--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought that if the right time gets…" description: "\"I thought that if the right time gets missed, if one has refused or been refused something for too long, it's too late, even if it is finally tackled w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/324/bernhard-schlink-3329_energy_i-thought-that-if-the-right-time-gets-mi_2191077.png" --- # I thought that if the right time gets missed, if one has… ![“I thought that if the right time gets missed, if one has refused or been refused something for too long, it's too late, even if it is finally tackled with energy and received with joy. Or is there no such thing as "too late"? Is there only "late," and is "late" always better than "never"? I don't…” quote by Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/324/bernhard-schlink-3329_energy_i-thought-that-if-the-right-time-gets-mi_2191077.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/324/bernhard-schlink-3329_energy_i-thought-that-if-the-right-time-gets-mi_2191077.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/324/bernhard-schlink-3329_energy_i-thought-that-if-the-right-time-gets-mi_2191077.png) > “I thought that if the right time gets missed, if one has refused or been refused something for too long, it's too late, even if it is finally tackled with energy and received with joy. Or is there no such thing as "too late"? Is there only "late," and is "late" always better than "never"? I don't know.” [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote questions whether “too late” truly exists, suggesting that timing may be less absolute than we think, and that acting later can still be meaningful. **In simple terms:** “Too late” may be a myth; later can still matter. Key Takeaway Act despite perceived lateness. Themes time regret opportunity Mood philosophical contemplative Type existential motivational When to use this quote - Career changes - personal goals - relationship repair Key Concepts Existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - Is there a perfect moment for action? - How does delay affect outcome? A Different Perspective Waiting too long can diminish impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) ## Related quotes > [Or is there no such thing as 'too late'? Is there only 'late' and is 'late' always better than 'never'? I don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/or-is-there-no-such-thing-as-too-late-is-there-only-late-and-is-late/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [Better late then never, But never late is always better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/better-late-then-never-but-never-late-is-always-better/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [Better late than never. but never late it better!(:](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/better-late-than-never-but-never-late-it-better/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [Better late then never,but never late is better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/better-late-then-never-but-never-late-is-better/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [Better late than never ,But never late is better. <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/better-late-than-never-but-never-late-is-better-3/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [Better late than never but never late is better. They tell me time is money well we'll spend it together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/better-late-than-never-but-never-late-is-better-they-tell-me-time-is/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [Better late than never, but never late is better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/better-late-than-never-but-never-late-is-better/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [Better late than never, but never late is better.., they say time is money, so lets spend it together. <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/better-late-than-never-but-never-late-is-better-they-say-time-is/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [You'll never meet anyone like me. I hope it's not too late when you finally realise that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moores/you-ll-never-meet-anyone-like-me-i-hope-it-s-not-too-late-when-you/) [Sarah Moores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moores/) > [“Everything becomes... too late, finally. You know it's going on... up on the hill; you can see the dust, and hear the cries, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/everything-becomes-too-late-finally-you-know-it-s-going-on-up-on-the/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [“Get a hold of yourself. It’s never too late to do better. Life can still be good to you if you choose the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-mintsa/get-a-hold-of-yourself-it-s-never-too-late-to-do-better-life-can/) Justine Mintsa > [Late is better than never...unless it's related to becoming a father and child support.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/late-is-better-than-never-unless-it-s-related-to-becoming-a-father/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Which form of proverb do you prefer Better late than never, or Better never than late?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/which-form-of-proverb-do-you-prefer-better-late-than-never-or-better/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [“Need brooks no delay, yet late is better than never.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/need-brooks-no-delay-yet-late-is-better-than-never/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“Better late than never,but better than that is to be never late”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basabi-bora/better-late-than-never-but-better-than-that-is-to-be-never-late/) Basabi Bora ## More by Bernhard Schlink > [“Ne ispada li, onda, da je egzistencijalni umor rezultat premalog, a ne prevelikog angažovanja? Postajemo li umorni usled toga što olakšavamo sebi situaciju, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/ne-ispada-li-onda-da-je-egzistencijalni-umor-rezultat-premalog-a-ne/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [Why? Why does what was beautiful suddenly shatter in hindsight because it concealed dark truths? Why does the memory of years of happy marriage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/why-why-does-what-was-beautiful-suddenly-shatter-in-hindsight-because/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“...if something hurts me, the hurts I suffered back then come back to me, and when I feel guilty, the feelings of guilt return;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/if-something-hurts-me-the-hurts-i-suffered-back-then-come-back-to-me/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“The truth of what one says lies in what one does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/the-truth-of-what-one-says-lies-in-what-one-does/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“When she had fallen asleep on me, and the saw in the yard was quiet, and a blackbird was singing as the colors of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/when-she-had-fallen-asleep-on-me-and-the-saw-in-the-yard-was-quiet/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“To anyone ignorant of history, it would be easy to see ways of life in earlier times simply as ways of life in foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/to-anyone-ignorant-of-history-it-would-be-easy-to-see-ways-of-life-in/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“What is it?' 