You
can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink
Meaning
People, like horses, will only do
what they have a mind to do.
Origin
Proverbs give richness to language
and, to some extent, define a culture. 'You can lead a horse to water, but you
can't make it drink' might be thought to encapsulate the English-speaking
people's mindset better than any other saying, as it appears to be the oldest
English proverb that is still in regular use today. It was recorded as early as
1175 in Old English Homilies:
Hwa is thet mei thet hors wettrien
the him self nule drinken
[who can give water to the horse that will not drink of its own accord?]
[who can give water to the horse that will not drink of its own accord?]
There are other pretenders to the
throne of the oldest English proverb; for example:
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
(mid 11th century in English; 5th century BC in Greek)
(mid 11th century in English; 5th century BC in Greek)
When the blind lead the blind, both
shall fall into the ditch.
(late 9th century in English; Bible, Luke Chapter 6)
(late 9th century in English; Bible, Luke Chapter 6)
Whilst the above were spoken in
English earlier than 'lead a horse to water...', they derive from either a
Greek or Biblical source and so can't claim to be the 'full English'. Either
that or, like the 11th century proverb 'full cup, steady hand', they
haven't stood the test of time.
The proverb 'lead a horse to water'
has been in continuous use since the 12th century. John Heywood listed it in
the influential glossary A Dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of all the
Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue:
"A man maie well bring a horse
to the water, But he can not make him drinke without he will."
It also appeared in literature over
the centuries in a variety of forms; for example, in the play Narcissus, which
was published in 1602, of unknown authorship, subtitled as A Twelfe Night
merriment, played by youths of the parish at the College of Saint John the
Baptist in Oxford:
Your parents have done what they
coode,
They can but bringe horse to the water brinke,
But horse may choose whether that horse will drinke.
They can but bringe horse to the water brinke,
But horse may choose whether that horse will drinke.
It wasn't until the 20th century
that 'lead a horse to water...' got a substantial rewrite, when Dorothy Parker
reworked it from its proverbial form into the epigram 'you can lead a horticulture, but you can't
make her think'.
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