When all is consumed repentance comes too late.

Regret cannot restore what has been completely spent or lost. The proverb warns against waiting until a resource is gone before considering the consequences of using it.

Its emphasis is on timing: reflection may help while there is still something to preserve, but remorse after the loss cannot reverse it.

Use it to caution against exhausting a limited supply without forethought, or to reflect on a preventable loss after the chance to conserve what mattered has passed.