34 Quotes About Anger

Although anger can be a natural response to threats or harm, uncontrolled anger can cause significant distress to the person experiencing it and those who witness it. Anger can have a number of detrimental effects on a person’s physical and mental health, including high blood pressure and increased stress. Aside from these effects, anger can damage a person’s personal and professional relationships. 

Below, we’ll look at 34 quotes about anger and explore how to get help with this challenging emotion. Therapy with a licensed mental health professional, whether in person or online, may be one effective option.

What is anger?

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), anger is “an emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong.” Anger can be a natural response that isn’t necessarily problematic if experienced occasionally. However, for some people, anger can be a chronic issue that leads to emotional outbursts and problems with relationships at home, work, or school. 

Top anger quotes

Over the years, many authors and notable figures have written or spoken about anger and its effects. The following are some quotes about anger that may help you put it into perspective and reduce its impact on your mental health.

“I know of no more disagreeable situation than to be left feeling generally angry without anybody in particular to be angry at.” -Frank Moore Colby

“Anger is one letter short of danger.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

“Reproach is infinite, and knows no end/ So voluble a weapon is the tongue; Wounded, we wound; and neither side can fail/ For every man has equal strength to rail.” -Homer

“He who angers you conquers you.” -Elizabeth Kenny

“There was never an angry man that thought his anger unjust.” -St. Francis De Sales

“Angry people want you to see how powerful they are... loving people want you to see how powerful You are.” -Chief Red Eagle

“Righteous indignation: Your own wrath as opposed to the shocking bad temper of others.” -Elbert Hubbard

“If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.” -Chinese proverb

“If what we are doing with our anger is not achieving the desired result, it would seem logical to try something different.” -Harriet Lerner

“When anger rises, think of the consequences.” Confucius

“Anger is an all-consuming fire that will burn you and everyone else around you. Where is the justice in that?” -Afeni Shakur

“Anybody can become angry-that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way-that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy. -Aristotle

“Truth is not spoken in anger. Truth is spoken, if it ever comes to be spoken, in love. The gaze of love is not deluded. It sees what is best in the beloved even when what is best in the beloved finds it hard to emerge into the light.” -J.M. Coetzee, Slow Man

“Anger is a momentary madness, so control your passion or it will control you.” -G.M. Trevelyan

“Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.” -Seneca

“Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.” -Ambrose Bierce

“Consider how much more you often suffer from your anger and grief, than from those very things for which you are angry and grieved.” -Marcus Aurelius Antoninius

“If you do not wish to be prone to anger, do not feed the habit; give it nothing which may tend to its increase. At first, keep quiet and count the days when you were not angry: I used to be angry every day, then every other day: next, every two, then every three days! and if you succeed in passing thirty days, sacrifice to the gods in thanksgiving.” -Epictetus

Quotes about anger, resentment, and holding on to anger

“A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green.” -Francis Bacon

“Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” Saint Augustine

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” -Buddha

“To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee.” –William H. Walton

“Life is but short; no time can be afforded but for the indulgence of real sorry, or contests upon questions seriously momentous. Let us not throw away any of our days upon useless resentment, or contend who shall hold out longest in stubborn malignity. It is best not to be angry; and best, in the next place, to be quickly reconciled.” -Samuel Johnson

“For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Quotes about anger and relationships

“The partition between love and anger is thin. I suppose it's a need to protect the self from further wounding that makes people scream at the one they love.” -Sebastian Faulks, Where My Heart Used to Beat

“Anger is what you think you should feel when love becomes too painful." – Unknown

“Sometimes, the most profound love can be found in the ashes of anger." -Unknown

Quotes about letting go of anger

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” -Lewis B. Smedes

“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.” -Catherine Ponder

“I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.” Booker T. Washington

“Holding on to anger, resentment and hurt only gives you tense muscles, a headache and a sore jaw from clenching your teeth. Forgiveness gives you back the laughter and the lightness in your life.” -Joan Lunden

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” -Mark Twain

“Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.” -Cherie Carter-Scott

Getting support with anger management

If you’re experiencing challenges with anger, you may benefit from speaking with a licensed therapist. A therapist may be able to help you process your anger and explore its causes in a safe setting. Some therapists may use cognitive behavioral therapy to help you identify negative or inaccurate thought patterns that may be contributing to your anger. 

If you are hesitant to talk about your anger in traditional in-office therapy, you might consider online therapy instead. 

Can online therapy help with anger, resentment, and anger management?

In recent years, numerous studies have suggested that online therapy can effectively address numerous mental health conditions. 

With online therapy, you can speak with a therapist in the way that’s most comfortable for you, whether by audio, video, live chat, or a combination of these methods. You can also contact your therapist at any time through in-app messaging, and they’ll generally reply as soon as they are able. This feature may be useful if you experience anger in between sessions and want to document what you’re feeling.

Takeaway 

The above anger quotes may provide some insight into what to do when you’re experiencing anger. If you’re experiencing intense anger that’s affecting your health and well-being, it may be beneficial to speak with a licensed mental health professional, whether in person or online.