--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're expecting bad news you have…" description: "\"When you're expecting bad news you have to be prepared for it a long time ahead so that when the telegram comes you can already pronounce the syllables..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e61/robert-pinget-108423_bad-news_when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have_733842.jpg" --- # When you're expecting bad news you have to be prepared for… ![“When you're expecting bad news you have to be prepared for it a long time ahead so that when the telegram comes you can already pronounce the syllables in your mouth before opening it.” quote by Robert Pinget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e61/robert-pinget-108423_bad-news_when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have_733842.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e61/robert-pinget-108423_bad-news_when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have_733842.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e61/robert-pinget-108423_bad-news_when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have_733842.jpg) > “When you're expecting bad news you have to be prepared for it a long time ahead so that when the telegram comes you can already pronounce the syllables in your mouth before opening it.” Robert Pinget ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anticipating bad news prepares you to process it calmly, reducing shock on arrival. **In simple terms:** Prepare for bad news to stay calm. Key Takeaway Practice mental rehearsal for setbacks. Themes anticipation preparedness emotional regulation communication Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type Bad news:1 Be prepared:1 Expecting:1 Long:0 Long time:0 Mouths:0 News:1 Opening:0 Prepared:1 Syllables:0 Telegram:1 Telegrams:0 Expecting Bad:0 Ahead Telegram:0 Telegram Comes:0 News Prepared:0 When to use this quote - receiving critical emails - waiting for test results - expecting bad news - preparing speeches - handling crises Key Concepts psychology stress management Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay calm when waiting? - What helps you process bad news? A Different Perspective Over‑preparation can increase anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) ## Related quotes > [If you will notice, there is seldom a telegram in a paper which fails to show up one or more members & beneficiaries of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-will-notice-there-is-seldom-a-telegram-in-a-paper-which-fails/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [This telegram is a work of art if I say it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/this-telegram-is-a-work-of-art-if-i-say-it-is/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [This is the first time in my experience... that I ever heard of a Senator trying to discredit his own Government before the world……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/this-is-the-first-time-in-my-experience-that-i-ever-heard-of-a/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [The telephone will be used to inform people that a telegram has been sent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/the-telephone-will-be-used-to-inform-people-that-a-telegram-has-been/) [Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/) > [The headline is the most important element in most advertisements. It is the telegram which decides the reader whether to read the copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/the-headline-is-the-most-important-element-in-most-advertisements-it/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [“I opened the telegram and said, 'He's dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-opened-the-telegram-and-said-he-s-dead/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [In the First World War, people would be receiving letters from loved ones who had been dead for weeks, and they would not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/in-the-first-world-war-people-would-be-receiving-letters-from-loved/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [When you go into a football pitch expecting bad things to happen they usually do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-adams/when-you-go-into-a-football-pitch-expecting-bad-things-to-happen-they/) [Tony Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-adams/) > [The wisdom that living brings, since I got a telegram from the God of simple things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-henley/the-wisdom-that-living-brings-since-i-got-a-telegram-from-the-god-of/) [Don Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-henley/) > [Without the letters of condolence, telegrams of congratulations and even occasional postcards, the friendship of a separated friend is not a social reality. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-douglas/without-the-letters-of-condolence-telegrams-of-congratulations-and/) [Mary Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-douglas/) > [For a brief time in the 1850s, the telegraph companies of England and the United States thought that they could (and should) preserve every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/for-a-brief-time-in-the-1850s-the-telegraph-companies-of-england-and/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“A girl who could send tear-stained telegrams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/a-girl-who-could-send-tear-stained-telegrams/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I foresee the day when we shall read nothing but telegrams and prayers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/i-foresee-the-day-when-we-shall-read-nothing-but-telegrams-and-prayers/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [I thought my chances to make the Braves were better and that they were being fairer to me, paying me more money to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-thought-my-chances-to-make-the-braves-were-better-and-that-they/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [Fax me a fact and I'll telegram a hologram or telephone the son of man and tell him he is done. Leave a message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/fax-me-a-fact-and-i-ll-telegram-a-hologram-or-telephone-the-son-of/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) ## More by Robert Pinget > [“There were absences in my life which were a comfort, then were was a presence that ruined