a watched kettle never boils

a watched kettle never boils

proverb When you want something to happen, paying too much attention to it will make the wait feel much longer. A variant of the more common expression "a watched pot never boils." Would you stop refreshing the page? The results will be posted soon enough, and a watched kettle never boils! You should do something with your time instead of just sitting there waiting for the doctor to call. A watched kettle never boils, after all.
See also: boil, kettle, never, watch
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • teach a man to fish
  • it takes a village
  • village
  • the best-laid plans
  • the best-laid plans go astray
  • the best-laid plans of mice and men
  • best-laid plans go astray, the
  • a little knowledge is a dangerous thing
  • a little learning is a dangerous thing
  • better bend than break
References in periodicals archive
They say a watched kettle never boils - so what if you could bypass the whole kettle part and go straight to the boiled water?
Bring your kitchen into the 21st century