'Nothing,' he said, and put his arm around her. 'You sighed.' 'I'd like to be further along than I am.' She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/what-is-it-nothing-he-said-and-put-his-arm-around-her-you-sighed-i-d/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“But the finger I pointed at her turned back to me. I had loved her. Not only had I loved her, I had chosen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/but-the-finger-i-pointed-at-her-turned-back-to-me-i-had-loved-her-not/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“I wanted to pose myself both tasks - understanding and condemnation. But it was impossible to do both”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/i-wanted-to-pose-myself-both-tasks-understanding-and-condemnation-but/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [Sometimes the memory of happiness cannot stay true because it ended unhappily..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/sometimes-the-memory-of-happiness-cannot-stay-true-because-it-ended/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“I had no one to point at. Certainly not my parents, because I had nothing to accuse them of. The zeal for letting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/i-had-no-one-to-point-at-certainly-not-my-parents-because-i-had/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [Sometimes I had the feeling that all of us in his family were like pets to him. The dog you take for a walk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/sometimes-i-had-the-feeling-that-all-of-us-in-his-family-were-like/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“There are matters one simply cannot get drawn into, that one must distance oneself from, if the price is not life and limb. هناك أمور لا يمكن للواحد ببساطة أن ينخرط فيها ، يجب على الواحد ان ينحي نفسه عنها ، حتى وإن كان الثمن موته أو بتره.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/there-are-matters-one-simply-cannot-get-drawn-into-that-one-must/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [She was struggling, as she always had struggled, not to show what she could do but to hide what she couldn't do. A life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/she-was-struggling-as-she-always-had-struggled-not-to-show-what-she/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [As an author, you hope for a director and a cast that will make something wonderful out of your book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/as-an-author-you-hope-for-a-director-and-a-cast-that-will-make/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) [Explore all 104 Bernhard Schlink quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) ## More Energy quotes > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [Performance matters because games are built on great performance, but form factor and energy efficiency matter incredibly because they want to build something that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jensen-huang/performance-matters-because-games-are-built-on-great-performance-but/) [Jensen Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jensen-huang/) > [Energy rests upon love; and come as it will, there's no forcing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/energy-rests-upon-love-and-come-as-it-will-there-s-no-forcing-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/) [Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/) > [If you ask another competitor, they may tell you they felt very competitive towards me. But I can tell you that my biggest competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-kwan/if-you-ask-another-competitor-they-may-tell-you-they-felt-very/) [Michelle Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-kwan/) > [I'm a vegetarian - I think there's a strong possibility, had I not become a vegetarian, I would not be working now. I became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barker/i-m-a-vegetarian-i-think-there-s-a-strong-possibility-had-i-not/) [Bob Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barker/) > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/enthusiasm-is-the-yeast-that-makes-your-hopes-shine-to-the-stars/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [I've never even been into those supplements or any of that. I don't even drink energy shakes. I'm not into that kind of stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/i-ve-never-even-been-into-those-supplements-or-any-of-that-i-don-t/) [Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/) > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [I have lived in countries that were coming out of conflict: Ireland, South Africa, the Czech republic. People there are overflowing with energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-have-lived-in-countries-that-were-coming-out-of-conflict-ireland/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > ['The Choirboys' is very much a product of its mid-1970s time, especially in its two-dimensional portrayals of cop groupies Ora Lee and Carolina Moon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-choirboys-is-very-much-a-product-of-its-mid-1970s-time-especially/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) [Browse all 12,866 Energy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I thought that if the right time gets missed, if one has refused or been refused something for too long, it's too late, even if it is finally tackled with energy and received with joy. Or is there no such thing as \"too late\"? Is there only \"late,\" and is \"late\" always better than \"never\"? 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