An old man shared his deepest regret. "I wish," he said, "that I had understood the unfolding of time." Patience (or forbearance) comes from the Latin patientia, "patience, endurance, submission," and, ultimately—like "passivity" and "passion"—from patere, "to suffer." It can be defined as the quality of endurance or equanimity in the face of adversity, from simple delay or provocation to tragic misfortune and terrible pain. Being both useful and difficult, patience is often thought of as a v...