Desires are nourished by delays.
Meaning: Postponing what you want intensifies your craving rather than diminishing it.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Wisdom
- The first dish pleaseth all. — Initial offerings gain acceptance because people haven't yet formed judgments or grown we…
- Dogs bark before they bite. — Aggression is usually preceded by warning signs if you pay attention to them.
- Do well, and have well. — Virtuous actions naturally produce good outcomes; integrity yields its own rewards.
- What soberness conceals, drunkenness reveals. — Alcohol dissolves social filters, exposing true thoughts and feelings people consciously…
- Better be envied than pitied. — Living with others' jealousy over your success beats enduring their sympathy for your fai…
- Example teaches more than precept. — Demonstrating virtue through action proves far more persuasive than merely instructing ot…
From our idioms
- Pousser le bouchon un peu loin — To go too far; to overstep.
- Tirer à boulets rouges — To attack someone ferociously and without restraint.
- Sans bourse délier — Without spending a penny.