What does it mean?
It is better to get something done late than not to do it at all. Greek and English use the very same words here.
Closest English saying: Better late than never.
What does it literally say?
Κάλλιο αργά παρά ποτέ
Kálio argá pará poté
“Better late than never.”
«Κάλλιο» (kálio) is an older form of «καλύτερα», “better”, and it survives in many Greek proverbs.
How is it used?
«Ξεκίνησε να μαθαίνει μουσική στα σαράντα. Κάλλιο αργά παρά ποτέ.»
“He started learning music at forty. Better late than never.”
Other ways Greeks say it
- Καλύτερα αργά παρά ποτέ
Where does it come from?
Traditional Greek folk usage. eipane has not documented a first author or a first written record for this saying.
This is an English edition of the Greek entry, which remains the reference version. The English text was written from the Greek entry with the help of AI tools and checked against it. Suggest a correction ↗