---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We should avoid planting and cultivating…"
description: "\"We should avoid planting and cultivating too many thorns in the bosom of society.\" — Abraham Lincoln"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/abraham-lincoln-88_bosoms_we-should-avoid-planting-and-cultivating_267721.png"
---

#  We should avoid planting and cultivating too many thorns…

![“We should avoid planting and cultivating too many thorns in the bosom of society.” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/abraham-lincoln-88_bosoms_we-should-avoid-planting-and-cultivating_267721.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/abraham-lincoln-88_bosoms_we-should-avoid-planting-and-cultivating_267721.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/abraham-lincoln-88_bosoms_we-should-avoid-planting-and-cultivating_267721.png)

> “We should avoid planting and cultivating too many thorns in the bosom of society.”

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Encourages not to create excessive obstacles or harshness within community life.

**In simple terms:** Avoid creating many difficulties in society.

Key Takeaway

Foster kindness and cooperation.

Themes

community compassion social harmony

Mood

thoughtful concerned

Type

advisory ethical

When to use this quote

- workplace culture
- public policy
- neighborhood relations

Key Concepts

social dynamics conflict avoidance

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance honesty with compassion?
- What obstacles are truly harmful?

A Different Perspective

May overlook necessary critique or reform.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Avoid Planting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-planting-632294/) [Bosoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bosoms/) [Cultivating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultivating/) [Cultivating Thorns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultivating-thorns-2624627/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Thorns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thorns/) [Thorns Bosom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thorns-bosom-2624628/)

## Related quotes

> [In using the strong hand, as now compelled to do, the government has a difficult duty to perform. At the very best, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/in-using-the-strong-hand-as-now-compelled-to-do-the-government-has-a/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [“several hours, there is a problem. Avoid planting roses near large trees with shallow roots, such as silver maples or poplars. Also avoid”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-oster/several-hours-there-is-a-problem-avoid-planting-roses-near-large/)

[Maggie Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-oster/)

> [“shallow roots, such as silver maples or poplars. Also avoid planting under eaves or gutters where falling water, snow, or ice can be damaging.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-oster/shallow-roots-such-as-silver-maples-or-poplars-also-avoid-planting/)

[Maggie Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-oster/)

> [He who boasts of being perfect is perfect in folly. I never saw a perfect man. Every rose has its thorns, and every day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/he-who-boasts-of-being-perfect-is-perfect-in-folly-i-never-saw-a/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in our bosoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/our-reliance-is-in-the-love-of-liberty-which-god-has-planted-in-our/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [What constitutes the bulwark of our own liberty and independence? It is not...the guns of our war steamers, or the strength of our gallant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/what-constitutes-the-bulwark-of-our-own-liberty-and-independence-it/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-can-complain-because-rose-bushes-have-thorns-or-rejoice-because/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [ The Presidency, even to the most experienced politicians, is no bed of roses; and \[Zachary\] Taylor like others, found thorns within it. No human… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-presidency-even-to-the-most-experienced-politicians-is-no-bed-of/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [Science is not about control. It is about cultivating a perpetual condition of wonder in the face of something that forever grows one step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/science-is-not-about-control-it-is-about-cultivating-a-perpetual/)

[Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/)

> [Democracy is not a fragile flower; still it needs cultivating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/democracy-is-not-a-fragile-flower-still-it-needs-cultivating/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Modern anthropology ... opposes the utilitarian assumption that the primitive chants as he sows seed because he believes that otherwise it will not grow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carroll/modern-anthropology-opposes-the-utilitarian-assumption-that-the/)

[John Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carroll/)

> [“I want to know we're not pushing children toward the traditions of life, but instead cultivating them to grow in their own specific purposes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-ormon/i-want-to-know-we-re-not-pushing-children-toward-the-traditions-of/)

[Ashley Ormon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-ormon/)

> [Some people are afraid of generosity. They feel they will be taken advantage of or oppressed. In cultivating generosity, we are only oppressing our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/some-people-are-afraid-of-generosity-they-feel-they-will-be-taken/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [We can change society, change humanity by changing ourselves as individuals. By cultivating inner values, we can change our own lives and those of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/we-can-change-society-change-humanity-by-changing-ourselves-as/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

