wer zu spät kommt, den bestraft das Leben

German

Etymology

Literally, “Life will punish him who comes too late”. Generally believed to have been said by Mikhail Gorbachev in East Berlin in the autumn of 1989, but the precise origin is unclear. According to some a lose translation or paraphrase, according to others a private remark later made public. At any rate the phrase was extensively quoted in West German media and quickly became proverbial.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌveːɐ̯ tsu ˈʃpɛːt kɔmt ˌdeːn bəˈʃtʁaːft das ˈleːbən/

Proverb

wer zu spät kommt, den bestraft das Leben

1. it is important not to waste time and opportunity; some situations require bold decisions