Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and repeat to

Ann Landers, the wise counselor of everyday hearts, once gave the world words that shimmer like a lamp in the night: “Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and repeat to yourself, the most comforting words of all; this, too, shall pass.” In these words she joins the chorus of the ancients, teaching that sorrow and hardship are not accidents to be feared, but companions on the road of life. Trouble, she tells us, is not a strange visitor, but an inevitable one—and because it is inevitable, we must not despair when it comes. For like storm clouds that gather, rage, and vanish, hardship too will fade with time.

The ancients often meditated on this truth. The Stoics taught that life is a wheel of fortune: joy and sorrow follow each other as night follows day. The Persians told of a king who asked his sages for words that would comfort him in both triumph and defeat. They gave him a ring engraved with the phrase: “This too shall pass.” When he was victorious, the words reminded him not to grow proud, for glory is fleeting. When he was broken, the words gave him hope, for despair, too, is not eternal. Thus, Landers echoes wisdom that has traveled across centuries: permanence is an illusion; change is the law of existence.

Consider the life of Abraham Lincoln. During the great trials of the Civil War, burdened with grief over a divided nation and the loss of his own child, he often recalled the Persian story of the king’s ring. “This too shall pass” became a whisper of solace in the midst of anguish. His suffering was immense, yet he endured, trusting that even the darkest night would eventually yield to dawn. Lincoln’s story proves the truth of Landers’ words: trouble is inevitable, but it is not eternal.

Trouble, however, does not come only to kings and leaders—it comes to all. A broken heart, an illness, a loss, a failure—each feels endless when we are in its grasp. Yet Landers reminds us that time itself is a healer. Wounds close, storms subside, tears dry, and even the heaviest burdens grow lighter with the passing days. To tell ourselves “this, too, shall pass” is to align with the rhythm of life, to refuse despair its throne, and to look with hope beyond the present sorrow.

Yet this teaching also carries a warning. If sorrow passes, so too does joy. The laughter of children, the strength of youth, the sweetness of love—all are fleeting. Therefore, one must cherish joy while it is present, just as one endures sorrow while it lasts. To know that all things pass is both comfort and command: comfort, because no pain is eternal; command, because no joy should be wasted. Both sorrow and joy are precious precisely because they are temporary.

The lesson is clear: do not resist trouble when it comes, nor despair as though it will last forever. Instead, meet it with patience, endurance, and the remembrance that it will pass. Likewise, do not sleep through joy as though it were permanent, but savor it deeply, for it too will pass. In this way, one learns balance, humility, and gratitude, walking the path of wisdom through the ever-turning wheel of fortune.

Practical action follows: When trouble comes, repeat to yourself with steady breath, This, too, shall pass. Write it on paper, keep it in your heart, whisper it in the silence of night. When joy comes, remind yourself also that it shall pass, and so drink deeply of its sweetness while it lasts. Do not cling too tightly to either, but flow with the rhythm of change. For in doing so, you will walk with serenity through sorrow and with gratitude through joy, living the wisdom Ann Landers gave: to expect trouble, but never be consumed by it, for all things—darkness and light alike—shall pass.