## More by Abraham Lincoln

> [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Let us at all times remember that all American citizens are brothers of a common country, and should dwell together in bonds of fraternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/let-us-at-all-times-remember-that-all-american-citizens-are-brothers/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [If you wish to be a lawyer, attach no consequence to the place you are in, or the person you are with; but get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/if-you-wish-to-be-a-lawyer-attach-no-consequence-to-the-place-you-are/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [As we keep or break the Sabbath Day we nobly save or meanly lose the last best hope by which man rises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/as-we-keep-or-break-the-sabbath-day-we-nobly-save-or-meanly-lose-the/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Tell the truth and you won't have so much to remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/tell-the-truth-and-you-won-t-have-so-much-to-remember/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [With high hope for the future, no prediction is ventured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/with-high-hope-for-the-future-no-prediction-is-ventured/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [We know, Southern men declare that their slaves are better off than hired laborers amongst us. How little they know, whereof they speak! There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-know-southern-men-declare-that-their-slaves-are-better-off-than/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [I am glad to see that a system of labor prevails under which laborers can strike when they want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-am-glad-to-see-that-a-system-of-labor-prevails-under-which-laborers/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [I don't like that man. I must get to know him better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-don-t-like-that-man-i-must-get-to-know-him-better/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all; and to the young, it comes with bitterest agony because it takes them unawares.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/in-this-sad-world-of-ours-sorrow-comes-to-all-and-to-the-young-it/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [The man does not live who is more devoted to peace than I am. None who would do more to preserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-man-does-not-live-who-is-more-devoted-to-peace-than-i-am-none-who/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

[Explore all 1,437 Abraham Lincoln quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

## More Bosoms quotes

> [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [Cover that bosom that I must not see: souls are wounded by such things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/cover-that-bosom-that-i-must-not-see-souls-are-wounded-by-such-things/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [The soul whose bosom lust did never touch Is God's fair bride; and maiden's souls are such.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tertullian/the-soul-whose-bosom-lust-did-never-touch-is-god-s-fair-bride-and/)

[Tertullian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tertullian/)

> [The world of imagination is the world of eternity. It is the divine bosom into which we shall all go after death of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-world-of-imagination-is-the-world-of-eternity-it-is-the-divine/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [Deliberate long before thou consecrate a friend, and when thy impartial justice concludes him worthy of thy bosom, receive him joyfully, and entertain him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/deliberate-long-before-thou-consecrate-a-friend-and-when-thy/)

[Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/)

> [A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-father-may-turn-his-back-on-his-child-brothers-and-sisters-may/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [The proud spirit of the original owners of these vast prairies inherited through centuries of fierce and bloody wars for their possession, lingered last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/the-proud-spirit-of-the-original-owners-of-these-vast-prairies/)

[L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/)

> [Music can minister to minds diseased, pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow, raze out the written troubles of the brain, and with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/music-can-minister-to-minds-diseased-pluck-from-the-memory-a-rooted/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [For a long time, no village girl would dress her hair or bosom with the sweetest flower from that field of death: and after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/for-a-long-time-no-village-girl-would-dress-her-hair-or-bosom-with/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [To seek out in a world full of joy the one thing that is certain to give you pain, and hug it to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/to-seek-out-in-a-world-full-of-joy-the-one-thing-that-is-certain-to/)

[Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/)

> [... the evil that comes out of your lips, into your own bosom will fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-barr/the-evil-that-comes-out-of-your-lips-into-your-own-bosom-will-fall/)

[Amelia Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-barr/)

> [If you can sin and not weep over it, you are an heir of Hell. If you can go into sin, and afterwards feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/if-you-can-sin-and-not-weep-over-it-you-are-an-heir-of-hell-if-you/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [The mere reality of life would be inconceivably poor without the charm of fancy, which brings in its bosom, no doubt, as many vain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-von-humboldt/the-mere-reality-of-life-would-be-inconceivably-poor-without-the/)

[Wilhelm von Humboldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-von-humboldt/)

> [Spread yourself upon his bosom publicly, whose heart you would eat in private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/spread-yourself-upon-his-bosom-publicly-whose-heart-you-would-eat-in/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [Glamour: the indefinable something about a girl with a big bosom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-burrows/glamour-the-indefinable-something-about-a-girl-with-a-big-bosom/)

[Abe Burrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-burrows/)

[Browse all 312 Bosoms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bosoms/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We should avoid planting and cultivating too many thorns in the bosom of society.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Abraham Lincoln"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-should-avoid-planting-and-cultivating-too-many-thorns-in-the-bosom/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bosoms"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-should-avoid-planting-and-cultivating-too-many-thorns-in-the-bosom/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/abraham-lincoln-88_bosoms_we-should-avoid-planting-and-cultivating_267721.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/abraham-lincoln-88_bosoms_we-should-avoid-planting-and-cultivating_267721.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/abraham-lincoln-88_bosoms_we-should-avoid-planting-and-cultivating_267721.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We should avoid planting and cultivating too many thorns in the bosom of society.” — Abraham Lincoln",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Abraham Lincoln",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We should avoid planting and cultivating...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-should-avoid-planting-and-cultivating-too-many-thorns-in-the-bosom/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-should-avoid-planting-and-cultivating-too-many-thorns-in-the-bosom/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
