Knowledge, like physic, is more plague than profit, if it arrives too late.

Information or understanding loses much of its value when it comes after the moment for action has passed. Belated knowledge may even deepen distress, because it reveals what might have been known sooner without allowing harm to be prevented.

The comparison uses “physic” in its older sense of medicine or medicinal treatment, not the academic discipline. A remedy can help when timely, yet be useless or burdensome when delayed; likewise, the saying criticizes untimely knowledge rather than learning itself.

Use this as a reflective comment on advice, warnings, or discoveries received after a decision or preventable event. It suits situations where late information cannot alter the outcome and may chiefly add regret or frustration.