J. Kenfield Morley: Rejoicing for "Thorn Bushes" in Life

Do You See the World as a "Rosebush with Thorns" or a "Thornbush with Roses?"

"I can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or I can rejoice because thorn bushes have roses. . . . ​It's how you look at it."

J. Kenfield Morley, ​THINK Magazine, February 1936

This quote also shows up credited to Mr. Morley in B. C. Forbes' Scrapbook of Thoughts: Volume I from 1953. Trying to find information on Mr. Morley proved challenging. It seems that if Wikipedia doesn't know about you, you just don't exist, eh? Which means I don't exist either, right? (Thank God!) So, I did a little digging, and this is what I found.

Who was J. Kenfield Morley? J. Kenfield Morley was a Sales Promotion Manager for the Bell & Howell Company, Chicago, Illinois. He wrote the article, "Some Things I Believe" that was printed in the February, 1937 issue of The Rotarian.

This quote was not in this article, but there are a multitude of other quotes. ​Here are a few that seem as relevant today, as they seemed to Mr. Morley some 85 years ago.

• I believe that the facilities of modern travel have made it increasingly difficult to escape the vulgarian.
• I believe that a man can save 20 years of his life by studying the experiences of others.
• I believe that if a person could have half his wishes, he would treble his troubles
• I believe that you may surround a skunk with plush and velvet, but he’ll always be a skunk.
• I believe that the real cost of anything is the amount of work required to earn the money to purchase it.
• I believe the recipe for happiness to be just enough money to pay the monthly bills you acquire, a little surplus to give you confidence, a little too much work each day, enthusiasm for your work, a substantial share of good health, a couple of real friends, and a wife and children to share life’s beauty with you.

A rose bush with thorns or a thorn bush with roses?