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Saying: You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink
Humans have the gift of free will.
We can and will do what we want, no matter how much someone else wants us to do something else.
That’s where today’s common saying comes in.
Horses have been beasts of burden for thousands of years.
Even though humans can make horses do many things, we cannot make them eat or drink if they do not want to do.
Even if a horse is dying of thirst, we cannot force them to drink; hence the expression you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.
When it comes to humans, this saying means you can make it easy for someone to do something, but if they don’t want to do it, you can’t force them.
Everyone has to forge their path in life.
You can tell your children or employees what they should do or learn to make their lives more comfortable, but it’s ultimately up to them what decision they make.
Some may listen, but others will have to learn the hard way.
Often as a sign of exasperation, after giving advice that is not taken, the advice-giver will say you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.
It’s a way of saying listening to me and following my recommendation will make your life so much easier, but if you want to do it your way, go ahead.
Just don’t come back to me once things go wrong or become extremely difficult.
People have free will.
Sometimes we will listen to others’ advice, but sometimes we have to work things out for ourselves: you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 78.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.
