Here is another excerpt from my latest book, Simple Realities (The pathway to happiness and success), which is now available at Amazon.com and on Kindle.
Mabel O’Brien was the best schoolteacher I ever had, and I had made her angry. This being back when teachers could punish pupils, I knew there was punishment in store; but she just stood there and stared at me. I finally mustered enough nerve to ask, “Well what’s going to happen to me?” She replied, “I can’t decide right now; I’ll have to wait until I get over being mad at you.”
It’s impossible to be effective and angry at the same time.
Losing your temper is an admission that you’ve run out of ideas.
An ounce of don’t say it is worth a ton of I didn’t mean it; it’s easier to swallow angry words now than to eat them later.
We always have the choice of ignoring insults.
Those who truly know don’t need to get angry.
The angriest people are usually those who know they’re wrong.
Your temper is too valuable a possession to lose.
When right, we can afford to keep our temper; when wrong, we can’t afford to lose it.
It may take years to build a relationship, but one angry act can destroy it.
Only the immature stay angry; the mature get over it.
When you become angry, you’ve lost.
Anger may get us into trouble, but it’s usually pride that keeps us there.
One problem with fighting fire with fire is that you end up with a lot of ashes, which is why the fire department uses water.
The difference between a conviction and a prejudice is that a conviction can be explained without anger.
Angry people usually don’t cool down until they blow off their head of steam; there’s no point trying to reason with them until they do.
One problem with giving everyone a piece of your mind is that you may not have enough left.
Be especially wary of people whose anger is fuelled by hatred.
Just because someone is yelling at you doesn’t mean you’re wrong.
If someone you love gets angry with you when you’re only trying to help, the odds are it’s just because the timing isn’t right.
Angry people should be dealt with individually, not in a group where they can reinforce each other.