--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Assume the worst about people and you get…" description: "\"Assume the worst about people and you get the worst.\" — Ha-Joon Chang" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/ha-joon-chang-3497_assume_assume-the-worst-about-people-and-you-ge_2551700.png" --- # Assume the worst about people and you get the worst. ![“Assume the worst about people and you get the worst.” quote by Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/ha-joon-chang-3497_assume_assume-the-worst-about-people-and-you-ge_2551700.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/ha-joon-chang-3497_assume_assume-the-worst-about-people-and-you-ge_2551700.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/ha-joon-chang-3497_assume_assume-the-worst-about-people-and-you-ge_2551700.png) > “Assume the worst about people and you get the worst.” [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Assuming negativity about others leads to negative outcomes, creating a self‑fulfilling prophecy. **In simple terms:** Expecting the worst causes the worst. Key Takeaway Cultivate neutral or positive expectations. Themes expectations bias behavior Mood cautious reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - teamwork - leadership - conflict resolution - customer service Key Concepts social psychology communication Questions to Reflect On - How do your assumptions shape interactions? - What evidence challenges your worst‑case view? A Different Perspective Optimism may overlook real risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assume/) [Assume The Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assume-the-worst/) [Assume Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assume-worst-696219/) [Assuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-worst/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) [Worst People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-people/) ## Related quotes > [I think a lot of fans immediately go, 'ugggh' when they hear that someone is doing a prequel or a remake, they sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-think-a-lot-of-fans-immediately-go-ugggh-when-they-hear-that/) [Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/) > [We have every reason to assume the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-have-every-reason-to-assume-the-worst/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Maybe we should always assume the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/maybe-we-should-always-assume-the-worst/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I had to assume the worst about people because I knew firsthand what horrible things they were capable of.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-cutler/i-had-to-assume-the-worst-about-people-because-i-knew-firsthand-what/) [Jessica Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-cutler/) > [We all assume the worst the best we can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iron-wine/we-all-assume-the-worst-the-best-we-can/) [Iron & Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iron-wine/) > [Well, I can't say for sure, but as a Christian, I assume the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-flanders/well-i-can-t-say-for-sure-but-as-a-christian-i-assume-the-worst/) [Ned Flanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-flanders/) > [“No,' I said, shooting him a look. 'But you don't have to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.' You don't have to assume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/no-i-said-shooting-him-a-look-but-you-don-t-have-to-give-everyone-the/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [It seems wisest to assume the worst from the beginning...and let anything better come as a surprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/it-seems-wisest-to-assume-the-worst-from-the-beginning-and-let/) [Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/) > [“Do you always assume the worst of people? Or is it yourself you think so poorly of? Perhaps you might consider life is complicated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/do-you-always-assume-the-worst-of-people-or-is-it-yourself-you-think/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [“When people feel nervous about a change they tend to assume the worst”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hunt-davis/when-people-feel-nervous-about-a-change-they-tend-to-assume-the-worst/) [Ben Hunt-Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hunt-davis/) > [Better to assume the worst and be wrong than assume the best and be wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/better-to-assume-the-worst-and-be-wrong-than-assume-the-best-and-be/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [“my personal life philosophy is always to assume the worst, then you’re never disappointed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicia-day/my-personal-life-philosophy-is-always-to-assume-the-worst-then-you-re/) [Felicia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicia-day/) > [But you don’t have to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.” “You don’t have to assume the worst about everyone, either. The world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/but-you-don-t-have-to-give-everyone-the-benefit-of-the-doubt-you-don/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Assume the worst. About everybody. But don't let this poisoned outlook affect your job performance. Let it all roll off your back. Ignore it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/assume-the-worst-about-everybody-but-don-t-let-this-poisoned-outlook/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [Fake people are the worst people.they always appear to be happy, when inside they're so jealous & hurting over some1 else's LIFE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fake-people-are-the-worst-people-they-always-appear-to-be-happy-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ha-Joon Chang > [“In no country does the average income give the right picture of how people live but in a country with higher inequality it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/in-no-country-does-the-average-income-give-the-right-picture-of-how/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Sometimes people with strong ideology, whether left-wing or right-wing, refuse to do something simply because they believe it is wrong, when doing it actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/sometimes-people-with-strong-ideology-whether-left-wing-or-right-wing/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Every market has some rules and boundaries that restrict freedom of choice. A market looks free only because we so unconditionally accept its underlying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/every-market-has-some-rules-and-boundaries-that-restrict-freedom-of/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Indeed, willingness to challenge professional economists and other experts is a foundation stone of democracy. If all we have to do is to listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/indeed-willingness-to-challenge-professional-economists-and-other/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [If we are really serious about preventing another crisis like the 2008 meltdown we should simply ban complex financial instruments, unless they can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/if-we-are-really-serious-about-preventing-another-crisis-like-the/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [“Harry S. 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I want capitalism to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/i-m-not-an-anti-capitalist-or-anarchist-i-want-capitalism-to-work/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [“all technical professions have an incentive to make themselves look more complicated than they really are so that they can justify the high fees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/all-technical-professions-have-an-incentive-to-make-themselves-look/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) [Explore all 129 Ha-Joon Chang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) ## More Assume quotes > [We only call at ducks when their rear ends are towards us. 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Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [I think a lot of fans immediately go, 'ugggh' when they hear that someone is doing a prequel or a remake, they sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-think-a-lot-of-fans-immediately-go-ugggh-when-they-hear-that/) [Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/) > [You can never assume that something is going to do well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lopez/you-can-never-assume-that-something-is-going-to-do-well/) [Robert Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lopez/) > [What we assume, what we have never clearly thought out, controls us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morton-t-kelsey/what-we-assume-what-we-have-never-clearly-thought-out-controls-us/) [Morton T. Kelsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morton-t-kelsey/) > [Do not always assume the other fellow has intelligence equal to yours. 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Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [ If \[Barack\] Obama or the boss or the newspapers or anyone else tells you they're doing this, that, or the other thing, dismiss it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-barack-obama-or-the-boss-or-the-newspapers-or-anyone-else-tells/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Browse all 542 Assume quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assume/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Assume the worst about people and you get the worst.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ha-Joon Chang" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/assume-the-worst-about-people-and-you-get-the-worst/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assume" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/assume-the-worst-about-people-and-you-get-the-worst/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/ha-joon-chang-3497_assume_assume-the-worst-about-people-and-you-ge_2551700.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/ha-joon-chang-3497_assume_assume-the-worst-about-people-and-you-ge_2551700.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/ha-joon-chang-3497_assume_assume-the-worst-about-people-and-you-ge_2551700.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Assume the worst about people and you get the worst.” — Ha-Joon Chang", "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": "Ha-Joon Chang", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Assume the worst about people and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/assume-the-worst-about-people-and-you-get-the-worst/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/assume-the-worst-about-people-and-you-get-the-worst/#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 } } ] } ```