--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A thorn can only be extracted if you know…" description: "\"A thorn can only be extracted if you know where it is.\" — Rabindranath Tagore" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/rabindranath-tagore-383_flower_a-thorn-can-only-be-extracted-if-you-kno_1721127.png" --- # A thorn can only be extracted if you know where it is. ![“A thorn can only be extracted if you know where it is.” quote by Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/rabindranath-tagore-383_flower_a-thorn-can-only-be-extracted-if-you-kno_1721127.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/rabindranath-tagore-383_flower_a-thorn-can-only-be-extracted-if-you-kno_1721127.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/rabindranath-tagore-383_flower_a-thorn-can-only-be-extracted-if-you-kno_1721127.png) > “A thorn can only be extracted if you know where it is.” [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Identifying the exact source of a problem is essential before attempting to solve it. **In simple terms:** Know the source before fixing. Key Takeaway Diagnose before acting. Themes problem solving awareness focus Mood analytical thoughtful Type practical educational When to use this quote - health issues - conflict resolution - project management Key Concepts root cause analysis mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What methods help you locate the root cause? - How do you avoid fixing symptoms? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [I’m interested in something which is built up from within, rather than just extracted from without.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-m-interested-in-something-which-is-built-up-from-within-rather-than/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [“did I mention my first kiss was extracted by someone who never should have been that lucky?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olena-kalytiak-davis/did-i-mention-my-first-kiss-was-extracted-by-someone-who-never-should/) [Olena Kalytiak Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olena-kalytiak-davis/) > [We have extracted from the land from the moment we stood on two feet. We are working to supply the kinds of materials that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-burtynsky/we-have-extracted-from-the-land-from-the-moment-we-stood-on-two-feet/) [Edward Burtynsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-burtynsky/) > [“Cullen asked, carefully. Mrs. Dumphrey had extracted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandee-keegan/cullen-asked-carefully-mrs-dumphrey-had-extracted/) Sandee Keegan > [My favourite thorn belongs to the rose with a name like a mouthful of broken teeth, Rosa sericea pteracantha. It is grown almost entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/my-favourite-thorn-belongs-to-the-rose-with-a-name-like-a-mouthful-of/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [A thorn in the flesh is nothing compared to a thorn in the conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-rogers/a-thorn-in-the-flesh-is-nothing-compared-to-a-thorn-in-the-conscience/) [Adrian Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-rogers/) > [If I look at the one thorn that is in my side, of all my life, it is my weight. I fret about it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-mailman/if-i-look-at-the-one-thorn-that-is-in-my-side-of-all-my-life-it-is-my/) [Deborah Mailman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-mailman/) > [“Dropping into a thorn bush can lead to no end of grief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/dropping-into-a-thorn-bush-can-lead-to-no-end-of-grief/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [Clip the thorn before you embrace the rose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-conway/clip-the-thorn-before-you-embrace-the-rose/) Alvin Conway > [The Thorn Birds' by Colleen McCullough. I took it on a holiday to Greece and just fell in love with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-revel-horwood/the-thorn-birds-by-colleen-mccullough-i-took-it-on-a-holiday-to/) [Craig Revel Horwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-revel-horwood/) > [“No surname? Or is Thorn it?” “Thorn is all anyone needs to know about me.” “As in thorn up all our collective nether regions,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/no-surname-or-is-thorn-it-thorn-is-all-anyone-needs-to-know-about-me/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Fuck up and I'll most likely kill you. Fuck up bad enough and I'll torture you first." "-Thorn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/fuck-up-and-i-ll-most-likely-kill-you-fuck-up-bad-enough-and-i-ll/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [What you have despised in yourself as a thorn opens into a rose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/what-you-have-despised-in-yourself-as-a-thorn-opens-into-a-rose/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [By the time I was 10 or 12, I had discovered the lure of the romance genre - and the dusty copy of 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-maclean/by-the-time-i-was-10-or-12-i-had-discovered-the-lure-of-the-romance/) [Sarah MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-maclean/) > [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) ## More by Rabindranath Tagore > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Set the bird's wings with gold and it will never again soar in thesky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/set-the-bird-s-wings-with-gold-and-it-will-never-again-soar-in-thesky/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Plant flowers in others' gardens and your life becomes a bouquet! 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Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/go-not-to-the-temple-to-put-flowers-upon-the-feet-of-god-first-fill/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The best kind of wealth is to give up inordinate desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-best-kind-of-wealth-is-to-give-up-inordinate-desires/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Now it is time to sit quiet, face to face with thee, and to sing dedication of life in this silent and overflowing leisure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/now-it-is-time-to-sit-quiet-face-to-face-with-thee-and-to-sing/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [If it is necessary to die in order to live like men, what harm in dying?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/if-it-is-necessary-to-die-in-order-to-live-like-men-what-harm-in-dying/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“Strong Mercy: My desires are many and my cry is pitiful, but ever didst thou save me by hard refusals; and this strong mercy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/strong-mercy-my-desires-are-many-and-my-cry-is-pitiful-but-ever-didst/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The weak can be terrible because they try furiously to appear strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-weak-can-be-terrible-because-they-try-furiously-to-appear-strong/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The movement of life has to rest in its own music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-movement-of-life-has-to-rest-in-its-own-music/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [It is the docile who achieve the most impossible things in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/it-is-the-docile-who-achieve-the-most-impossible-things-in-this-world/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“There, display and extravagance, in dress, in furniture, in costly entertainments, are startling. 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