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. A: "Is the power ever going to come back on?" B: "Come on, let's go out for a walk—a watched kettle never boils anyway."