Bear with evil and expect good.
Bear with evil and expect good.
Meaning in plain English
The saying combines endurance of present difficulty with hope for something better. It can support patience during a bounded setback, but hope does not guarantee improvement and bearing evil should never require accepting abuse, danger or preventable wrongdoing.
Example
A volunteer waits through a delayed project approval, asks for a clear update and remains hopeful without accepting insulting treatment.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Bear means to endure in this sentence, while expect gives attention a future direction. The two actions offer a way to remain steady without making the present difficulty the whole story. A limited setback might be met with patience and a reasonable hope of change. The wording becomes dangerous if evil is taken to mean mistreatment that someone must silently accept. Hope can accompany action, a request for help or a decision to leave. It should not replace them. The useful reading makes endurance a choice suited to the circumstances, rather than an obligation imposed by another person.
When to use it
Use it for patient hope during a specific setback.
Keep in mind
Hope is not a guarantee; mistreatment and danger call for a suitable response.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-04. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 82 · Bear
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