If we could achieve our aims by merely wishing, life would be very easy.

The archaic conjunction ‘an’ means the same as ‘if’. It comes on one of Mother
Goose’s Nursery Rhymes:

> If ‘ifs’ and ‘ans’
> Were pots and pans
> There’s be no work for tinkers!

Tinkers are menders of pots and pans, and if ‘if’ were magically transformed
into a new kitchen utensil every time it was said, there would be no need for
their service. But there is always an ‘if’.

##### See also:

* If wishes were horses, beggars would ride