ProverbHuman Nature
English origin
English originNeed makes the old wife trot.
Meaning: Urgent necessity compels even the most sluggish or elderly to move quickly and act.
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.
Equivalents in French and Spanish
French: Besoin fait vieille trotter (literally: Need makes the old woman trot)
Spanish: La necesidad hace a la vieja trotar (literally: Need makes the old woman trot)
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