What's On Your Mind?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Lie down with dogs and wake up with fleas.
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duck.
One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
Many hands make light the work.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Can't see the forest for the trees.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

I stopped at a baker's dozen, but I could have gone on for a long time. It's not like they are in short supply. I was going to go with "squeaky wheel" at first, because I know they can be replaced just as easily as oiled. I think I've written enough about my own problems lately, though. Instead, I'll go with leading a horse to water. It's a 12th century saying that first appeared in a 1546 collection by John Heywood. The meaning is that you can offer a person an opportunity, but they have to take it.

But the selection isn't random. If you read the Dilbert cartoon by Scott Adams, you might remember a strip where Dogbert - my favorite character - discusses this with Ratbert. They slaughter the quote, but Ratbert asks if you can make the horse drink with a hose and duct tape. Dogbert relies, "Yeah, I've tried." If people use this phrase around me, I'll say just that. "Sure you can!" It's funny unless there is a horse lover in the room without a sense of humor. But the question here is if it's true.

The answer here is the same with many like them. For the most part, yes, it's exactly right, and you shrug and move on. Yet, there are times when you have to use the hose. I know I have, mostly with my sons, but even with others. Faced with a drink or die option, most take the former. Yet, some who think they would rather go thirsty need extra motivation. Fortunately, I don't have horses to tend to these days. Oh, and if they die, I quit beating them.