proverb · Words worth keeping
Reconcile yourself to present trials, the future may bring worse.
Reconcile yourself to present trials, the future may bring worse.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying encourages bearing a present difficulty by imagining a worse one ahead. A careful reading keeps perspective without making future fear a reason to tolerate harm.
Example
Someone acknowledges a temporary inconvenience while still taking a reasonable step to resolve it.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Reconciliation with present trials is urged through comparison with a possible harder future. This may help someone recognise what remains manageable, but the imagined future is not evidence that improvement is impossible. A useful interpretation considers available choices and support now. It does not demand gratitude for suffering or discourage action merely because circumstances could conceivably become worse.
When to use it
Use it to examine perspective without surrendering the possibility of improvement.
Keep in mind
A worse imagined future does not justify abuse or prevent seeking help.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English