If wishes were horses, beggars would ride

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Meaning

Merely wishing for something cannot make it happen or replace practical action. Often shortened to 'if wishes were horses'. It may sound brisk or unsympathetic when addressed to someone in genuine hardship. Regional use: Early Scots and wider British proverb; now international English.

Origin

James Carmichaell's early-seventeenth-century Collection of Proverbs in Scots, compiled before his death in 1628, includes 'If wishes were horses, beggers wald ryde'. William Camden printed a related thrushes-and-beggars form in the early 1600s, and John Ray later recorded a buttercakes version. The changing objects show a flexible oral proverb; the horses form became the survivor.

Research Sources

  1. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride Phrase Finder
  2. If wishes were horses Dictionary.com

Variants

  • If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride
  • If wishes were thrushes, beggars would eat birds
  • If wishes were buttercakes, beggars might bite

Usage Examples

  • If wishes were horses, beggars would ride; submit the application before the deadline.
  • He hoped the leak would fix itself, but if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
  • Planning needs a budget as well as optimism: if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

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