'Expect nothing and hope for the best' is my mantra. A drama

Michelle Dockery once said: “‘Expect nothing and hope for the best’ is my mantra. A drama teacher called Joseph Blatchley told me that, and it’s the best advice I’ve had. If you keep an open mind and don’t expect too much, then you won’t be disappointed.” In these words lies a wisdom that is both humble and heroic: a way of walking through life with open hands, free from the chains of false expectation, yet guided by the light of hope.

The origin of this mantra is not born from ancient philosophy but from the simple wisdom of a teacher, spoken to a student in the fragile years of training. Dockery, an actress rising into her craft, carried this phrase as armor and compass. The stage, like life itself, is filled with uncertainty: auditions that fail, roles that vanish, critics that wound. To live with rigid expectation is to invite despair. But to walk without expectation, holding only hope, is to remain free—open to surprise, resilient against disappointment, and ready to embrace whatever gift the world may offer.

The ancients, too, knew this truth. The Stoic philosophers taught that expectation is a snare: that the world does not bend to our demands, and to cling too tightly to what “should” be is to suffer endlessly. Epictetus said, “Seek not for events to happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do.” Yet Dockery’s mantra adds a flame to this stoic calm: not only must we temper expectation, but we must still hope for the best. In this way, it is not surrender to cold fate, but a balance of realism and optimism—a marriage of discipline and joy.

History offers us examples. Consider Ernest Shackleton, the Antarctic explorer. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed in ice, expectation of success would have destroyed his spirit. Yet he cast aside the dream of conquest and held fast only to hope—hope of survival, hope of returning his men alive. Against every odd, he succeeded, and all his crew were saved. He lived Dockery’s mantra before it was spoken: expecting nothing from fortune, but never abandoning hope.

The meaning of this quote is thus both a shield and a sword. It shields us from bitterness when life denies us what we thought was certain. For if we expect nothing, we cannot be broken by disappointment. And it gives us a sword of courage, for if we still hope for the best, we move forward with light in our hearts, refusing despair, choosing to live in anticipation of joy.

The lesson for us is clear: do not bind yourself to outcomes. Do your work with devotion, but release the expectation of reward. Enter relationships with love, but without the demand that they unfold as you imagine. Step into the world without entitlement, and you will find yourself freer, lighter, and more resilient. And yet, never cease to hope, for hope is the fire that keeps the soul alive, even when the night is long.

In practice, this means greeting each day as a gift rather than a contract. Say to yourself: “I am owed nothing, but I may yet receive much.” Approach your labors with diligence, not with the weight of demand. Open yourself to surprise, to possibility, to wonder. And when life gives you its fruit, taste it with gratitude rather than entitlement. In this way, you will walk with strength in hardship and with humility in abundance.

Therefore, remember Dockery’s mantra: “Expect nothing and hope for the best.” Carry it as your companion in every season. For in these words is the secret to joy without disappointment, courage without arrogance, and peace without despair. To live by them is to live freely, and to teach others—like her teacher once did—that the path of hope without expectation is the path of true resilience.