There is a specific kind of grief reserved for the "too late." It is sharper than a standard failure because it contains the ghost of what could have been. If you had failed because you weren't capable, you could find peace in your limits. But to fail because you were or stingy with your effort implies a lack of character or foresight.
If there is any redemption in this phrase, it is as a . "Too little, too late" serves as a brutal calibration tool. It teaches us that:
A half-measure is often worse than doing nothing at all, as it wastes resources without solving the problem.