- English translation
What you dread may prove better than you expect.
- Literal wording
Nothing better will come than the very thing you fear.
- Meaning and lesson
The proverb cautions against treating fear as an accurate forecast. A situation that appears threatening in advance can unfold differently from the harm a person had imagined, so anxious expectations should not be mistaken for certainty.
It also allows that an unwelcome prospect may have a favorable side or later bring relief. It invites patience before judging an anticipated event wholly bad, while offering hope in uncertainty rather than guaranteeing that every feared outcome will be beneficial.
- When it is used
Used to reassure someone distressed by an approaching change, decision, or outcome. It suggests that the feared development may be less harmful than expected and may reveal an unforeseen positive aspect, without promising a good result.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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