proverb · Words worth keeping
Horses run after benefices and asses get them.
Horses run after benefices and asses get them.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Those who pursue a reward may be passed over while less suitable recipients obtain it. Question how benefits are assigned without accepting the proverb’s insults as an assessment of people.
Example
Applicants ask how a committee selected a role after its stated criteria seemed unrelated to the person appointed.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The horses run after benefices, but the asses obtain them, creating a contrast between pursuit and reward. A benefice is the source’s particular benefit or office image; the explanation need not invent a historical incident behind it. In another setting, the comparison can question whether a selection reflects relevant effort, competence or fair criteria. The animals supply an insulting judgement, not evidence about actual candidates. Losing out does not prove the winner is unworthy, and effort alone does not decide every legitimate claim.
When to use it
Use it to ask whether a reward or appointment followed the criteria people were given.
Keep in mind
Avoid calling recipients foolish merely because someone else worked hard or wanted the same opportunity.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown