--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Take a plain-Jane rock and polish it, and…" description: "\"“Take a plain-Jane rock and polish it, and you'll find a gem.”\" — Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson-53577_plain_take-a-plain-jane-rock-and-polish-it-and_2953794.jpg" --- # Take a plain-Jane rock and polish it, and you'll find a gem. ![“Take a plain-Jane rock and polish it, and you'll find a gem.” quote by Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson-53577_plain_take-a-plain-jane-rock-and-polish-it-and_2953794.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson-53577_plain_take-a-plain-jane-rock-and-polish-it-and_2953794.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson-53577_plain_take-a-plain-jane-rock-and-polish-it-and_2953794.jpg) > ““Take a plain-Jane rock and polish it, and you'll find a gem.”” [Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Polishing a simple rock reveals hidden value, symbolizing effort uncovering inner potential. **In simple terms:** Hard work can reveal hidden worth. Key Takeaway Invest effort to discover hidden strengths. Themes self‑improvement potential effort Mood inspirational encouraging Type metaphorical motivational When to use this quote - skill development - creative projects - personal coaching - self‑assessment Key Concepts growth mindset value discovery Questions to Reflect On - What hidden talents could you polish? - How do you decide where to invest effort? A Different Perspective Not every effort yields a gem; success varies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Plain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plain/) [Plain Jane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plain-jane-380698/) [Polish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polish/) [Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock/) [Rock Polish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-polish-4464465/) ## Related quotes > [I'm pretty plain Jane. Pretty vanilla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-seager/i-m-pretty-plain-jane-pretty-vanilla/) [Corey Seager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-seager/) > [My first year in L.A., I was in a band called Plain Jane, which is where the whole name Jani came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jani-lane/my-first-year-in-l-a-i-was-in-a-band-called-plain-jane-which-is-where/) [Jani Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jani-lane/) > [Plain white T-shirts do it for me every time. You can spend anything from £3 to £50 on a T-shirt, but I've bought some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-armstrong/plain-white-t-shirts-do-it-for-me-every-time-you-can-spend-anything/) [Jonas Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-armstrong/) > [I never, ever saw myself as glam because I didn't wear makeup... my image is a plain leather jumpsuit, which is not glam at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/i-never-ever-saw-myself-as-glam-because-i-didn-t-wear-makeup-my-image/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [Levis are my go-to. Plain crew necks and jeans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gourley/levis-are-my-go-to-plain-crew-necks-and-jeans/) [John Gourley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gourley/) > [The Constitution isn't written in Chinese, Swahili or Sanskrit. It's in plain English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-constitution-isn-t-written-in-chinese-swahili-or-sanskrit-it-s-in/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [“A plain is what a mountain aims to be: the closest you can come to being in outer space while yet having your feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/a-plain-is-what-a-mountain-aims-to-be-the-closest-you-can-come-to/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [I would describe myself as a very plain but very honest person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taeyang/i-would-describe-myself-as-a-very-plain-but-very-honest-person/) [Taeyang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taeyang/) > [It seemed to me pretty plain, that they had more of love than matrimony in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/it-seemed-to-me-pretty-plain-that-they-had-more-of-love-than/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Plain dealing is a jewel, but they that wear it are out of fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/plain-dealing-is-a-jewel-but-they-that-wear-it-are-out-of-fashion/) [Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/) > [This mug of mine is as plain as a barn door. Why should people pay 35 cents to look at it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-tracy/this-mug-of-mine-is-as-plain-as-a-barn-door-why-should-people-pay-35/) [Spencer Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-tracy/) > [I found plain truth very interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-found-plain-truth-very-interesting/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [You will not see me dressed in plain, modest outfits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-netrebko/you-will-not-see-me-dressed-in-plain-modest-outfits/) [Anna Netrebko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-netrebko/) > [“I sit down by the river. Its incessant flow has polished the rocks carried from the top of the mountain. The aqueous caress, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-dubois/i-sit-down-by-the-river-its-incessant-flow-has-polished-the-rocks/) [Gabrielle Dubois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-dubois/) > [“What a situation!' cried Miss Squeers; '...What is the reason that men fall in love with me, whether I like it or not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/what-a-situation-cried-miss-squeers-what-is-the-reason-that-men-fall/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) ## More by Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson > [“If tears proved him still human, a touch would prove him not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/if-tears-proved-him-still-human-a-touch-would-prove-him-not/) [Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/) > [“If you don’t deal with the past, the past deals with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/if-you-don-t-deal-with-the-past-the-past-deals-with-you/) [Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/) > [“Your eyes are everything. (Maybe why some people give up on talking.