--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Preparing for the worst is an activity I…" description: "\"Preparing for the worst is an activity I have taken up since I turned thirty-five, and the worst actually began to happen.\" — Delia Ephron" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/delia-ephron-17863_activity_preparing-for-the-worst-is-an-activity-i_1969933.png" --- # Preparing for the worst is an activity I have taken up… ![“Preparing for the worst is an activity I have taken up since I turned thirty-five, and the worst actually began to happen.” quote by Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/delia-ephron-17863_activity_preparing-for-the-worst-is-an-activity-i_1969933.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/delia-ephron-17863_activity_preparing-for-the-worst-is-an-activity-i_1969933.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/delia-ephron-17863_activity_preparing-for-the-worst-is-an-activity-i_1969933.png) > “Preparing for the worst is an activity I have taken up since I turned thirty-five, and the worst actually began to happen.” [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Preparing for disaster becomes a habit, yet the anticipated worst eventually occurs, highlighting the paradox of anxiety and reality. **In simple terms:** Being ready for bad things can make them happen. Key Takeaway Plan, but stay flexible. Themes anxiety preparation risk management paradox Mood reflective cautious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - emergency drills - financial planning - health crises - career setbacks Key Concepts contingency planning mental resilience risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - Does constant preparation improve outcomes? - When does preparation become counterproductive? A Different Perspective Over‑preparing can cause stress and limit spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activity/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Preparing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparing/) [Preparing for the worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparing-for-the-worst-148660/) [Preparing Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparing-worst-3288776/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Thirty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirty/) [Thirty Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirty-worst-3276077/) [Turned Thirty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turned-thirty-301948/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) [Worst Activity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-activity-3301486/) ## Related quotes > [There are so many scenarios here. We tried to prepare for the worst summer in 40 years and build assumptions based on that. We're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gray-davis/there-are-so-many-scenarios-here-we-tried-to-prepare-for-the-worst/) [Gray Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gray-davis/) > [There is always a part of my mind that is preparing for the worst, and another part of my mind that believes if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/there-is-always-a-part-of-my-mind-that-is-preparing-for-the-worst-and-2/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [There is always a part of my mind that is preparing for the worst, and another part of my mind that believes if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/there-is-always-a-part-of-my-mind-that-is-preparing-for-the-worst-and/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [I really believe in hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrystia-freeland/i-really-believe-in-hoping-for-the-best-and-preparing-for-the-worst/) [Chrystia Freeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrystia-freeland/) > [By the time you're thirty, your worst enemy is yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/by-the-time-you-re-thirty-your-worst-enemy-is-yourself/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Later, when the other Beatles arrived, the crowd in the street had swelled to an estimated twenty-thousand, some of whom were whipped up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-spitz/later-when-the-other-beatles-arrived-the-crowd-in-the-street-had/) [Bob Spitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-spitz/) > [If it can be prepared for, it isn't the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/if-it-can-be-prepared-for-it-isn-t-the-worst/) [John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/) > [“Fearlessness is generated when you can appreciate uncertainty, when you have faith in the impossibility of these interconnected components remaining static and permanent. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/fearlessness-is-generated-when-you-can-appreciate-uncertainty-when/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) > [“Could I be having a midlife crisis? Ahead of schedule. God, I'd just turned thirty-four. How batty would I be by fourty?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreen-wald/could-i-be-having-a-midlife-crisis-ahead-of-schedule-god-i-d-just/) [Noreen Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreen-wald/) > [“I’m now solidly in my mid-thirties. I turned thirty, three days ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-now-solidly-in-my-mid-thirties-i-turned-thirty-three-days-ago/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Only when I turned thirty did I finally feel for the first time that I was free, that I could live as I liked,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayo-masuda/only-when-i-turned-thirty-did-i-finally-feel-for-the-first-time-that/) [Sayo Masuda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayo-masuda/) > [They ordered champagne but still look thirsty. Rock Forever 21 but just turned thirty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/they-ordered-champagne-but-still-look-thirsty-rock-forever-21-but/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [“I was fuzzy on the details, but I knew the basic outline. I knew how I wanted to be, it was simply a question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-crane/i-was-fuzzy-on-the-details-but-i-knew-the-basic-outline-i-knew-how-i/) [Megan Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-crane/) > [I went a little nuts in my twenties, but I just turned thirty and I feel, like, older now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunny-mabrey/i-went-a-little-nuts-in-my-twenties-but-i-just-turned-thirty-and-i/) [Sunny Mabrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunny-mabrey/) > [When I turned thirty, I threw everything out. I ended a relationship and started a new one, I sold my house, I changed my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bacon/when-i-turned-thirty-i-threw-everything-out-i-ended-a-relationship/) [Richard Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bacon/) ## More by Delia Ephron > [“And why do most of us want marriage? Crave it for status or for stability that is an illusion. Marriage can’t protect you from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/and-why-do-most-of-us-want-marriage-crave-it-for-status-or-for/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [There is something fantastic about getting divorced. Everyone should do it to experience the extraordinary sense of freedom after being in marriage