--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Always predict the worst, and you'll be…" description: "\"Always predict the worst, and you'll be hailed as a prophet.\" — Tom Lehrer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/tom-lehrer-3442_prophet_always-predict-the-worst-and-you-ll-be-h_1217456.jpg" --- # Always predict the worst, and you'll be hailed as a prophet. ![“Always predict the worst, and you'll be hailed as a prophet.” quote by Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/tom-lehrer-3442_prophet_always-predict-the-worst-and-you-ll-be-h_1217456.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/tom-lehrer-3442_prophet_always-predict-the-worst-and-you-ll-be-h_1217456.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/tom-lehrer-3442_prophet_always-predict-the-worst-and-you-ll-be-h_1217456.jpg) > “Always predict the worst, and you'll be hailed as a prophet.” [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Predicting disaster makes you seem prophetic, but it can foster negativity and fear. **In simple terms:** Predicting doom makes you look like a prophet. Key Takeaway Beware of pessimism. Themes prophecy optimism communication caution risk prediction Mood cautious reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - leadership - media commentary - personal planning - risk assessment - public speaking Key Concepts cognitive bias self‑fulfilling prophecy negative framing Questions to Reflect On - How does focusing on worst‑case scenarios affect decision‑making? - When is caution more useful than optimism? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasising negatives can damage trust and morale. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hailed Prophet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hailed-prophet-3715444/) [Predict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predict/) [Predict Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predict-worst-3715443/) [Prophet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) ## Related quotes > [What good the prophet in the wilderness may do is incremental and personal. It's good for us to hear someone speak the irrational truth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-good-the-prophet-in-the-wilderness-may-do-is-incremental-and/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [People who try to predict the future by extrapolating in a line of more of what exists - they are always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/people-who-try-to-predict-the-future-by-extrapolating-in-a-line-of/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [You can never predict how something will land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kipnis/you-can-never-predict-how-something-will-land/) [Laura Kipnis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kipnis/) > [You can predict a person?s future and divine his bank balance if you know two things: the books he reads, the people he associates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/you-can-predict-a-person-s-future-and-divine-his-bank-balance-if-you/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [We can predict the present without having to know everything about the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/we-can-predict-the-present-without-having-to-know-everything-about/) [John D. Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-barrow/) > [The greatest thing about 'New Girl' is that you never can predict what is next!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-simone/the-greatest-thing-about-new-girl-is-that-you-never-can-predict-what/) [Hannah Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-simone/) > [We are going to see a steady stream, I predict, of Nobel prizes coming out of chemistry and given to women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-arnold/we-are-going-to-see-a-steady-stream-i-predict-of-nobel-prizes-coming/) [Frances Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-arnold/) > [“Someday soon, say predictive analytics experts, it will be possible for companies to know our tastes and predict our habits better than we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/someday-soon-say-predictive-analytics-experts-it-will-be-possible-for/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Who knows how things will be years from now? Only time will tell. No need to try & predict the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-knows-how-things-will-be-years-from-now-only-time-will-tell-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nobody can predict the future; the idea is to have a firm grasp of the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/nobody-can-predict-the-future-the-idea-is-to-have-a-firm-grasp-of-the/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [I've learned that you can never predict what will happen to a film. 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Unless you get a good percentage of her price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/don-t-solicit-for-your-sister-it-s-not-nice-unless-you-get-a-good/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [It is a sobering thought that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/it-is-a-sobering-thought-that-when-mozart-was-my-age-he-had-been-dead/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [“I am never forget the day I first meet the great Lobachevsky. In one word he told me secret of success in mathematics: Plagiarize!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-am-never-forget-the-day-i-first-meet-the-great-lobachevsky-in-one/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Counting in octal is just likst counting in decimal--if you don't use your thumbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/counting-in-octal-is-just-likst-counting-in-decimal-if-you-don-t-use/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Disclaimer: If anyone disagrees with anything I say, I am quite prepared to not only retract it, but also to deny under oath I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/disclaimer-if-anyone-disagrees-with-anything-i-say-i-am-quite/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Don't write naughty words on the wall if you can't spell!