He was always late on principle, his principle being that punctuality is the thief of time.
Source: The Picture of Dorian Gray, ch. 4 (1891), commenting on Lord Henry.
-- Oscar Wilde, (Oct 16 1856-1900), Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist; He was noted for his flamboyant witty, sophisticated plays, e.g., The Importance of Being Ernest, 1895.