if wishes were horses
Wishing for something won't make it happen. You have to work for the things you want, not merely wish for them to come true. A shortening of the proverb "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride." A: "I just wish I earned a little bit more money than I do now." B: "Well, if wishes were horses."" The president said he wishes the country would be more united on this issue, but if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.
if wishes were horses
If one could readily have what one wanted, life would be easy. For example, Wendy would love a brand-new car for her sixteenth birthday but-if wishes were horses. This expression is a shortening of If wishes were horses, beggars would ride, first recorded about 1628 in a collection of Scottish proverbs.