proverb · Legacy record
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying makes grass across a fence always look greener. It questions the impression that another person’s situation must be better.
What the words are saying
The fence separates a familiar situation from one seen at a distance. A useful reading checks what is known about the comparison rather than dismissing every wish for change. Someone else may have a real advantage; the phrase does not prove that all dissatisfaction is mistaken.
Everyday example
Someone seeks fuller information about an appealing alternative before comparing it with their present circumstances.
When to use it
Use it to examine an incomplete comparison.
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What it does not mean
The other situation is not automatically better or worse, and dissatisfaction may have real grounds.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
United States
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 428; PDF page 64
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.