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In Lithuanian language there is a proverb that translated word-for-word would say "The train does not wait for the shitting ones."

While sounding somewhat rude, it is perfect for expressing: "You are too late, and that's your own fault."

Is there any proverb in English that could convey the same idea?

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    I live in the U.S. and never had the pleasure of hearing this Lithuanian proverb before. Thank you! I have happily added it to my vocabulary. "The train does not wait for the shitting ones." Love it.
    – Headblender
    Nov 15, 2018 at 20:46
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    Tangentially related: Gorbatchev's famous "Those who are late will be castigated by life itself" ("Wer zu spät kommt, den bestraft das Leben"), aimed at Honecker.
    – Peter - Reinstate Monica
    Nov 16, 2018 at 1:07
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    A word or phrase request can easily attract a long list of answers when it’s too subjective – more of a poll or request for ideas. Unfortunately neither are a good fit for the Stack Exchange model. A Stack Exchange question is objective and specific enough that it has a clearly “right” answer. See: “Real questions have answers, not items or ideas or opinions”, “Single word requests, crosswords, and the fight against mediocrity”.
    – MetaEd
    Nov 18, 2018 at 22:20
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    If possible, add details of research you’ve done, especially solutions you’ve already rejected, and why. If this is not possible because you really do have a subjective question, a welcoming place to ask for advice is our English Language & Usage Chat.
    – MetaEd
    Nov 18, 2018 at 22:20
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    @Bobble Doesn't that usually mean something akin to 'being unprepared for a situation'? If so, it has nothing to do with what OP said.
    – Suthek
    Nov 22, 2018 at 10:23

11 Answers 11

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More succintly, and less formally, there is also "You snooze, you lose!"

(idiomatic) If you are not alert and attentive, you will not be successful.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/you_snooze_you_lose

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    Ah, this could be it! While it looks quite different, I think the idea behind is basically the same.
    – april
    Nov 15, 2018 at 9:10
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    Honestly, I like this one MUST better than the Lithuanian one. Sometimes nature calls and then does not cooperate with a speedy exit, and it's not your fault that you missed the train because of this. Snoozing, on the other hand, implies something deliberate that is your fault, and at least to me this form of the word omits sleep disorders beyond your control.
    – Michael
    Nov 16, 2018 at 22:29
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Time and tide wait for no man, is an English proverb with a similar meaning.

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    Obligatory XKCD: xkcd.com/1704
    – justhalf
    Nov 14, 2018 at 18:16
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    I find this quite appropriate, maybe the closest in meaning, maybe just a little less common than some of the other suggestion, thanks!
    – april
    Nov 15, 2018 at 9:08
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    @justhalf It's really not obligatory. You could just ... not post xkcd links. It's not even a funny comic...
    – user91988
    Nov 16, 2018 at 18:22
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    XKCD adds value to everything. (46 upvoters agree)
    – Yvonne Aburrow
    Nov 16, 2018 at 18:52
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    I doubt that I have seen 200 in total, so you might be right. I only have time to look at XKCD when I am ... xkcd.com/303
    – Mawg says reinstate Monica
    Nov 21, 2018 at 15:29
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I can think of two that might be appropriate.

Though it doesn't necessarily deal directly with tardiness, there is, "You've made your bed. Now lie in it." According to the online Cambridge Dictionary, it means:

said to someone who must accept the unpleasant results of something they have done

Also, there is, "That ship has sailed." The website UsingEnglish.com defines that as:

A particular opportunity has passed you by when that ship has sailed.

Although fault isn't explicit, I'd argue the latter idiom suggests the fault lies with the individual having waited too long to take advantage of an opportunity.

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31

A day late and a dollar short

is another idiom meaning

late and ill-prepared

There is even a TV movie with this as a title based on a book of the same title

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  • Wow, so many story plots come to mind with this expression, truly poetic.
    – brasofilo
    Nov 18, 2018 at 9:56
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    @brasofilo, and the universalit of the statement is amazing. Every person on Earth has experienced this truism.
    – JBH
    Nov 18, 2018 at 17:29
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The early bird gets the worm.

Whoever arrives at the prize first gets it. (It's implied that slowpokes do not get anything)

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    I still prefer the corollary: "But the second mouse gets the cheese..."
    – Darrel Hoffman
    Nov 15, 2018 at 16:32
  • And if you want something else for breakfast, get up later.
    – RedSonja
    Nov 16, 2018 at 9:14
  • This expresses the corollary of the OP's thought.
    – Andrew Neely
    Nov 21, 2018 at 14:39
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How about

He who hesitates is lost

I had to look up the source for this proverb, which seems to be a play:

https://www.bookbrowse.com/expressions/detail/index.cfm/expression_number/455/he-who-hesitates-is-lost

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Regarding 'trains' and tardiness...

That train has left the station.

(Also, the train instead of that train is said.)

Broadly defined:

That opportunity has already passed; that cannot be undone.

https://www.phrases.net/phrase/that-train-has-left-the-station_20986

It's similar to this saying--You've missed the boat.--meaning something is already underway, so it's too late to weigh in on that; you've missed your chance to do so or an opportunity in general.

And regarding the [pooping] ones...

"[Poop] or get off the pot!" Basic meaning: Quit stalling!

Get it? Public restroom stalls... Never mind; toilet humor is optional.

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  • Isn't 'shit or get off the pot' more about hogging facilities/opportunities and stopping others accessing them? It's akin to 'dog in the manger' in that it is about the result of the shitter/dog being in a place they have no use for as a dog cannot east hay. The idiom the OP is after is about the person's loss being their own fault.
    – Spagirl
    Nov 15, 2018 at 15:08
  • I stand corrected then, that's certainly never been my understanding of the meaning. Every day a school day!
    – Spagirl
    Nov 15, 2018 at 17:33
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    My upvote is for "The train has left the station."
    – J.R.
    Nov 16, 2018 at 12:28
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I've once heard the latin saying :

Tarde venientibus ossa.

Those who come late just get the scraps [litt. 'bones'].

This is admittedly not English, but a reference exists in wikipedia.

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  • My English parents used this saying on me to mean "you are too late and it is your fault". Typically for not getting to the dinner table promptly and the worst I ever actually got was a cold dinner.
    – Simon G.
    Nov 15, 2018 at 16:19
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@drewhart mentioned "that ship has sailed", but it doesn't really imply fault. However a common variant is "You missed the boat", which does imply that it is your fault in much the same way as the Lithuanian proverb.

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    Yes but neither has any inference of "fault", does it?
    – Robbie Goodwin
    Nov 19, 2018 at 20:28
  • @RobbieGoodwin "That ship has sailed" may not, but "You missed the boat" does. Answer edited, as its a good point.
    – Paul Johnson
    Nov 21, 2018 at 17:29
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If you say

Too little, too late

you're "blaming someone for not doing enough to prevent a problem and for taking action only after the problem had become very bad."

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/too-little-too-late

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Although not specifically about lateness an Englishman might remind one of the ongoing consequences of a person`s actions by saying "The pigeons have come (or will have come) home to roost.

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  • He might well, and that's really not comparable. "The pigeons have (will have) come home to roost" means only that someone's been caught out… if you like, that the pigeon keeper has been caught out but either way, nothing to do with anyone being late unless it's changed to "The pigeons have (will have) already come home to roost."
    – Robbie Goodwin
    Nov 22, 2018 at 19:12

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