proverb · Words worth keeping
Gather thistles, expect prickles.
Gather thistles, expect prickles.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Choosing to engage with something troublesome may bring its characteristic difficulties. The thistles and prickles picture a foreseeable cost of the chosen activity.
What the words are saying
Gathering the plant puts its sharp points within reach, so the result is not imagined as wholly surprising. As a metaphor, the saying can encourage attention to a known difficulty before taking on a task. It does not make every resulting harm deserved or excuse someone who causes it. A careful reading asks what could reasonably be anticipated and how precautions or support might reduce the burden.
Everyday example
A group accepts a contentious task while planning how to handle disagreement fairly instead of expecting unanimous approval.
When to use it
Use it to consider a foreseeable difficulty associated with a chosen undertaking.
What it does not mean
Anticipating difficulty does not make harm acceptable or remove another person’s responsibility.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1601 · Thistles
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English