A Dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Paperback Reference)

With reference to 1789 CHAMFORT in Marmontel Works (1818) II. 294 voulez-vous
qu’on vous fasse des révolutions a l’eau rose, do you require that revolutions be made with
rose-water?

1819 BYRON Letter 3 Oct. (1976) VI. 226 On either side harm must be done before

good can accrue—revolutions are not to be made with rose water. 1894 J. LUBBOCK Use

of Life xi. It is sometimes said that Revolutions are not made with rose-water. Greater

changes, however, have been made in the constitution of the world by argument than by

arms. a 1931 T. M. HEALY letter in F. Callanan T. M. Healy (1996) The Sinns won in

three years what we did not win in forty. You cannot make revolutions with rosewater, or

omelettes without breaking eggs. politics; rulers and ruled; ways and means

reward see VIRTUE is its own reward.

The RICH man has his ice in the summer and the poor man gets his in the winter

1921 W. B. MASTERSON in Morning Telegraph (NY) 27 Oct. 7 There are those

who argue that everything breaks even in this old dump of a world of ours... These ginks

who argue that way hold that because the rich man gets ice in the Summer and the poor

man gets it in the winter things are breaking even for both. a 1957 L. I. WILDER First

Four Years (1971) ii. Everything evens up in the end. .. The rich man has his ice in the

summer and the poor man gets his in the winter. 1986 J. W. RIDER Jersey Tomatoes xi.

The rich get ice in the summer and the poor get it in the winter, so some people figure

everyone gets an even break. equality; poverty; riches

rich see also it is BETTER to be born lucky than rich; one LAW for the rich and another
for the poor.

If you can’t RIDE two horses at once, you shouldn’t be in the circus

James Maxton, to whom this saying is attributed (quot. 1935), was a British Independent
Labour Party MP (1932–46). Denis Healey (see quot. 2002), another British Labour politician,
was probably consciously quoting Maxton.

1935 G. MCALLISTER James Maxton xiv. Maxton made a brief intervention in the

debate to say.. that he did not believe it was necessary to pass a resolution for

disaffiliation [of the ILP from the Labour Party]. He had been told that he could not ride

two horses. ‘My reply to that is’, he said.. ‘that if my friend cannot ride two horses—