--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best way to keep something bad from…" description: "\"The best way to keep something bad from happening is to see it ahead of time... and you can't see it if you refuse to face the possibility.\" — William ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/929/william-s-burroughs-528_ahead_the-best-way-to-keep-something-bad-from_522666.png" --- # The best way to keep something bad from happening is to… ![“The best way to keep something bad from happening is to see it ahead of time... and you can't see it if you refuse to face the possibility.” quote by William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/929/william-s-burroughs-528_ahead_the-best-way-to-keep-something-bad-from_522666.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/929/william-s-burroughs-528_ahead_the-best-way-to-keep-something-bad-from_522666.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/929/william-s-burroughs-528_ahead_the-best-way-to-keep-something-bad-from_522666.png) > “The best way to keep something bad from happening is to see it ahead of time... and you can't see it if you refuse to face the possibility.” [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anticipating problems requires confronting uncomfortable possibilities before they materialize. **In simple terms:** See problems early by facing them. Key Takeaway Face fears to prevent trouble. Themes prevention awareness psychology Mood cautious reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal safety - business risk management - health monitoring Key Concepts risk assessment future planning Questions to Reflect On - What risks are you avoiding? - How can you confront them safely? A Different Perspective Ignoring warnings can lead to greater harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Foresight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foresight/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a precrastinator. Yes, that's an actual term. You know that panic you feel a few hours before a big deadline when you haven't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-grant/i-m-a-precrastinator-yes-that-s-an-actual-term-you-know-that-panic/) [Adam Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-grant/) > [Skepticism is not a position that you stake out ahead of time and stick to no matter what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/skepticism-is-not-a-position-that-you-stake-out-ahead-of-time-and/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [When you watch chess, you don't see the four hours that the player spends preparing for a match ahead of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hikaru-nakamura/when-you-watch-chess-you-don-t-see-the-four-hours-that-the-player/) [Hikaru Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hikaru-nakamura/) > [I like to be on time, preferably ahead of time. It's better to be one of the first at a function as opposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-coulthard/i-like-to-be-on-time-preferably-ahead-of-time-it-s-better-to-be-one/) [David Coulthard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-coulthard/) > [What I don't like is having someone saying ahead of time what I can see and what I can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-connors/what-i-don-t-like-is-having-someone-saying-ahead-of-time-what-i-can/) [Mike Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-connors/) > [I don't like to practice ahead of time what I'm going to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-ferraro/i-don-t-like-to-practice-ahead-of-time-what-i-m-going-to-say/) [Geraldine Ferraro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-ferraro/) > [I always like to plan ahead of time and follow up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-always-like-to-plan-ahead-of-time-and-follow-up/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [We can't cross that bridge until we come to it, but I always like to lay down a pontoon ahead of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-baruch/we-can-t-cross-that-bridge-until-we-come-to-it-but-i-always-like-to/) [Bernard Baruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-baruch/) > [“he said well if you can’t plan it out ahead of time, you’ll just have to work it out as you go along”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/he-said-well-if-you-can-t-plan-it-out-ahead-of-time-you-ll-just-have/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“You never know ahead of time what something is really going to be like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/you-never-know-ahead-of-time-what-something-is-really-going-to-be-like/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Anyone can do things ahead of time but you must wait for the time to come!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chizim/anyone-can-do-things-ahead-of-time-but-you-must-wait-for-the-time-to/) [Chizim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chizim/) > [Organizing ahead of time makes the work more enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-burrell/organizing-ahead-of-time-makes-the-work-more-enjoyable/) [Anne Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-burrell/) > [The things I've ventured into have always been ahead of time!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poonam-dhillon/the-things-i-ve-ventured-into-have-always-been-ahead-of-time/) [Poonam Dhillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poonam-dhillon/) > [It's better to be ahead of time than to be behind time and an equal pace with time is the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/it-s-better-to-be-ahead-of-time-than-to-be-behind-time-and-an-equal/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [You never know ahead of time what something's really going to be like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/you-never-know-ahead-of-time-what-something-s-really-going-to-be-like/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) ## More by William S. 