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/your-eyes-are-everything-maybe-why-some-people-give-up-on-talking/) [Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/) > [“Conner hadn’t liked leaving the gravesite with his father still not buried. But he’d learned from his grandmother’s funeral that you have to go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/conner-hadn-t-liked-leaving-the-gravesite-with-his-father-still-not/) [Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/) > [“Truth is nothing but a lie manipulated into art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/truth-is-nothing-but-a-lie-manipulated-into-art/) [Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/) [Explore all 6 Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/) ## More Plain quotes > [“What a situation!' cried Miss Squeers; '...What is the reason that men fall in love with me, whether I like it or not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/what-a-situation-cried-miss-squeers-what-is-the-reason-that-men-fall/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I'm pretty plain Jane. Pretty vanilla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-seager/i-m-pretty-plain-jane-pretty-vanilla/) [Corey Seager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-seager/) > [“I sit down by the river. Its incessant flow has polished the rocks carried from the top of the mountain. The aqueous caress, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-dubois/i-sit-down-by-the-river-its-incessant-flow-has-polished-the-rocks/) [Gabrielle Dubois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-dubois/) > [You will not see me dressed in plain, modest outfits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-netrebko/you-will-not-see-me-dressed-in-plain-modest-outfits/) [Anna Netrebko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-netrebko/) > [I found plain truth very interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-found-plain-truth-very-interesting/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [This mug of mine is as plain as a barn door. Why should people pay 35 cents to look at it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-tracy/this-mug-of-mine-is-as-plain-as-a-barn-door-why-should-people-pay-35/) [Spencer Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-tracy/) > [Plain dealing is a jewel, but they that wear it are out of fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/plain-dealing-is-a-jewel-but-they-that-wear-it-are-out-of-fashion/) [Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/) > [It seemed to me pretty plain, that they had more of love than matrimony in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/it-seemed-to-me-pretty-plain-that-they-had-more-of-love-than/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [I would describe myself as a very plain but very honest person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taeyang/i-would-describe-myself-as-a-very-plain-but-very-honest-person/) [Taeyang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taeyang/) > [“A plain is what a mountain aims to be: the closest you can come to being in outer space while yet having your feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/a-plain-is-what-a-mountain-aims-to-be-the-closest-you-can-come-to/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [The Constitution isn't written in Chinese, Swahili or Sanskrit. It's in plain English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-constitution-isn-t-written-in-chinese-swahili-or-sanskrit-it-s-in/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [Levis are my go-to. Plain crew necks and jeans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gourley/levis-are-my-go-to-plain-crew-necks-and-jeans/) [John Gourley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gourley/) > [There are so many different kinds of motivation for investing or giving or parting with your money in whatever other way, and plain old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-jackley/there-are-so-many-different-kinds-of-motivation-for-investing-or/) [Jessica Jackley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-jackley/) > [It is true, there was no public-school system, and the reason for it was very plain. The wealth of the upper classes enabled them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sergeant-wise/it-is-true-there-was-no-public-school-system-and-the-reason-for-it/) [John Sergeant Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sergeant-wise/) > [The Amish like to live a very plain lifestyle, the way they think God intended. It sort of brings you back to, like, 'Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verne-troyer/the-amish-like-to-live-a-very-plain-lifestyle-the-way-they-think-god/) [Verne Troyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verne-troyer/) [Browse all 191 Plain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Take a plain-Jane rock and polish it, and you'll find a gem.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/take-a-plain-jane-rock-and-polish-it-and-you-ll-find-a-gem/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Plain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/take-a-plain-jane-rock-and-polish-it-and-you-ll-find-a-gem/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson-53577_plain_take-a-plain-jane-rock-and-polish-it-and_2953794.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson-53577_plain_take-a-plain-jane-rock-and-polish-it-and_2953794.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson-53577_plain_take-a-plain-jane-rock-and-polish-it-and_2953794.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Take a plain-Jane rock and polish it, and you'll find a gem.” — Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson", "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": "Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Take a plain-Jane rock and polish...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/take-a-plain-jane-rock-and-polish-it-and-you-ll-find-a-gem/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-jeffrie-johnson/take-a-plain-jane-rock-and-polish-it-and-you-ll-find-a-gem/#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 } } ] } ```