But he who dares not grasp the thorn
Should never crave the rose.

If you don't feel the pointed things in life, you'll soon take the soft ones for granted.

I'd rather let you cover all my roads with thorns than with dead roses.

[B]eauty is that quality which, next to money, is generally the most attractive to the worst kinds of men; and, therefore, it is likely to entail a great deal of trouble on the possessor.

A little girl loves her bird--Why? Because it lives and feels; because it is helpless and harmless? A toad, likewise, lives and feels, and is equally helpless and harmless; but though she would not hurt a toad, she cannot love it like the bird, with its graceful form, soft feathers, and bright, speaking eyes.

Roses fall, but the thorns remain.