If you’ve ever had to bunker down during a natural disaster or prepare for a long winter, you’ve heard the term “hope for the best and prepare for the worst.” This means that you want the situation to go well, but you’ll be prepared if it goes badly. The term was originally the other way around, reading as “prepare for the worst but hope
for the best.” The book The Wondrous Tale of Alroy by Benjamin Disraeli was published in 1833 and uses the phrase in chapter three. This is believed by many to be the first instance of the words. A similar quote is from the poet Maya Angelou. “Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.” She likely knew the beginning from popular colloquialisms and added the
rest herself. There are many literary texts where the phrase appears, but historians can’t decide on the original usage. Back in the day, it was common to trade phrases from other languages, other writers, and even slaves. When you hope for the best but prepare for the worst, you’re choosing to hope the situation will end in your favor while actively
preparing for the worst possible outcome. An example of this is preparing for a hurricane. You hope the storm will pass over, and there will be no damage (this is the best-case scenario). However, you still prepare for the possibility your house and belongings could be destroyed by evacuating safely, battening down the hatches, and securing anything loose in the house. This is the worst-case scenario. It doesn’t have to be for an inevitable, looming threat. You can also apply this to road trips. You hope everything will go well and you’ll arrive at your destination smoothly, but just in case your car breaks down, you pack extra water bottles and snacks, flares, and a car jack. It’s important not to lose control of your “preparedness.” Being overly prepared or cautious can harm your health and lead to paranoia. It’s how you go from having extra non-perishables on hand to building a nuclear fall-out shelter stocked with military rations. Similar Phrases to Hope for The Best Prepare for The Worst
Opposite Phrases to Hope for The Best Prepare for The Worst
ConclusionThe term “hope for the best prepare for the worst” is thought to have originated in a novel titled The Wondrous Tale of Alroy in the 1830s. No one can prove this for sure, but we know the phrase has been used numerous times in media culture and literary sources. You should always hope for the best, despite the hurdles that come along your way. Life does not always go smooth. In life, you might have to encounter a lot of obstacles but make sure that nothing can pull you down. No matter how tough the situations turn out to be, you should always focus on giving your best! Hope for the best, and make sure that you are never losing your faith. Know that when there is a will, there is a way. All you need is to focus upon giving your best, and when you do it, nothing else in the world is going to pull you back. Consequently, you should always prepare yourself for the worst. Yes, it is only when you prepare yourself for the worst of the situations that you do not hesitate or get nervous when something better than what you have thought comes along your way. It is important to understand that you must always focus on your work and at the same time, get your backup ready so that you can deal with situations even if things do not turn out according to you. Learn to accept life as it comes! When it is said, “take whatever comes your way,” it simply means that you must be able to take up everything that comes along your path. Never hesitate to see situations as they are! Be the kind of person who has the guts to face all the hurdles, and make sure that you are no way behaving like an escapist. proverb To have hope that a positive occurrence will happen, while simultaneously readying for a negative outcome. Now that our house is on the market, there's not much we can do besides hope for the best but expect the worst. We hoped for the best but expected the worst when we learned that the hurricane was to make landfall. See also: best, but, expect, for, hope, worst Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
Who first said hope for the best expect the worst?Around 46 BC, Cicero wrote to a friend saying, "you must hope for the best"; but the first known use of the full expression is in The Tragedie of Gorbuduc by Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville (1561) which was performed by the Gentlemen of the Inner Temple before Queen Elizabeth I in 1562.
Who said hope for the best plan for the worst?Quote by Lee Child: “Hope for the best, plan for the worst.”
Who said expect the best but prepare for the worst?Quote by Muhammad Ali Jinnah: “Expect the best, prepare for the worst.”
What is the saying expect the worst hope for the best?proverb To have hope that a positive occurrence will happen, while simultaneously readying for a negative outcome. Now that our house is on the market, there's not much we can do besides hope for the best but expect the worst.
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Who said hope for the best but expect the worst?
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