me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinget/there-were-absences-in-my-life-which-were-a-comfort-then-were-was-a/) Robert Pinget Explore all 2 Robert Pinget quotes ## More Bad news quotes > [In the wake of such bad news, it was heartening to know that what 'Sense8' stood for meant so much to so many people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-j-smith/in-the-wake-of-such-bad-news-it-was-heartening-to-know-that-what/) [Brian J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-j-smith/) > [“I remember a man, a very lonely man, coming up to me at the end of a reading and looking into my face and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/i-remember-a-man-a-very-lonely-man-coming-up-to-me-at-the-end-of-a/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [In the business world, bad news is usually good news - for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/in-the-business-world-bad-news-is-usually-good-news-for-somebody-else/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [You never want to have to give your child bad news of any kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/you-never-want-to-have-to-give-your-child-bad-news-of-any-kind/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [If there's one thing you should know about me it's that I'm utterly unsuited for bureaucracy. I don't know my passwords to anything. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-torres/if-there-s-one-thing-you-should-know-about-me-it-s-that-i-m-utterly/) [Julio Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-torres/) > [I seem to thrive by destroying the last thing I did, in a kind of cartoon Nietzsche way. Emerson says in "Experience" something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chiasson/i-seem-to-thrive-by-destroying-the-last-thing-i-did-in-a-kind-of/) [Dan Chiasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chiasson/) > [“The bad news is that, measured in terms of geologic time, if the Earth’s history is an accurate guide, glaciers will soon return to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bernstein/the-bad-news-is-that-measured-in-terms-of-geologic-time-if-the-earth/) [Andrew Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bernstein/) > [I love an underdog. No, I don't necessarily mean the cartoon. I mean like David, as in Goliath, or the Bears, as in The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lublin/i-love-an-underdog-no-i-don-t-necessarily-mean-the-cartoon-i-mean/) [Nancy Lublin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lublin/) > [The good news is that economists are intelligent, engaging and often charming folks. The bad news is their work is often of little use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/the-good-news-is-that-economists-are-intelligent-engaging-and-often/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [The flatter the corporate hierarchy, the more likely it is that employees will communicate bad news and act upon it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-flatter-the-corporate-hierarchy-the-more-likely-it-is-that/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The good news may be that Nature is phasing out the white man, but the bad news is that's who She thinks we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-good-news-may-be-that-nature-is-phasing-out-the-white-man-but-the/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [For a long period of time, the media covered rap music and hip hop the same way they cover a lot of black people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/for-a-long-period-of-time-the-media-covered-rap-music-and-hip-hop-the/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) > [“Shifting from a superior/inferior paradigm to a strength-in-difference paradigm was kind of a good news/bad news situation. On the downside, I had to admit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/shifting-from-a-superior-inferior-paradigm-to-a-strength-in/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“The best way to mess with the head of your reader is to strategize the delivery of bad news.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/the-best-way-to-mess-with-the-head-of-your-reader-is-to-strategize/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“The real secret, though, is that nobody belongs, whether they are natives or not. After expulsion from paradise all humans are in exile. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-codrescu/the-real-secret-though-is-that-nobody-belongs-whether-they-are/) [Andrei Codrescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-codrescu/) Browse all 691 Bad news quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you're expecting bad news you have to be prepared for it a long time ahead so that when the telegram comes you can already pronounce the syllables in your mouth before opening it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Pinget" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinget/when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have-to-be-prepared-for-it-a-long/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad news" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinget/when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have-to-be-prepared-for-it-a-long/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e61/robert-pinget-108423_bad-news_when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have_733842.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e61/robert-pinget-108423_bad-news_when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have_733842.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e61/robert-pinget-108423_bad-news_when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have_733842.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you're expecting bad news you have to be prepared for it a long time ahead so that when the telegram…” — Robert Pinget", "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": "Robert Pinget", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinget/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you're expecting bad news you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinget/when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have-to-be-prepared-for-it-a-long/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinget/when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have-to-be-prepared-for-it-a-long/#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 } } ] } ```