When a thing is done advice comes too late.
When a thing is done advice comes too late.
Meaning in plain English
Advice sought only after an action may arrive too late to shape that choice. Consider relevant guidance while the decision is still open.
Example
A group asks about display dimensions before printing its posters, rather than discovering the mismatch after delivery.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The completed thing is contrasted with counsel taken afterwards. This makes timing part of the value of advice: a warning can help only if there is still an opportunity to respond. The proverb does not make later discussion useless. A mistake may still be repaired, and reflection can inform the next attempt. Its practical reading asks which decisions remain reversible and when useful consultation should occur.
When to use it
Use it when guidance needs to arrive before a consequential commitment.
Keep in mind
Later advice can still support repair and learning; avoid using hindsight to assign unfair blame.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 2; French section, paragraph 26; source wording: A chose faite conseil pris.
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