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/don-t-write-naughty-words-on-the-wall-if-you-can-t-spell/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I don't want to satirise George Bush and his puppeteers, I want to vaporise them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-don-t-want-to-satirise-george-bush-and-his-puppeteers-i-want-to/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [San Francisco is a city of twenty-something millionaire white kids named Doug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/san-francisco-is-a-city-of-twenty-something-millionaire-white-kids/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [On Christmas day you can't get sore, Your fellow man you must adore, There's time to cheat him all the more The other three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/on-christmas-day-you-can-t-get-sore-your-fellow-man-you-must-adore/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Be prepared, and be careful not to do your good deeds when there's no one watching you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/be-prepared-and-be-careful-not-to-do-your-good-deeds-when-there-s-no/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [There's something mathematically satisfying about music: notes fit together and harmony and all that. And mathematics has to do with abstractions and making connections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/there-s-something-mathematically-satisfying-about-music-notes-fit/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) [Explore all 130 Tom Lehrer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) ## More Predict quotes > [People who try to predict the future by extrapolating in a line of more of what exists - they are always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/people-who-try-to-predict-the-future-by-extrapolating-in-a-line-of/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [... a fellow can't predict what he will pick up in the form of influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-fellow-can-t-predict-what-he-will-pick-up-in-the-form-of-influence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [The key for scouting is trying to predict when the player is peaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-rodgers/the-key-for-scouting-is-trying-to-predict-when-the-player-is-peaking/) [Brendan Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-rodgers/) > [“If you want to predict how a politician will act after winning an election, look at how he currently lives and how he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haemin-sunim/if-you-want-to-predict-how-a-politician-will-act-after-winning-an/) [Haemin Sunim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haemin-sunim/) > [I've learned that you can never predict what will happen to a film. You can never predict if people will love it, if they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/i-ve-learned-that-you-can-never-predict-what-will-happen-to-a-film/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [Nobody can predict the future; the idea is to have a firm grasp of the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/nobody-can-predict-the-future-the-idea-is-to-have-a-firm-grasp-of-the/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [Who knows how things will be years from now? Only time will tell. No need to try & predict the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-knows-how-things-will-be-years-from-now-only-time-will-tell-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Someday soon, say predictive analytics experts, it will be possible for companies to know our tastes and predict our habits better than we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/someday-soon-say-predictive-analytics-experts-it-will-be-possible-for/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [We are going to see a steady stream, I predict, of Nobel prizes coming out of chemistry and given to women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-arnold/we-are-going-to-see-a-steady-stream-i-predict-of-nobel-prizes-coming/) [Frances Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-arnold/) > [The greatest thing about 'New Girl' is that you never can predict what is next!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-simone/the-greatest-thing-about-new-girl-is-that-you-never-can-predict-what/) [Hannah Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-simone/) > [We can predict the present without having to know everything about the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/we-can-predict-the-present-without-having-to-know-everything-about/) [John D. Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-barrow/) > [You can predict a person?s future and divine his bank balance if you know two things: the books he reads, the people he associates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/you-can-predict-a-person-s-future-and-divine-his-bank-balance-if-you/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [You can never predict how something will land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kipnis/you-can-never-predict-how-something-will-land/) [Laura Kipnis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kipnis/) > [“Our goal isn’t to predict something that will definitely happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-webb/our-goal-isn-t-to-predict-something-that-will-definitely-happen/) [Amy Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-webb/) > [You never know what's going to happen the rest of the way. You can't predict. You don't know what Montreal is going to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/you-never-know-what-s-going-to-happen-the-rest-of-the-way-you-can-t/) [Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/) [Browse all 364 Predict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predict/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Always predict the worst, and you'll be hailed as a prophet.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Lehrer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/always-predict-the-worst-and-you-ll-be-hailed-as-a-prophet/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Predict" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/always-predict-the-worst-and-you-ll-be-hailed-as-a-prophet/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/tom-lehrer-3442_prophet_always-predict-the-worst-and-you-ll-be-h_1217456.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/tom-lehrer-3442_prophet_always-predict-the-worst-and-you-ll-be-h_1217456.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/tom-lehrer-3442_prophet_always-predict-the-worst-and-you-ll-be-h_1217456.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Always predict the worst, and you'll be hailed as a prophet.” — Tom Lehrer", "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": "Tom Lehrer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Always predict the worst, and you'll...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/always-predict-the-worst-and-you-ll-be-hailed-as-a-prophet/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/always-predict-the-worst-and-you-ll-be-hailed-as-a-prophet/#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 } } ] } ```