You can cage a bird but you can’t make it sing.
More French Proverbs:
There's a pinch of the madman in every great man.French
He who wants to travel far takes care of his beast.
French
He gains enough who loses sorrow.
French
Patience is the virtue of the donkeys.
French
When one is dead, it is for a long while.
French
No one will get a bargain he does not ask for.
French