Tilting at windmills
Tilting at windmills means fighting imagined enemies or pursuing a struggle based on a mistaken view of things; it comes from the story of Don Quixote attacking windmills in Don Quixote. The phrase usually suggests that someone has mistaken an ordinary situation for a heroic battle.
Where it comes from
The attack on the windmills
The phrase comes from an episode in Don Quixote. Tilting means charging with a lance, as a knight might do in a tournament.
Don Quixote sees windmills and takes them for giants, despite Sancho Panza's warning. He charges, and a turning sail breaks his lance and sends horse and rider tumbling.
In Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
The meaning today
Today the phrase describes a fight against an imaginary enemy or a problem someone has badly misunderstood. It can sound gently amused or sharply critical.
After his fall in Don Quixote, the knight explains that an enchanter has turned the giants into windmills. He keeps his belief rather than accepting what Sancho has plainly seen.
In Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
How to use Tilting at windmills
- Check whether the supposed enemy or problem is real.
- Use the phrase for a struggle driven by a mistaken belief.
- Avoid dismissing a worthy cause simply because success seems unlikely.
Free for 3 months
200,000+ classics. Every format, free to start.
eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and any book printed at cost, large print too.
Does tilting at windmills mean trying something impossible?
Not exactly: it chiefly means fighting an imagined enemy or misunderstanding what needs to be fought. People sometimes use it for hopeless efforts, but difficulty alone is not the point. A hard struggle against a real injustice need not be tilting at windmills.
How is tilting at windmills different from quixotic?
Tilting at windmills is more specific than quixotic: it suggests a mistaken battle, while quixotic can describe any nobly idealistic but impractical plan. Both expressions come from Don Quixote, whose knightly ambitions can seem brave, foolish, or both at once.
Related terms
Books where you can see Tilting at windmills
Free for 3 months
200,000+ classics. Every format, free to start.
eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and any book printed at cost, large print too.
200,000+ classics to read and hear, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
