If Wishes Were Horses
If wishes were horses,
Beggars would ride.
If turnips were watches,
I’d wear it on my side.
If “if” and “ands” were pots and pans,
There’d be no work for thinker’s hands!
“If Wishes Were Horses” is a traditional English proverb and nursery rhyme that dates back to at least the 17th century. The earliest recorded version appears in James Carmichael’s Scottish proverbs (circa 1628), and later, a more familiar form was published in James Orchard Halliwell’s 19th-century collection of English nursery rhymes.
The rhyme is a piece of folk wisdom disguised as a child’s verse. Its central line—“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride”—captures a timeless truth: wishing alone won’t change one’s circumstances. The additional lines (“If turnips were watches…” and “If ‘ifs’ and ‘ands’ were pots and pans…”) reinforce the theme, using absurdity and rural imagery to warn against idle fantasy.
Originally used both to amuse children and instruct them in pragmatic thinking, the rhyme is grounded in a worldview shaped by poverty, social hierarchy, and hard labor. It reflects the everyday struggles of the working poor and the futility of wishful thinking in a world that demands action and effort. Unlike many modern nursery rhymes that are playful or moralistic, “If Wishes Were Horses” carries a sobering tone—a poetic reminder of limitations and reality.
If Foster Kids Were Porsches
If foster kids were Porsches,
The rich would ride.
If orphans were diamond watches,
They’d never leave our side.
If the rejected were gold or lands,
They’d all have moms and dads.
If vulnerable children were valued like luxury items, we wouldn’t struggle to find them homes. There’d be waiting lists. Instead, many are treated like damaged goods—too old, too broken, too inconvenient.
The hard truth is: people line up for what they perceive as valuable. But throwaway kids? Not so much. The tragedy isn’t just that they’ve been abandoned by parents—but that our society, and often our churches, fail to see their worth.
Children are not commodities—but if they were treated with even a fraction of the urgency we give to wealth, status, or possessions, no child would be left without a family.
