Explaining "You cannot push a rope"

What does it mean?

The phrase means that you cannot force something or someone to go in a particular direction or achieve certain results if they are not willing or able to cooperate. It highlights the futility of trying to achieve an outcome using the wrong method.

Tone

Origin

The phrase became popular around the mid-20th century in business and management contexts, likely originating from observations about the physical impossibility of pushing a rope; it was even used in testimony before the U.S. Senate in the 1930s.