If wishes were horses, beggars would ride

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If wishes were horses, beggars would ride is an English proverb which is usually used to suggest that it is useless to wish; that better results will be achieved through action.

1 Origin
2 Use
3 Alternatives
4 Notes

[edit] Origin

It is speculated that the proverb may have originated in Scotland, though its earliest documented use is from England. The line dates back at least to the 1670s, when John Ray published his Collection of Proverbs. ^[1] Later the proverb appeared as part of a Mother Goose nursery rhyme:

“

If wishes were horses then beggars would ride,
If turnips were swords I'd have one by my side.
If 'ifs' and 'ands' were pots and pans
There would be no need for tinkers' hands!

”

[edit] Use

The proverb may be used to mock a wishful attitude by pointing out the uselessness of wishing. It may be also be used with a more serious tone as an admonishment, for the same purpose.

[edit] Alternatives

Because of its popularity, this proverb can usually be shortened to "If wishes were horses..." The conclusion is well known enough to be assumed.
A vulgar American variation is the following: "Wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which one fills up quicker."

The 1971 Broadway musical "Inner City," devised and directed by Tom O'Horgan from Eve Merriam's book "The Inner City Mother Goose," included a song that began: "If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride, and rich man and poor man in peace would abide." This short-lived show featured Linda Hopkins, Delores Hall, Paulette Ellen Jones and Carl Hall, among others.^[2]