jail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/there-is-something-fantastic-about-getting-divorced-everyone-should/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [As complicated as joint custody is, it allows the delicious contradiction of having children and maintaining the intimacy of life-before-kid s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/as-complicated-as-joint-custody-is-it-allows-the-delicious/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [“Maybe the truth can't be buried. Or maybe it can't stay buried. Maybe the very nature of truth is that it will ultimately reveal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/maybe-the-truth-can-t-be-buried-or-maybe-it-can-t-stay-buried-maybe/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [writing is how I understand everything that happens. Writing is the only way I know to move on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/writing-is-how-i-understand-everything-that-happens-writing-is-the/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [“I love it that I'm standing alone, it doesn't bother me, actually I prefer it, actually I don't give a shit. I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/i-love-it-that-i-m-standing-alone-it-doesn-t-bother-me-actually-i/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [For me, having it all - if one wants to define it at all - is the magical time when what you want and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/for-me-having-it-all-if-one-wants-to-define-it-at-all-is-the-magical/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [“I didn’t know about the Purell. I don’t think I would have wanted to vacation with someone who brought Purell along. I even fantasized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/i-didn-t-know-about-the-purell-i-don-t-think-i-would-have-wanted-to/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [“Who cared that he couldn't spell? She was a good-enough speller for both of them. With luck, their children would take after her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/who-cared-that-he-couldn-t-spell-she-was-a-good-enough-speller-for/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [“God, secrets could simply do you in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/god-secrets-could-simply-do-you-in/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [“She has bitten into a crisp juicy apple and wondered if the bite and the thought were connected-- one never knew what went together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/she-has-bitten-into-a-crisp-juicy-apple-and-wondered-if-the-bite-and/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [I'm planning to give up worrying. I want to, but I'm worried I won't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/i-m-planning-to-give-up-worrying-i-want-to-but-i-m-worried-i-won-t-be/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [I have one rule I live by: Only do what you can do. That neans you're never looking outside for what's popular; you're always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/i-have-one-rule-i-live-by-only-do-what-you-can-do-that-neans-you-re/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [in the family I grew up in, being called boring was like being called an ax murderer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/in-the-family-i-grew-up-in-being-called-boring-was-like-being-called/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) > [if you are a stepparent, rush right out and get yourself a dog. Because it's very nice to have someone in the house that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/if-you-are-a-stepparent-rush-right-out-and-get-yourself-a-dog-because/) [Delia Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) [Explore all 36 Delia Ephron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/) ## More Activity quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Fighting's fun, man. It's a great activity, it's a great sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mitrione/fighting-s-fun-man-it-s-a-great-activity-it-s-a-great-sport/) [Matt Mitrione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mitrione/) > [There were books everywhere in my house. Books were very present. I just loved books. I never understood reading as anything but a pleasurable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lucas/there-were-books-everywhere-in-my-house-books-were-very-present-i/) [Lisa Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lucas/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [For the longest time, neuroscientists were forced to be passive observers of brain activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gero-miesenbock/for-the-longest-time-neuroscientists-were-forced-to-be-passive/) [Gero Miesenbock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gero-miesenbock/) > [Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/enjoyment-is-not-a-goal-it-is-a-feeling-that-accompanies-important/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Once an activity has been socialized, it is impossible to point out, by concrete example, how men in a free market could better conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/once-an-activity-has-been-socialized-it-is-impossible-to-point-out-by/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I have to consider everything I eat; I consider every activity I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kimball/i-have-to-consider-everything-i-eat-i-consider-every-activity-i-do/) [Charlie Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kimball/) > [Almost all good businesses engage in 'pain today, gain tomorrow' activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/almost-all-good-businesses-engage-in-pain-today-gain-tomorrow/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 3,263 Activity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Preparing for the worst is an activity I have taken up since I turned thirty-five, and the worst actually began to happen.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Delia Ephron" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/preparing-for-the-worst-is-an-activity-i-have-taken-up-since-i-turned/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Activity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/preparing-for-the-worst-is-an-activity-i-have-taken-up-since-i-turned/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/delia-ephron-17863_activity_preparing-for-the-worst-is-an-activity-i_1969933.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/delia-ephron-17863_activity_preparing-for-the-worst-is-an-activity-i_1969933.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/delia-ephron-17863_activity_preparing-for-the-worst-is-an-activity-i_1969933.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Preparing for the worst is an activity I have taken up since I turned thirty-five, and the worst actually…” — Delia Ephron", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Delia Ephron", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-ephron/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Preparing for the worst is an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/preparing-for-the-worst-is-an-activity-i-have-taken-up-since-i-turned/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-ephron/preparing-for-the-worst-is-an-activity-i-have-taken-up-since-i-turned/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```