Better late than never ( Potius sero, quam nunquam) - it is better to do something late, belatedly, than never to do something.
The expression comes from ancient rome(lat. Potius sero, quam nunquam). For the first time this expression is found in the fourth book of the "History of the Roman People" by the historian of Ancient Rome Titus Livius (59 BC-17 AD). These words are pronounced by Dionysius of Halicarnassus.
In the Russian language, the expression came in this form from foreign European languages and above all, from French: Mieux vaut tard que jamais.
The proverb is listed in the Oxford Dictionary "The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable" - "Better Late Than Never".
The expression is specified in American dictionary"American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms" by Christine Ammer, 1992. It is stated that in English language the expression has been used since the 1200s and was usually added - "but better never late" (but it's better never to be late). That is full version of this proverb - better late than never, but better never late (Better Late Than Never, but better never late).
Better late than never
Better late than never
From Latin: Potius sew, quam nunquam (potius gray, quam nunquam).
For the first time this expression is found in the fourth book of the "History of the Roman people" the largest historian Ancient Rome Titus Livius (59 BC-17 AD).
Later, this expression will become a proverb in many languages. It will come to Russia as a translation from French: Mieux vaut tard que jamais. AND for a long time this maxim sounded in Russian speech only in French.
Allegorically: encouragement, approval of a person who has done, albeit belatedly, some necessary, important, noble deed. In any case, it's better than not doing it at all (jokingly ironic.).
encyclopedic Dictionary winged words and expressions. - M.: "Lokid-Press". Vadim Serov. 2003 .
Better late than never
An expression from the "History of the Roman people" by Titus Livius (59 BC - 17 AD), book. 4, 2, 11: "Potius sero, quam nunguam". Often quoted as a French proverb: "Mieux vaut tard que jamais".
Dictionary of winged words. Plutex. 2004
See what "Better late than never" is in other dictionaries:
Wed Here they are very, very pleased ... Lena was told, qu il est très bien vu! Well, better late than never. Boborykin. wised up. 17. Wed. I'm afraid it's a bit late? Well, mieux tard que jamais. Leskov. bypassed. 3, 2. Cf. While … Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary
Better late than never. Wed Here they are very, very pleased... They said to Lena, qu'il est très bien vu! Well, better late than never. Boborykin. I've wised up. 17. Wed. I'm afraid it's a little late? “Well, mieux tard que jamais. Leskov ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)
Better late than never- wing. sl. An expression from the "History of the Roman people" by Titus Livius (59 BC - 17 AD), book. 4, 2, 11: "Potius sero, quam nunguam." Often quoted as a French proverb: "Mieux vaut tard que jamais"... Universal additional practical explanatory dictionary by I. Mostitsky
Better late than never (Goncharova)- Critical notes. Published in the journal Russian speech 1879, No. 6. Goncharov himself, calling the notes a critical analysis of his books, looked at them as if they were the author's preface to a collection of his works. I'm late with this preface they will tell me... Dictionary of literary types
Better late than no one, - said the old maid, going to the hospital- (from the last. Better late than never better to do something later than not to do it ever; do not let anyone surrender to a man) 1) initial value; 2) about deprivation of virginity ... live speech. Dictionary of colloquial expressions
BETTER LATE THAN NOBODY- pogov. Edit: Better late than never. The best is the enemy of the good. There is no need to improve what is already so good. The best legs of France, if shaved and straightened praise ... Dictionary modern colloquial phraseological units and sayings
Better late- than anyone joked. common travesty. saying "better late than never"... Dictionary of Russian Argo
Union. 1. Attaches a turnover or appendage. suggestion with the meaning of comparison, comparison of whom, what l. with what is said in the main. Talk louder than usual. The stars are brighter in the south than in the north. The mountains were higher than anyone expected. 2… encyclopedic Dictionary
Pronoun. adv. (with subsequent negation, sometimes truncated). Not at any time, under any circumstances. N. was not abroad. N. did not hear. I you n. I won't forget. Like n. happy (as I have never been before). Now or never!… … encyclopedic Dictionary
Union. 1. comparative. Introduces into simple sentence comparative turn, explaining what l. member of this sentence, expressed in the form comparative degree adjective or adverb, as well as the words: "other", "other", "otherwise", etc. ... Small Academic Dictionary
Books
- Better late than never. How to start a new life at any age by Cher Barbara. About the book A bestseller with 15 years of experience that will help you live full life any age. Barbara Sher, author of the bestselling book Dreaming Is Good, changed lives with her books and speeches...
- Better late than never. How to start new life, Cher, Barbara. A bestseller with 15 years of experience that will help you live life to the fullest at any age. Barbara Sher, author of the bestselling book Dreaming Is Good, has changed the lives of millions with her books and speeches.
