you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make her drink
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Alternative form of you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make her drink, and while suffrage was prepared for Louisville women with all due formality, they either didn’t care for it or weren’t prepared for it. It seems very apparent from the big difference between the number of women entitled to a vote in suffra
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make her drink” mean?
Alternative form of you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
Is “you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make her drink” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.