Being late is unfortunately a very common human trait. Punctuality, however, is highly valued in many cultures and at many jobs, so if you are regularly five minutes or later for work, the chances are that your behaviour will have consequences. Being prompt is a courtesy to others and is an act of respect that allows people to feel comfortable moving ahead with their plans, knowing they will not be rushed.
Nothing is more annoying than having to wait for someone who is always late. Whether it is at a meeting, reunion, or birthday party, if you are trying to make a positive first impression and are constantly late, then you will often fail. We all have reasons why we are late sometimes but in most cases, it is not acceptable behaviour.
Some people are more punctual than others. If you’re known for always being late, there’s a good chance that your friends and colleagues can no longer tolerate it. It is a sign of a lack of discipline and the inability to manage time. Time flies, and opportunities are missed because people are always late.
Being late deprives us of precious moments with our loved ones and creates an uncomfortable situation that constantly keeps us on edge. Below is a detailed collection of always late quotes that shed more light on the disadvantages of being late.
Being late is the ultimate sign of disrespect. It shows you don’t care about other people or their time. It’s a sign that you are selfish and only keep to yourself. If this is something you are guilty of, take the time today to get on your schedule and aim to be punctual.
1. It is with the deepest regret that I report myself as always late.
2. If you’re always late, you consistently run behind schedule and miss the start of your day. This is not ideal, especially if you’re in a job where there are expectations for being early.
3. Each time she is late, she has not been able to give a good reason as to why. Each time she is late, she is told by her manager that she needs to improve.
4. I am always late. I can’t help it. You know, something comes up, and I get caught up in time-wasting activity that I don’t even remember the reason for.
5. Make a change by becoming better at managing your time, so you can start getting things done and stop being always late.
6. I’m always late to work, and my boss is getting on my case about it.
7. You’re always late. Your commute, holidays, and even your commitments are never on time. You’ve come to expect this behaviour from yourself, but people who have to rely on you are tired of it.
8. Get in the habit of leaving your home or office 10 minutes before your scheduled meeting or appointment. If you’re running late, it’s better to arrive 10 minutes early and apologize than to show up late and act as if nothing is wrong.
9. You’re always running late because you couldn’t find your backpack, so now you have to rearrange your whole schedule to accommodate that one thing.
10. Poor time management practices can cost a business millions in missed opportunities.
11. Is it possible to be always late? The answer is yes. It’s possible. You can do anything if you want to do it, and that includes being always late.
12. You are always late, you might make it on time once in a while, but you’re always behind schedule when it comes to anything that needs to get done.
13. It is easy to be a perfectionist and count everything. Just remember that the most important thing is to be on time in all situations.
14. I am always late with everything. I can not be on time, will never be on time, never. It’s impossible for me.
15. Sure, you may love your sleep. But plenty of us knows that deep down, being late is a lot more fun. So give in to your inner tardiness with an alarm clock that’s designed to be late.
16. I know that I have a problem with timeliness. I need to work on this and use some of the suggestions from my colleagues.
17. I am always late because I need to do a lot of preparation work before my presentations, like gathering information and running presentations. I apologize if this causes any inconvenience for you or others.
18. You are always late, and you don’t care about that. You are often running late for your job, meetings, and appointments. You will be late again today.
19. You are late for this meeting. Please give me a call when you arrive at the office to let me know an approximate time of arrival.
20. I am always late. I have a hard time waking up on time and deciding what to wear. I even have a tardiness problem at work.
21. Accidents will happen which will make you always late. Please don’t blame yourself – blame the traffic.
22. I feel that I’m always late. I think it has more to do with my self-criticism than pressure from others.
23. Being late is a sign of disrespect, and if you are late because you have a habit of being late, then it shows that you don’t value their time.
24. If you’re running late, no one may even notice. The best thing to do is shove the lateness to the back of your mind and focus on enjoying the rest of your day. After all, what good is being on time if you aren’t enjoying life?
25. There is no excuse for being late: things go wrong so much that the later you leave it, the less chance there is of something going wrong.
26. If you are always late, they will soon take it for granted; if you are punctual and always on time, they will soon be accustomed to it.
27. Never be late. Arrive 10 minutes early to work, on time for a meeting, and always arrive a little bit early wherever you’re going. You’ll be the first person there, which makes it seem like you planned—and that’s a good thing.
