you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink

Idioms  

1. Even favorable circumstances won't force one to do something one doesn't want to, as in We've gotten all the college catalogs but he still hasn't applied—you can lead a horse to water. This metaphoric term dates from the 12th century and was in John Heywood's proverb collection of 1546. It is so well known that it is often shortened, as in the example.

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Example Sentences

“I think this case is about this old cliché, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink … The defendants can provide the funding, can provide the resources to the school districts, but ultimately the school districts are in charge of teaching the curriculum of the school,” attorney Thane Johnson said.

From Seattle Times

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink, Neel corrected, biting his lip so his anger wouldn’t make him say it aloud.

From Literature

He mentions the adage “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,” then encourages us to “be the drinking horse. Make it happen.”

From Washington Post

“There’s that old saying: You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,” said Graham Pruss, co-founder of the web app WeCount.

From Seattle Times

“You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.”

From Washington Times