НАСИЛЬНО МИЛ НЕ БУДЕШЬ
• НАСИЛЬНО МИЛ НЕ БУДЕШЬ••
[saying]
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⇒ a person cannot be forced to extend his affections to another, nor can he be forced to accept another's affections:
- ≈ love cannot be compelled <forced>;
- you can't force someone <him, her etc> to love <like> you;
- [in limited contexts] you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him <it> drink.
♦ ...Я подал заявление об увольнении ввиду возвращения в родной город, моя фабрика прислала запрос с просьбой вернуть меня обратно.Бойцов не хотел меня отпускать. "Чем мы вас обидели?" - "Ничем, - отвечаю, - но так сложились семейные обстоятельства, надо возвращаться домой". - "Ну что ж, - говорит, - насильно мил не будешь" (Рыбаков 1)... .I put in a request for a transfer to my home town; my own factory had written to ask whether I could be sent back. Boitsov didn't want me to go. "How did we offend you?" "You didn't," I replied. "Family circumstances, I have to go home." "Oh well, love can't be forced," he said (1a).
♦ [Пепел:] Ну... говори... [Василиса:] Что же говорить? Насильно мил не будешь... и не в моем это характере милости просить... (Горький 3). [Р:] Well, if you have anything to say - [V.:] What is there to say? You can't force one to like you - and it's not in my character to beg for alms (3b).