28. The later it gets, the more those plans evaporate until all you have left is a cup of tea and a good book.
29. Being late for an appointment is bad manners and wastes the time of others. Always be on time, or preferably early.
30. Being late is not a sign of being disorganized but rather a sign of being mature enough to allow others to do their jobs.
31. I’m always late; I apologize. I’m better than I used to be, though. I don’t mind waiting for you, as long as it’s not too long.
32. A late person is always amusing because they have time to get their stories straight.
33. When you’re late, you are dismissed as unreliable and disorganized. It’s not a good look for anyone in business or for any job for that matter.
34. I tend to be late for all my appointments, and it is not because I don’t respect people. It is simply because I am always running late with my schedule.
35. Being late is a sign of disrespect. It shows that you don’t value other people’s time or even your own; there are no excuses.
36. The most common reason for being late is that you’re getting ready for something else you’ve already missed.
37. Being late is a sign of disrespect. It is arrogant and rude, especially if you keep others waiting on purpose. People who are always late have no regard for what their actions mean to those around them, and they don’t seem to care about how it makes others feel.
38. Being late is a good way to start the day: It puts you in a bad mood and lets everyone else know it. Being late is also an effective way of letting everyone around you know that their time doesn’t matter.
39. Being late is a terrific form of punctuality. It shows that you respect the other party’s ability to think. It’s also a great technique if you’re still trying to make an impression or in a meeting where you have no idea what everyone else is doing.
40. When you are always late, you set a precedent that it is okay to be late. If you are late for one meeting, the next time, your employer expects more of the same. Early is on time, and late is just unacceptable. Never accept excuses from others for being late because it just creates more work and stress for everyone involved.
41. Being late is about caring about your destination instead of the journey.
42. Being late is about a lot more than just getting to an appointment. Often, it’s your attitude toward life and the way you manage expectations.
43. Being late is a sign of disrespect. It’s an indication that you don’t care about the other person as much as they do about you. This can make them feel like you don’t value them or have time for them.
44. I’m always late, so I only do meetings on my terms. You can either wait for me — or you’re just going to have to wait and see if I show up.
45. You can always be late once you realize that the world won’t come to an end if you’re a few minutes late.
46. Always run 10 minutes late. That way, if you are earlier than expected, you’re not overdressed.
47. When you are always late, it shows that you never have time to care about anything or anyone. People around you will start having a negative opinion of you. If you want to take care of your family and friends, then learn to be on time.
48. Being late is a special talent that few people have mastered. It involves being late to the point where you not only miss the train, you miss the entire train station.
49. Lack of punctuality is a personal trait that reflects poorly on your brand, no matter how much you try to mitigate it with excuses. Being late is not just bad for the team and clients but also for projects and tasks that are dependent on you being there first.
50. Always being late always makes you feel like an outsider, but when you’re on time, you don’t feel a part of things.
51. Being late is like a sin for me. To say that I live in a state of permanent lateness is an understatement.
52. If you’re late, then there’s less time for everything else. The train will leave without you: that’s the worst thing – to miss your ride.
53. No matter how hard I try, I always seem to come in after the bell rings.
54. Being tardy is a habit of procrastination, a lose-lose situation that you must accept by the way you cope with it. Because when you try to make up for your lateness, you get distracted and fall behind again. It’s also very hard to be confident about your punctuality when you show up late quite often.
55. Being late is like getting a nose job. It doesn’t make you any more attractive, but everyone will see the difference.
56. The truth is, you are always on time. Time is just too slow for you. The problem is that others don’t seem to appreciate the value of your time, and they do not realize that you are much more valuable than they think.
57. If you’re always late, it is a character flaw. It’s a bad habit, and if you let it persist and get out of control, it will hinder your ability to be successful in life.
58. I always end up being late because I’m never on time. People tell me ‘be on time but it is hard to be on time when you’re working as much as I do and also riding public transit everywhere.
59. There are so many different factors that can cause something like being late or running away from the train station and needing to find another one. Not that that’s ever happened to me.
60. People who arrive on time are boring. I make people wait to see me. It is a sign of power. When I arrive, I like people to be ready. When I am ready, they will be.
61. When you’re running late, don’t say “I’m sorry,”. Apologize by saying “I apologize.” When you say you’re sorry, you are feeling sorry for yourself. An apology is an acknowledgement that the other person lost something by your actions.
62. I get up with the sun, but I always burn so easily that I have to stay inside for a few hours before going out. And once I’m outside, it takes me forever to walk anywhere. That’s why I’m always late.
