--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And it's best if you know a good thing is…" description: "\"And it's best if you know a good thing is going to happen, like an eclipse or getting a microscope for Christmas. And it's bad if you know a bad thing ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9f/mark-haddon-1056_bad-thing_and-it-s-best-if-you-know-a-good-thing-i_1001151.png" --- # And it's best if you know a good thing is going to happen… ![“And it's best if you know a good thing is going to happen, like an eclipse or getting a microscope for Christmas. And it's bad if you know a bad thing is going to happen, like having a filling or going to France. But I think it is worst if you don't know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing…” quote by Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9f/mark-haddon-1056_bad-thing_and-it-s-best-if-you-know-a-good-thing-i_1001151.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9f/mark-haddon-1056_bad-thing_and-it-s-best-if-you-know-a-good-thing-i_1001151.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9f/mark-haddon-1056_bad-thing_and-it-s-best-if-you-know-a-good-thing-i_1001151.png) > “And it's best if you know a good thing is going to happen, like an eclipse or getting a microscope for Christmas. And it's bad if you know a bad thing is going to happen, like having a filling or going to France. But I think it is worst if you don't know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing which is going to happen.” [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Uncertainty about outcomes can be more unsettling than knowing whether they are good or bad. **In simple terms:** Not knowing if something is good or bad is worst. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and focus on present actions. Themes uncertainty anticipation psychology Mood reflective calming Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - decision making - mental health coping - planning - risk assessment Key Concepts cognitive bias future anxiety Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope with unknown futures? - What strategies help you stay present amid uncertainty? A Different Perspective Over‑analysis can paralyze action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eclipse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eclipse/) [France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/france/) [Good things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-things/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“Poor-quality software has all the subtlety of a neighborhood ice cream truck. You know it's bad for you; you know it's coming a mile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-brechner/poor-quality-software-has-all-the-subtlety-of-a-neighborhood-ice/) Eric Brechner > [You know I'm bad, I'm bad. You know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/you-know-i-m-bad-i-m-bad-you-know-it/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [You have to experience the bad to know whats good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu/you-have-to-experience-the-bad-to-know-whats-good/) [Ritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu/) > [When you do something bad and you know you can do it, only you know you can do it. And do it while it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-raab/when-you-do-something-bad-and-you-know-you-can-do-it-only-you-know/) [Scott Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-raab/) > [Don't do anything bad that you know at first you will hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meicee/don-t-do-anything-bad-that-you-know-at-first-you-will-hurt/) Meicee > [“Hell won't be so bad, you know. After all, I'll be there to keep you company.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-oliver/hell-won-t-be-so-bad-you-know-after-all-i-ll-be-there-to-keep-you/) [Tess Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-oliver/) > [It is bad enough to know the past; it would be intolerable to know the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/it-is-bad-enough-to-know-the-past-it-would-be-intolerable-to-know-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Why are they sad and glad and bad? I do not know, go ask your dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/why-are-they-sad-and-glad-and-bad-i-do-not-know-go-ask-your-dad/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [“It's bad you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-burnside/it-s-bad-you-know/) R.L. Burnside > [Through the good and the bad, I know God is always with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-laurence-torcuator/through-the-good-and-the-bad-i-know-god-is-always-with-me/) [Mark Laurence Torcuator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-laurence-torcuator/) > [“Some are sad. And some are glad. And some are very, very bad. Why are they Sad and glad and bad? I do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/some-are-sad-and-some-are-glad-and-some-are-very-very-bad-why-are/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [The people who have taught me the most about grace are those who have blown it so bad that they know how much they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/the-people-who-have-taught-me-the-most-about-grace-are-those-who-have/) [Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/) > [“I realized that as bad as it is not to know, the not knowing is something too. You can still do something with that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/i-realized-that-as-bad-as-it-is-not-to-know-the-not-knowing-is/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [Everything bad has... you know, has a good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-o-donovan/everything-bad-has-you-know-has-a-good/) Ross O'Donovan > [“But now everything's gone bad,and I only know one thing: I have six days. Six days to figure out who I really am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-sorrells/but-now-everything-s-gone-bad-and-i-only-know-one-thing-i-have-six/) [Walter Sorrells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-sorrells/) ## More by Mark Haddon > [But I said that you could still want something that is very unlikely to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/but-i-said-that-you-could-still-want-something-that-is-very-unlikely/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“So often these days she seemed to hover between worlds, none of them wholly real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/so-often-these-days-she-seemed-to-hover-between-worlds-none-of-them/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery…and I was brave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-i-know-i-can-do-this-because-i-went-to-london-on-my-own-and/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [And what he meant was that maths wasn't like life because in life there are no straightforward answers in the end](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-what-he-meant-was-that-maths-wasn-t-like-life-because-in-life/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [You love someone, you've got to let something go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/you-love-someone-you-ve-got-to-let-something-go/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“when you describe something by using a word for something that it isn’t. This means that the word metaphor is a metaphor. