This is the precept by which I have lived: Prepare for the worst expect the best and take what comes.

The maxim outlines a stance of practical resilience: anticipate adversity so you are not blindsided, keep hope alive so you do not become cynical, and meet reality as it arrives rather than clinging to rigid plans. Read in light of Arendt’s broader concerns—how individuals retain judgment and agency amid uncertainty—it suggests an ethic of steadiness under contingency. “Prepare for the worst” is prudence; “expect the best” is a refusal of despair; “take what comes” is acceptance of the world’s unpredictability without surrendering responsibility. The triad balances caution, optimism, and adaptability as a way of living through unstable political and personal conditions.