The Don Quixote Windmills
“Tilting at windmills” is an English expression taken from Miguel de Cervantes’ classic novel Don Quixote. In the book, the chivalrous, but crazy Don Quixote rides in to do battle with a group of giants who are terrorizing a local village. After he engages with the monsters he comes out of his trance and realizes he was actually fighting a windmill. The expression describes confrontations where the adversary is incorrectly perceived, or courses of action that are based on misapplied heroic, romantic, or idealistic justifications.
