“Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe.”

This quote is by Mark Twain. It was later adapted by the American actor and humorist Will Rogers, who similarly stated that “Worrying is like paying on a debt that may never come due”. What both these quotes are saying is that worrying prematurely–when nothing has even happened yet–is a waste of time and energy.

Worrying is the construct of negative predictions based on fear.
E. Ballay

The bottom line is the outcome of what you’re worrying about might end up being good or okay. You don’t know yet. So worrying about it is “like paying a debt you don’t owe,” or “a debt that may never come due.”