“Better late than never” is a proverb with meaning. Everyone has work to do, but often laziness prevents us from doing it. As a result, we completely abandon the work, and cannot find the strength to take it up again. Yes, of course, it is very important to finish the work on time, 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 didn’t meet the deadline, because the main thing is to achieve your goals. This is the point.
If you think that it is impossible to complete a task, then it will be so, because you will not be going to take it on. Takova human nature- when you think that the work is difficult, you just decide to quit it. And here it is important to realize the fact that this is not an option.
The person who moves 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.
Better to become nobody, nowhere,
Than forgetting friends, become a king.
Better with a sweet life in a hut,
Than to live without love in palaces.
It is better to listen to the conscience in the soul,
Than prophets lying in words.
Better let the sun bake
Than to vegetate in the shadow all my life.
Better for an act let him beat
Life, than in it to be afraid to decide.
It's better to warm up and burn.
Becoming ashes, do not know the stench of decay.
Than giving soot, smolder your life,
And do not give heat, extinguished.
Better late than never,
Better never than bad.
Better in the light through the troubles of cold,
Than in the darkness, hiding from troubles ...
"Otto" is one of Handel's "historical" operas, although the creators of the work cared little for the authentic transmission of the facts known to historians (the libretto was borrowed from Stefano Pallavicino and revised true friend and Handel's colleague, Nikola Heim). In the baroque era real events and the characters were, roughly speaking, only an "excuse" for composing stage intrigues and "jewelry" melodies. And music in this manifestation is not alone among other arts. The plot has everything you need: family reunion, disguise of an aristocrat as a pirate, an impostor in the role of emperor and groom, kidnapping of the bride, escape from the dungeon, thirst for revenge, ardent love and the triumph of good.
The music is a concentration of lyrics capable of becoming fatal for the hypnotic centers of the brain: there are more cantilena arias than bravura ones, which is perhaps one of the reasons for the lower popularity of Ottone compared to many other operas by the same composer. This is unfair, because the music here is brilliant, as always with Handel, and fantastically beautiful.
The main roles at the premiere were played by the "classical" prima donna Francesca Cuzzoni (Feofano), who was almost thrown out the window by Handel for not wanting to perform the aria Falsa imagine; Senesino (Otto), one of the most famous castrati of that time; Gaetano Berenstadt (Adalberto), also a castrato, who often sang villains because of the legendary disproportion of his body; Giuseppe Maria Boschi (Emireno); Margherita Durastanti (Gismonda), another Handelian prima donna; and Anastasia Robinson (Matilda), Handel's favorite and "queen" of supporting roles in his operas.
The London premiere took place in 1723 at the Theater on the Hay Market, and the Russian premiere took place only now, in Concert Hall named after Tchaikovsky, which, in combination with a set the most talented performers makes this event special.
Marianne Beata Kielland (Otto) pleases with a gorgeous musical taste, perfectly masters breathing and perfectly displays cantilenas. Joan Lunn (Feofano) captivates with a beautiful light voice, although in a high register it sometimes turns into a “beep”, and the performance as a whole sounds somewhat monotonous. Alexander Miminoshvili (Emireno) is the most "acting" of all the soloists. It seems to me that his voice is more suitable for the performance of Rossini's compositions, and in the baroque opera I heard slight roughness, which, however, did not interfere with the music at all. Anna Bonitatibus (Gismonda) is a very professional singer. Queen pianissimo: aria reprise Vieni, o figlio- a real masterpiece of singing whisper. Yuri Minenko (Adalbert) has a beautiful timbre, impeccable technique and heartfelt emotionality. In his first aria, he went to the "male" voice, but he did it very naturally and evenly, and then he did not resort to such "tricks". The voice of Romina Basso (Matilda) has the darkest coloring: it would be ideal for playing the roles of sorceresses. The only thing that bothered me personally was the “disappearance” of the last sounds in phrases, although, on the other hand, this technique is not without expressiveness.
Duets, and there are two of them in "Ottone", and the final "chorus" demonstrated the singers' excellent ability to "merge" their voices, and to absolute harmony of dissonant timbres. The radiant conductor Christopher Molds brilliantly prepared this opera with the virtuosic and sensitive State Academic Chamber Orchestra of Russia.
In short, "Otton" has become a real celebration of music. Both the musicians and the singers demonstrated their best qualities and sincere love for the sounds born of their will.
Photo: Provided by the press service of the Moscow Philharmonic
All rights reserved. Copying is prohibited.
“How to treat the problem of age? My advice - forget about it! When it comes to others or yourself, pay attention to experience, intelligence, imagination, talent, energy, decency, kindness - what really matters in any human being - and completely ignore age. It does not matter, and in any case, it is difficult to comprehend. Worst of all, it leads to costly mistakes that you don't want to make,” writes Barbara Sher in her new book, Better Late Than Never. Here are five rules that will help you avoid mistakes.
