truths are written in such a way that it is possible, or rather better, to be understood earlier.

What scares us? Old age with illness and inevitable death? Or that we are bored, that we never tire of complaining and waiting, constantly waiting for something better. It turns out that what is frightening is that in this life there is often no life itself. Just getting through the days. We clearly feel that time is running, and we do not use everything that is inherent in us. Even now, without “middle age,” we clearly feel that everything is somehow halfway. It’s all because we realize that there is a huge, great potential within us. And we don't let him wake up.

The fact that everyone has them, I think, is no longer necessary for anyone to assert. All I need is the courage to close my eyes and firmly decide for myself that I am ready to walk the path to my dream.

What path to a dream does Barbara Sher offer us in her book “Better Late Than Never”?

As always (and this is not strange), first we say goodbye to fears and illusions.

Illusion No. 1: The older we are, the less time we have at our disposal. Is not a fact. We manage our time less when we constantly think about how to prove something to someone, how to achieve what is considered to be a criterion of success, and not the reason for our joy. And time slows down when we are in the flow, when we are on our own wave, when the greatness of the world intersects with ours and we get a little closer to understanding the main intention.

Illusion No. 2: Power and freedom are the gift of youth. Judging by their Google Analytics statistics, our audience on this site is young. Does each of us feel free? Shackled by invented rules and priorities, we lose ourselves. We hear advertising and see beautiful picture on social networks, moving away from their happy dreams, in which the dream is painted with brightness. There is noise around, making it less and less possible to dissolve in your silence. And what kind of power does that have? We firmly believe that we are omnipotent and are ready to endure any battle in order to find joy. From this confidence, TO DO lists (to-do lists) grow and self-confidence is catastrophically destroyed. And it’s almost considered luck to get simplicity of wisdom. When you are ready to leave God’s things to God and only your responsibilities to yourself. Do 100% of your 50%, do what you can at this stage of your development, with pleasure and pride. The remaining 50% is still not in our control. Trusting God (the Universe/Universe/destiny), his love and care will be our power.

If something is bothering you, let it out. Positive affirmations will deceive you and the pain will remain inside, which will still find a way out someday, only by becoming even stronger. For this case, Barbara Sher offers practices on working with the inner child and the silent cry. What haunts you now? Give yourself a clear answer. Now imagine yourself as a child. At an age when you haven’t yet believed that crying and screaming is bad. Now give yourself the opportunity to show your reaction to what doesn’t suit you now, just as you would have done if you were at that age. Grimace, moan, cry, swear - whatever the inner child wants to do. And let go. Or imagine that you are in the mountains in front of a cliff, breathe in this freedom, straighten your chest, spread your arms and let out a silent scream as you exhale. So many times to feel calm. These were the practices in a nutshell. After them, I look at my crying four-month-old son with admiration - after all, it is a gift to express my emotions so openly and not feel any embarrassment.

Defining your dreams and getting rid of excuses

As always, Barbara Sher offers many exercises for this occasion. It’s elementary - write down everything you dreamed about in childhood, adolescence, growing up, and also imagining that you are a person of the opposite sex, a character in your favorite book or movie. Let your imagination run wild, give every dream the opportunity to be remembered. Write down your excuses separately. Then discuss them with friends, when meeting with a success group or in dialogue with yourself, but with yourself more daring and confident.

In general, you know, it’s all very simple. The dream is dictated by your talents and characteristics. And your talents are indicated by pleasure.

Fun and pleasure are the first signs of talent. Persistence on the path of victory is necessary, but it easily manifests itself when we love what we do.

So, if you haven’t decided on your dream, listen to yourself: what your mind clings to, what you can talk about for hours, what you can read about and even pay money for education. This is what you have the ability to do, your unique, directly your vision. And I repeat, it is your responsibility to show yourself in this, giving vent to your greatness. Someone really needs it. Not in the approval of you by society according to the criterion achieved success, beautiful children and a rich house. And in the manifestation of your deepest essence.

Do you feel like the moment is lost and even at ± 30 you have nothing to dream about? Opportunities left behind and mostly missed? How about considering your not 18 years as your accumulation of the experience and knowledge that you needed, even if they don’t seem interesting? Now you are what you should be. Even if it is woven from fears, regrets and discontent. Are you reading this post? So these words are addressed to you. This means that the Universe wants to tell you all this through him. Let everything that was in your life gather on the piano keys and play your music of life. You may still have to set it up and, in general, learn to at least play. But the keys already exist, both white and black are important. Learning is not standing still; development is a necessary component for happiness. Accept everything that happened in your life, what Accept that incredible beauty is hidden in you, and your responsibility to show it.

It's just beautiful words? In the book, Barbara told her exciting story and many more of her clients and acquaintances. They prove that anything is possible.

