ProverbHuman Nature
English origin1848
English origin1848A watched pot never boils
Meaning: Time seems to pass slowly when you are waiting.
Origin: It is in print by 1848, in Elizabeth Gaskell's novel Mary Barton, already used as a familiar saying. It is often credited to Benjamin Franklin, but nothing he wrote contains it. The joke is on the watcher: the water heats at the same rate either way, but time drags for anyone staring at it.
Equivalents in Spanish and Japanese
Spanish: Quien espera, desespera (literally: He who waits, despairs)
Japanese: 待つ身は長い (Matsu mi wa nagai) (literally: Waiting feels long)
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