Better late than never
Rule #1 Don't think you're too old for something until you're too old.
A gray-haired woman came up to me in a bookstore in Wyoming and said, “What a pity I didn't hear from you years ago. There were things that I wanted to do, but nothing worked. And now it's too late."
I asked: "Are you sick?"
"No, no, but I'm already sixty-three, I really waited too long."
“You know,” I said, “you can live to eighty or ninety. And you will feel like a complete fool when you realize that you considered yourself old at sixty-three! You will definitely not like this feeling. Better get started now."
Her problem is that, like you and me, she was prematurely traumatized by her own birthdays. By the time we're smart enough to realize how young we were at forty, fifty, or sixty, we'll be seventy, eighty, or ninety!
That is why it is so important to pay special attention to what should not be put off. If everything is in order with your health, it's time to start hiking. Don't put it off until seventy. On the one hand, what if your body then can not carry you? On the other hand, by the age of seventy you will be doing other wonderful things that your hands did not reach before, and, in any case, you will be too busy for hiking.
You already notice small physical problems? Great. Write a list of what works and use it. Don't waste time regretting your growing waist or thumb, which behaves unimportantly. Most likely, you are in the right shape for what you need to do during this period of life, just like you were in the right shape as an infant or teenager.
Most importantly, do not forget: if the body allows you to do something, then you are not too old for this.
Rule number 2. Time is clay. Create something out of it.
Remember all the things you always wanted to do but didn't seem able to do, like travel, dance or write? It's time to start. If, like most people in their forties, you are responsible for countless projects and have very little free time, remember: for the work you love to contribute bright colors into your life, it is not necessary to devote everything to him work time. Five minutes a day of writing or singing, dancing or leafing through travel brochures will be like water to a thirsty plant. And those five minutes will incredibly increase the chances of doing something to the fullest. I promise: familiarity with the subject will open up new possibilities.
Rule number 3. If you have A big dream follow her. But don't think it's the last one.
Is there anything significant you would like to do before you get "too old"? Go ahead and do it if you can. But do not fool yourself, thinking that, having completed your plan, you will agree to grow old. One dream will never be enough. In fact, the best reason to take on a lifelong dream is to get it out of the way so you can move on to your next dreams. One day you will see that this dream was only a warm-up.
You are entering the age of big beginnings, and your dreams are just starting to line up.
Rule #4: Beware of premature regrets.
"Of all the sad words written or spoken, the saddest of all is 'It was possible!'" If you are wondering where the years have gone and whether you have wisely disposed of your life, keep in mind: the question is great, but the time is not right for it yet. What have you done in life? My answer: who can know? There is a good chance that your life has not yet begun.
Remember: “What you do today, right now, will be your ticket to happiness. This is not the end at all. This the most important beginning. Over the years, you have moved from animal instincts - blind impulses that overshadowed everything - and have come to awareness, the ability to see and understand what you are looking at.
Think about it. This change is one of the most significant in your life. It is like being blind and now seeing again. But the change affected not only the ability to see the world around. Mindfulness awakened an understanding of who you are, where you are and where you want to go. Your car finally has a driver, and it's you - the real you, the genuine one, not the one you thought you were supposed to be. There is a real road in front of you, here it is, and it is intended for you personally.
Time always gives more than it takes. Time has brought you here, carried away your sorrows, allowed you to blossom. It gave true wealth, made up of accumulated decisions and lessons learned, events, skills, insights, relationships with people. Encounters with life have helped shape and understand what you are made of. Time has regularly deposited into the bank account of your experience. You have become a treasure trove - how Library of Alexandria. And every year the value of treasures is increasing.
Time is your material. All the great things you get to do will be carved out of time. The sailor uses the waves and the wind, time will carry you. And the outlined limit of time is nothing but the pier from which you push off at the beginning of the journey.
Rule #5: Remembering your mortality is good.
Recognition of one's mortality helps to feel currently like nothing else. Have you ever been near a dying person? To see how a person refuses everything superficial and penetrates into the essence of every moment of life is the deepest experience. Suddenly the "here and now" appear like never before. My friend, a journalist accustomed to working sixty to seventy hours a week, found herself facing a long illness and the inevitable death of her father. She took an indefinite leave and settled in his house: “I just wanted to be with him. What is especially possible here is just to play with the cat, bring him tea.
That's the sense of timelessness that many of us have lost, isn't it? But awareness of the finiteness of time, like nothing else, makes us act. Knowing that you will die is the beginning of serious accomplishments.
Based on the book "Better Late Than Never"
