There's no rose without a thorn

(there's) no rose without a thorn

There is rarely a good or positive person, thing, or situation that does not have some negative or unpleasant aspect (i.e., just as a rose, which is beautiful, has harmful thorns). A: "I can't believe the amount of taxes I have to pay on my lottery winnings!" B: "No rose without a thorn, eh?" Our teacher is usually very supportive and patient, but if you mess around in her class, she'll tear you a new one. There's no rose without thorns, I guess. Yeah, I'm on vacation at a beautiful beach, but I'm here with my family, and they're already driving me nuts! Truly, there's no rose without a thorn.

See also: no, rose, thorn, without

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

There's no rose without a thorn.

Prov. to enjoy any beautiful or pleasant thing, you must endure something difficult or painful. Mike: My bride is lovely and gracious, but I'm discovering that she has a terrible temper. Bill: There's no rose without a thorn.

See also: no, rose, thorn, without

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.