A Dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Paperback Reference)

indianembassy.org) We have to protect humanity against war. Peace is not the absence of

war.. It is the disarmament of minds that is called for. The future is not all bleak. An old

Arab proverb says, ‘Do not grieve that rose trees have thorns, rather rejoice that thorny

bushes bear roses’. 2005 C. VIDYA SAGAR ‘Independence of judiciary under cloud’ in

Daily Excelsior 15 Mar. (on http://www.southasianmedia.ne) ‘Do not grieve that rose trees have

thorns, rather rejoice that thorny bushes have roses.’ Mr Hans Raj Bhardwaj, right from

the day he took over as Union Law Minister, has been, day in and day out, grieving that

there is malfunctioning of judicial system in our country. content and discontent

rose-water see REVOLUTIONS are not made with rose-water.

rot see ONE for the mouse, one for the crow; WINTER never rots in the sky.

The ROTTEN apple injures its neighbour

The proverb is also found in a number of variant forms, some of which are illustrated
below. Cf. L. pomum compunctum cito corrumpit sibi junctum, a rotten apple quickly infects
its neighbour.

1340 Ayenbite of Inwit (EETS) 205 A roted eppel amang the holen [whole ones],

maketh rotie the yzounde [sound]. 1577 J. NORTHBROOKE Treatise against Dicing 95

A peny naughtily [dishonestly] gotten, sayth Chrysostome, is like a rotten apple layd

among sounde apples, which will rot all the rest. 1736 B. FRANKLIN Poor Richard’s

Almanack (July) The rotten apple spoils his companion. 1855 H. G. BOHN Hand-Book of

Proverbs 514 The rotten apple injures its neighbour. 1979 D. MACKENZIE Raven

feathers his Nest 19 The police.. have a deserved reputation for uprightness. .. But one

bad apple can spoil the whole barrel. associates; example, good and bad

rotten see also SMALL choice in rotten apples; SOON ripe, soon rotten.

roundabout see what you LOSE on the swings you gain on the roundabouts.

There is no ROYAL road to learning

C f. PROCLUS Commentary on Euclid (Friedlein) 68,
there is no royal short cut to geometry (quoting Euclid). 1745 E. STONE tr.
Euclid’s Elements (ed. 2) II. A2V There is no other Royal Way or Path to Geometry.