63. Being late is a real character defect. It shows a lack of respect for other people’s time, and it tells them that you don’t care about them. And that makes me madder than almost anything else I can think of.
64. It is rude to keep people waiting. You should always arrive on time. It is important to be mindful of others’ schedules by arriving promptly.
65. Always arrive promptly at your scheduled meeting time. Completing tasks on time is an important first step in building a good relationship between yourself and the other party.
66. Arriving on-time shows respect for others and helps them get you the information you want. If you are running behind, call ahead to let people know.
67. Punctuality is the most important element of professionalism, as it communicates respect for others to our colleagues and customers.
68. If you are late, people will think less of you. Don’t lose their respect by showing up late all the time.
69. Being on time is essential if you want to be taken seriously. Punctuality is a great thing. Being timely is important and helps everyone.
70. Showing up on time is one of the keys to success in business and life. When people are waiting for you, their time is just as valuable as yours.
71. Punctuality is a virtue. Time is the one thing we can never get back, so don’t waste it, and arrive on time for every appointment.
72. We all value our time, and it is important to be aware of how valuable other people’s time is as well.
73. Being late is other people’s loss, not yours. If you’re always running 15 minutes behind schedule, you’re effectively optimizing a process that would be improved by reducing its original length.
74. When you’re ahead of schedule, you can afford to be late. Learn from experience to waste time and be on time.
75. Always being late is the story of your life, but you still try to hit all the deadlines. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but you always wish for good karma and luck.
76. Being late is a sign of either carelessness or laziness. Nothing gets you anywhere on time unless you work at it.
77. Most people are late for one of two reasons: They don’t know how to tell time, or they aren’t paying attention.
78. Guard against the habit of being late for appointments. Be on time, and make people wait for you if necessary.
79. There are only two kinds of people who are always late. People who don’t care to know the time, and people that don’t care.
80. When you’re constantly late, you are always robbing time from the people around you. You’re giving them less time to get ready, less time to drive safely, and less time to get their work done.
81. Your lateness impacts others even before they meet you. They’ll get frustrated before they even start interacting with you because of your tardiness.
82. I’m late for work again. My boss hates me, and I hate myself, and it’s all because I’m always late.
83. Being late is usually the result of a failure to start on time, to plan on time, or to be prepared in advance. We don’t always have good excuses for lateness, but there are times when we can use our actions as an excuse for being delayed.
84. The fact that you’re always late should not make me question your character, your trustworthiness, or your reliability.
85. Being late doesn’t mean you lack the time to do things. It means you have priorities in your life that are not your responsibility.
86. Don’t apologize for being late. You have a right to be late, and so does everyone else. It’s your job to get them on time.
87. Being on time means you’re only five minutes early — not early enough to have time to spare. Being late means you’re exactly on time — and ready to work.
88. Being late is a bad habit. It shows a lack of respect for others and their time.
89. They say that time waits for no one, but in my experience, that’s not the case. Sometimes, time is just too busy to wait for me.
90. I’m always late. At least, I always seem to be late. It could just be my perception of time that’s different from other people’s time. Or maybe it’s just my well-developed sense of misdirection.
91. I am always late. My watch is slow. My body is often somewhere else, in some other time and space, ideally when I’m writing a book or painting something – anything that will keep me occupied and take my mind off the things I have to do next.
92. Being late is the ultimate disrespect. You are simply saying you don’t care about anyone or anything.
93. People who are always late do not appreciate the value of time.
94. Being on time is a sign of respect. If you are always late, people will think that you do not respect them or their time.
95. I always feel bad when I am late, but who cares. I always let people know that I am coming. If being on time is important to you, then stay off the roads during rush hour.
96. Always being late shows that you don’t respect other people’s time, and it reflects your lack of discipline.
97. When you’re always late, other people end up paying for it: They wait on you, they lose patience, they miss their appointments, and they get frustrated. The best way to start changing this is by taking responsibility for it.
98. Being late is a choice, not an accident. And being too often late can cost us everything: money, respect, and love. So stay in shape, practise self-discipline, and always arrive on time.
99. Being late shows that you are selfish and inconsiderate. People will always respect you if you show up on time. Getting a reputation as untrustworthy will only hurt you in the long run, especially when it comes to finding jobs.
100. In the matter of punctuality, I have always convinced myself that arriving on time is a display of respect for others.
If you’re always late, I hope this collection of always late quotes will make you start taking time seriously. Please share the post with your loved ones. Thank you.