ProverbHuman Nature
French origin
French originOn ne fait pas boire un âne qui n'a pas soif
Meaning: You can't force someone to do what they don't want to do.
Literally: You can't make a donkey drink if it isn't thirsty
Example: “Je lui ai proposé de l'aide dix fois, mais on ne fait pas boire un âne qui n'a pas soif.” — I offered him help ten times, but you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.
Equivalents in English and German
English: You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink
German: Man kann ein Pferd zur Tränke führen, aber nicht zum Saufen zwingen (literally: You can lead a horse to the watering trough, but you cannot force it to drink)
Origin: English leads a horse to water; French has a donkey, the classic stubborn animal, and adds that it simply isn't thirsty.
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