proverb · Words worth keeping
The bird that can sing and will not sing, must be made to sing.
The bird that can sing and will not sing, must be made to sing.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying demands that a person use an ability they possess. Its command to force the unwilling raises a question about responsibility and consent.
What the words are saying
The bird’s song stands for a contribution someone is capable of making but declines to offer. The wording treats ability as sufficient reason for compulsion. A more careful application distinguishes an agreed responsibility from an optional gift or performance. A person may have reasons to refuse, including limits others cannot see. The saying can open a discussion about an unmet commitment, but it does not justify coercion simply because an observer wants access to someone’s talents.
Everyday example
A group discusses an agreed task with a capable member who has not completed it, while asking what support or change is needed.
When to use it
Use it to question an unmet commitment while respecting the right to decline optional work.
What it does not mean
Ability alone does not create consent or an unlimited obligation to perform.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 124 · Bird
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English