English · Proverb Attested

you can lead horses to water, but you can't make them drink

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Alternative form of you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

bạn có thể dẫn ngựa đến nước, nhưng bạn không thể buộc chúng uống

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

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 horses to water, but you can't make them drink” mean?

Alternative form of you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

Is “you can lead horses to water, but you can't make them drink” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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