ProverbHuman Nature
English origin19th c.
English origin19th c.Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Meaning: Being apart makes you appreciate someone more.
Often credited to: Thomas Haynes Bayly's song “Isle of Beauty”, which made the wording popular; the idea goes back to Propertius
Origin: The Roman poet Propertius wrote that love flows more strongly toward those who are absent, but the English wording was made popular by Thomas Haynes Bayly's 19th-century song "Isle of Beauty": "Absence makes the heart grow fonder, / Isle of Beauty, fare thee well!" The skeptics' reply, "out of sight, out of mind," is centuries older.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, and Japanese
French: L'absence est à l'amour ce qu'est au feu le vent (literally: Absence is to love what wind is to fire)
Spanish: La ausencia es al amor lo que al fuego el aire (literally: Absence is to love what the wind is to fire)
Japanese: 会えない時間が愛を育てる (Aenai jikan ga ai wo sodateru) (literally: Time apart nurtures love)
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