I personally am at the point where I realize that my full potential has not yet been reached. Happiness in my understanding is being who you are meant to be, who you were born to be, doing what you love, and by doing so, showing love for yourself, life and people, making them happier, being useful, because in your talent, in any case, someone needs. Now I realize that I groped mine path. There is still a lot of work on it, but I’m ready for it and I’m only happy about it. At this stage, I want to devote myself more to my purpose of being a wife and mother (two small children will definitely agree with me). But in me and in you there is still something that someone else is waiting for. This requires the courage to believe in yourself, not to betray yourself, not to ignore your dreams, the courage not to obey conventions and not to let anyone tell you who you are and who you should be.

Books help me with this, as well as interest and admiration for the lives and successes of other people. Yes, I still often get discouraged. But if there is trust, it becomes easier.

What books especially inspired me?

• - a lot of exercises allowed me to really delve into myself and understand what I really want.
• - gave me the courage to dream and want what I need. On the author's advice, I went on a date with my dream. After water aerobics for pregnant women at the Lviv chocolate workshop, relaxed with some water and sweetened with sweets, I reviewed everything I wanted. I made ordered lists in Google Docs - Immediate plans, Ideas for posts, My dreams and To do on the site. Freed my head from chaos, and freed many notebooks from many unstructured notes. I’m slowly doing what I can at this stage, crossing out, adding new things and keeping my dreams in sight.
• - oh, this is actually my love. She reminded me that all the answers are within. That life should bring happiness. And before each choice you just need to ask the question: “Will this bring me the state that I need?”

And “Better Late Than Never” told me that the years running ahead cannot be scary if you be yourself and live your own life. And it's never too late for this.

It will only be late if you don't start right now!

I hope this post helped you understand something important and inspired you to do great things. If so, share it with a friend or friend. So that more of us can reveal and show our talents.

“Better late than never” is a proverb with meaning. Everyone has work to do, but laziness often prevents us from doing it. As a result, we completely abandon our work and cannot find the strength to take it up again. Yes, of course, finishing the work on time is very important, but it is much more important to finish it at all. This is where the meaning of the proverb “better late than never” lies, which says that it’s okay if you don’t meet the deadline, because the main thing is to achieve your goals. That's the point.

If you think that it is impossible to complete some task, then it will be so, because you will never get around to taking it on. It's human nature - when you think a job is difficult, you just decide to quit. And here it is important to realize the fact that this is not a solution.

A person who acts slowly but surely can also win the race.

It is better to do the work late than not to do it at all.

Better late than never,
Better never than with evil.
It's better to become nobody, to nowhere,
Rather than forgetting your friends and becoming a king.

It's better to live in a hut with my dear one,
How to live without love in palaces.
It's better to listen to your conscience in your soul,
Than prophets deceitful in words.

It's better to let the sun shine
Why vegetate in the shadows all your life.
It’s better to let him beat you for your deed,
Life, what to be afraid to decide in it.

It's better to get warm and burn.
Having become ashes, you don’t know the stench of decay.
Instead of letting the soot, your life decay,
And don’t let the heat go out.

Better late than never,
Better never than harm.
Better into the light through the troubles of the cold,
Than into the darkness, hiding from troubles...

// Essay-argument on the proverb “Better late than never”

“Better late than never” is an old Russian proverb that contains the wisdom of generations. But in fact, what is better: not finishing the job or finishing it later? This is precisely the meaning of this proverb, because there is no time frame for a good deed.

My dad worked as an electrician. His work was difficult and responsible; he was often called out early in the morning because something might break down. Whether it’s a lamp in the park or an outlet at a pensioner’s on the other side of town. He was an electrician who worked for the house management. He had to get up at dawn, collect his tools and go to his least favorite job.

Every day, leaving home, he sighed heavily at the door. My father never complained, but from such moments it became clear that this work was for the family, and not for the soul. He worked like this for five years. Such is the length of dad's patience. But one evening, at a family dinner, dad could no longer contain this lump in himself and said that he would no longer go to this job, it did not bring him joy.

My dad is a military man by education; he graduated from the military department at the Law Institute. When he started talking about the army, about discipline, beautiful shape, then his face lit up with a smile that was not there when he went to his last job. Thanks to old connections, my father was back in action. That's how my dad changed his field of activity. You can do this at any time, at any age, because better late than never!

I remember how I came to my grandmother for the winter holidays, and she told me about her classmate. He was tall, stately, and he really liked his grandmother. But she found out about this twenty years later, at a alumni meeting. And the classmate remained silent all the years because of his embarrassment. Who knows how their lives would have turned out thanks to one revelation? Grandmother was already married, but as a woman, she was pleased with such attention. There’s just nothing that can be returned. Too much time has passed. Act now in currently, at this second!

How many times have you said thank you to your mom for cooking dinner? She tried, she put in her love and care. She would really like to hear “thank you.” How they shine mom's eyes from simple human gratitude, and your cheeks fill with blush. How nice it is for a person to receive kindness in return! This is the beauty of the human soul.

One day my mother passed away, and I never had time to say “thank you” to her. Therefore, it is better to speak late than when there is no one left to speak.