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/when-you-describe-something-by-using-a-word-for-something-that-it-isn/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/they-are-very-logical-but-you-could-never-work-out-the-rules-even-if/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“Places remained and time flowed through them like wind through the grass. Right now. This was the future turning into the past. One thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/places-remained-and-time-flowed-through-them-like-wind-through-the/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I suffer depression only in the sense that I am a writer. We don't have proper jobs to go to. We are on our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-suffer-depression-only-in-the-sense-that-i-am-a-writer-we-don-t/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I better make the plot good. I wanted to make it grip people on the first page and have a big turning point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-better-make-the-plot-good-i-wanted-to-make-it-grip-people-on-the/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“And it was strange because he was calling, "Christopher. . . ? Christopher. . . ?" and I could see my name written out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-it-was-strange-because-he-was-calling-christopher-christopher-and/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [A lot of roles for people with disabilities are quite patronising. It's a real pity when they are just used to give dull PC…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/a-lot-of-roles-for-people-with-disabilities-are-quite-patronising-it/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I do not like strangers because I do not like people I have never met before. They are hard to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-do-not-like-strangers-because-i-do-not-like-people-i-have-never-met/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“Lots of people wrote to the magazine to say that Marilyn vos Savant was wrong, even when she explained very carefully why she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/lots-of-people-wrote-to-the-magazine-to-say-that-marilyn-vos-savant/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I read very, very little fiction as a kid. All the books I can remember are junior science books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-read-very-very-little-fiction-as-a-kid-all-the-books-i-can-remember/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) [Explore all 278 Mark Haddon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) ## More Bad thing quotes > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [I think the people I talk about are generally so stupid that they don't even know I'm saying bad things about them. I've run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/i-think-the-people-i-talk-about-are-generally-so-stupid-that-they-don/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [I'm not going to pretend that bad things don't happen. I just hope my daughter has enough understanding that when they do, just give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/i-m-not-going-to-pretend-that-bad-things-don-t-happen-i-just-hope-my/) [John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/) > [I've heard some pretty bad things in my life. I'm just one of those people I've gotten to a point where I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-bush/i-ve-heard-some-pretty-bad-things-in-my-life-i-m-just-one-of-those/) [Sophia Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-bush/) > [Like everybody, you get nights where you feel completely depressed. You start thinking about all the bad things and think about the glass half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/like-everybody-you-get-nights-where-you-feel-completely-depressed-you/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [Be Thankful for all things in life. Even for the bad things. SOMETIMES the worst situations in life turn out to be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-thankful-for-all-things-in-life-even-for-the-bad-things-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In my business, you should be very strong in mind. You have to be sure about yourself and about your work and your career,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irina-shayk/in-my-business-you-should-be-very-strong-in-mind-you-have-to-be-sure/) [Irina Shayk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irina-shayk/) > [“I don’t know why I latched onto the idea of being friends, but it sits right with my gut. I want Hartley in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-watt/i-don-t-know-why-i-latched-onto-the-idea-of-being-friends-but-it-sits/) [Erin Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-watt/) > [I'm just grateful to people who are willing to admit how bad things feel for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-m-just-grateful-to-people-who-are-willing-to-admit-how-bad-things/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I love it when television is shot in a cinematic way and I think to aspire to that is no bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-rhys/i-love-it-when-television-is-shot-in-a-cinematic-way-and-i-think-to/) [Matthew Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-rhys/) > [“Dear Delphine, When you are older I want you to find Chinua Achebe. I want you to read Things Fall Apart. Don't be hardheaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-williams-garcia/dear-delphine-when-you-are-older-i-want-you-to-find-chinua-achebe-i/) [Rita Williams-Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-williams-garcia/) > [Lobbying is not a bad thing. I'm not trying to say that we shouldn't have lobbyists or we shouldn't have lobbying to petition our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/lobbying-is-not-a-bad-thing-i-m-not-trying-to-say-that-we-shouldn-t/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [In life, we don't know why things happen. I believe God is not responsible for the bad things that happen to you. Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-brannaman/in-life-we-don-t-know-why-things-happen-i-believe-god-is-not/) [Buck Brannaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-brannaman/) Browse all 2,889 Bad thing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And it's best if you know a good thing is going to happen, like an eclipse or getting a microscope for Christmas. And it's bad if you know a bad thing is going to happen, like having a filling or going to France. 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