“The thorns which I have reap'd are of the tree I planted.”

“The thorns which I have reap'd are of the treeI planted; they have torn me, and I bleed.I should have known what fruit would spring from such a seed.”

“A thing which I regret, and which I will try to remedy some time, is that I have never in my life planted a walnut. Nobody does plant them nowadays—when you see a walnut it is almost invariably an old tree. If you plant a walnut you are planting it for your grandchildren, and who cares a damn for his grandchildren?”

“Briers do not become flowers when there is no danger present. While the forest has flowering plants, it also has trees and thorned plants. Each is suited to exist as it does and does not wish to become something it is not.”

“Roses and thorns are parts of the same plant. Somehow though, some people are concerned mainly about the roses. The rose is not on the plant for more than a week, but the thorns are there forever.Roses are teaching that the beauty of life will bloom, once you have taught yourself the lessons given by living with the thorns.”

“To smile at the jest which plants a thorn on another's breast is to become a principal in the mischief." Act 1 Scene 1 The School for Scandal”