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The truth of a painting, or a book or a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-all-lies-deceit-pretense-is-stripped-away-what-remains-the-truth/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“There is no final enough of wisdom, experience - any fucking thing. No Holy Grail, No Final Satori, no solution. Just conflict. Only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-is-no-final-enough-of-wisdom-experience-any-fucking-thing-no/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“For John Dillinger In hope he is still alive Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1986 In hope he is still alive Thanks for the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-john-dillinger-in-hope-he-is-still-alive-thanksgiving-day/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Did I ever tell you about the man who taught his asshole to talk? 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Most people aren't cute at all, and if they are cute they very rapidly outgrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-prefer-cats-to-people-for-the-most-part-most-people-aren-t-cute-at/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [ \[Arab peoples\] are stuck back thousands of years and they think they're going to get out with a TV set. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/arab-peoples-are-stuck-back-thousands-of-years-and-they-think-they-re/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“It is not the intensity but the duration of pain that breaks the will to resist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/it-is-not-the-intensity-but-the-duration-of-pain-that-breaks-the-will/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Explore all 484 William S. Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## More Ahead quotes > [Anybody who thinks that they should lead the country should go ahead and put their hat in the ring. I am not among them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-schatz/anybody-who-thinks-that-they-should-lead-the-country-should-go-ahead/) [Brian Schatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-schatz/) > [If I have a problem with somebody, I go ahead and say what's on my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nico-hulkenberg/if-i-have-a-problem-with-somebody-i-go-ahead-and-say-what-s-on-my-mind/) [Nico Hulkenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nico-hulkenberg/) > [I once invested in a risky business. Quite a few people warned me not to do so, but I still went ahead and invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-rode/i-once-invested-in-a-risky-business-quite-a-few-people-warned-me-not/) [Gautam Rode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-rode/) > [“What lies behind us is nothing compared to what lies within us and ahead of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/what-lies-behind-us-is-nothing-compared-to-what-lies-within-us-and/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [In Life, We May Never Get The Same Opportunity Again, But There's Always Something Better Ahead...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/in-life-we-may-never-get-the-same-opportunity-again-but-there-s/) Pacifiersucker > [Makeup is only fun if it's occasional and capricious - just like it's a treat to have an empty day ahead, but it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-coren-mitchell/makeup-is-only-fun-if-it-s-occasional-and-capricious-just-like-it-s-a/) [Victoria Coren Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-coren-mitchell/) > [There is no such thing as disposable time if you want to stay ahead of the game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-such-thing-as-disposable-time-if-you-want-to-stay-ahead/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm the kind of guy who comes home and checks scores for everything. I'm a sports fan in general, so I pretty much keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chadwick-boseman/i-m-the-kind-of-guy-who-comes-home-and-checks-scores-for-everything-i/) [Chadwick Boseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chadwick-boseman/) > [People are flying you places in business class. Everyone wants to take pictures of you and find out information about you. It's a freak-out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolandi-visser/people-are-flying-you-places-in-business-class-everyone-wants-to-take/) [Yolandi Visser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolandi-visser/) > [I wasn't putting my all into it and I was still managing to score goals, and that gave me something to dream about, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gray/i-wasn-t-putting-my-all-into-it-and-i-was-still-managing-to-score/) [Andre Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gray/) > [There's no limit to what you can accomplish, but there's always someone one step ahead of you, so it's a constant uphill battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mary-stewart/there-s-no-limit-to-what-you-can-accomplish-but-there-s-always/) [Catherine Mary Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mary-stewart/) > [I was never bothered about my position in the industry. If I had believed in it, I wouldn't have allowed anyone to get ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharmendra/i-was-never-bothered-about-my-position-in-the-industry-if-i-had/) [Dharmendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharmendra/) > [I don't want to look too far ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jofra-archer/i-don-t-want-to-look-too-far-ahead/) [Jofra Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jofra-archer/) > [“one who takes the first step always remains one step ahead”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabi-shaheen/one-who-takes-the-first-step-always-remains-one-step-ahead/) Rabi Shaheen > [I am not interested to sing in Bollywood. I sing for only those actors whom I admire. I sing free of cost for them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-honey-singh/i-am-not-interested-to-sing-in-bollywood-i-sing-for-only-those-actors/) [Yo Yo Honey Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-honey-singh/) Browse all 1,773 Ahead quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The best way to keep something bad from happening is to see it ahead of time... and you can't see it if you refuse to face the possibility.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William S. 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