--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every one of us has a hard time changing…" description: "\"“Every one of us has a hard time changing. It’s hard to think straight about anger. It grabs you and it’s got you. The ancient Romans had a saying, Ira..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/788/david-a-powlison-32053_hamster-wheel_every-one-of-us-has-a-hard-time-changing_2137483.jpg" --- # Every one of us has a hard time changing. It’s hard to… ![“Every one of us has a hard time changing. It’s hard to think straight about anger. It grabs you and it’s got you. The ancient Romans had a saying, Ira furor brevis est, “Anger is a brief madness.” Anger makes us crazy, blind, confused, and confusing. The beams of sanity are rare. Have you ever…” quote by David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/788/david-a-powlison-32053_hamster-wheel_every-one-of-us-has-a-hard-time-changing_2137483.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/788/david-a-powlison-32053_hamster-wheel_every-one-of-us-has-a-hard-time-changing_2137483.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/788/david-a-powlison-32053_hamster-wheel_every-one-of-us-has-a-hard-time-changing_2137483.jpg) > ““Every one of us has a hard time changing. It’s hard to think straight about anger. It grabs you and it’s got you. The ancient Romans had a saying, Ira furor brevis est, “Anger is a brief madness.” Anger makes us crazy, blind, confused, and confusing. The beams of sanity are rare. Have you ever noticed and marveled later at your irrationality? What came over me? How could I have thought that, said that, done that? Sometimes the insanity is not so brief. It settles in and stays a while. Sometimes the habit runs on for a lifetime—a hamster wheel you don’t ever get off.”” [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Changing is difficult; anger clouds judgment and can become a persistent, self‑reinforcing habit that disrupts rational thought. **In simple terms:** Anger impairs clarity and may linger. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage anger early. Themes psychology self‑control habit formation Mood thoughtful cautious Type self‑help motivational When to use this quote - conflict resolution - personal growth - stress management Key Concepts cognitive bias emotional regulation Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your anger? - How can you break the anger habit? A Different Perspective Anger’s brief madness can become a lasting cycle. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient Roman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-roman/) [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Hamster wheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamster-wheel/) [Hard time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-time/) [Insanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insanity/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Anger is a brief madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/anger-is-a-brief-madness/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Anger is brief madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/anger-is-brief-madness/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“Here is the sweet paradox in how God works. He blesses those who admit that they need help: The poor in spirit are blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/here-is-the-sweet-paradox-in-how-god-works-he-blesses-those-who-admit/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [Adrenaline kicks you in when you’re starving. That’s what nobody understands. Except for being hungry and cold, most of the time I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/adrenaline-kicks-you-in-when-you-re-starving-that-s-what-nobody/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“When my heart is a hamster wheel, my inner life becomes a blur.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-fadling/when-my-heart-is-a-hamster-wheel-my-inner-life-becomes-a-blur/) Alan Fadling > [“We do this to ourselves. Society is a poisonous hamster wheel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-beukes/we-do-this-to-ourselves-society-is-a-poisonous-hamster-wheel/) [Lauren Beukes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-beukes/) > [As much as I love scores of wonderful sites across the web, most of them are driven by the daily grind of the display/pageview…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/as-much-as-i-love-scores-of-wonderful-sites-across-the-web-most-of/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [“Hustling is to work what surfing the Internet is to reading. If you add up how much you read in a year on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/hustling-is-to-work-what-surfing-the-internet-is-to-reading-if-you/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [It's for the hamster that I'm gonna buy! This is so perfect! (after opening a hamster wheel at Christmas)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/it-s-for-the-hamster-that-i-m-gonna-buy-this-is-so-perfect-after/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [“The more Amy struggled, the faster she sank. Every month she shuffled around less and less money to cover the same number of bills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grady-hendrix/the-more-amy-struggled-the-faster-she-sank-every-month-she-shuffled/) [Grady Hendrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grady-hendrix/) > [But I just felt at one point that I was on a hamster wheel, you know? Just doing movie after movie and thinking so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/but-i-just-felt-at-one-point-that-i-was-on-a-hamster-wheel-you-know/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [“We need time to be awake but not ready and available — to our boss, clients, partner, friends, and even our children. Even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-colier/we-need-time-to-be-awake-but-not-ready-and-available-to-our-boss/) [Nancy Colier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-colier/) > [If I wasn't touring, I wasn't making money. When I got the MacArthur, I could get off that hamster wheel. It meant I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/if-i-wasn-t-touring-i-wasn-t-making-money-when-i-got-the-macarthur-i/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [“Plan B” is nonsense. Successful people come up with plans A, B, C, D . . . all the way to Z. That’s how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-hurdle/plan-b-is-nonsense-successful-people-come-up-with-plans-a-b-c-d-all/) [Amber Hurdle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-hurdle/) > [I don't think young people are prepared for the moment of reckoning at the end of college - if you even go to college…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-welteroth/i-don-t-think-young-people-are-prepared-for-the-moment-of-reckoning/) [Elaine Welteroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-welteroth/) ## More by David A. Powlison > [“No one can understand a person who isn’t willing to hold two opposites together. You can’t understand yourself without holding the creation and fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/no-one-can-understand-a-person-who-isn-t-willing-to-hold-two/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“Here is the sweet paradox in how God works. He blesses those who admit that they need help: The poor in spirit are blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/here-is-the-sweet-paradox-in-how-god-works-he-blesses-those-who-admit/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“Second, Jimmy lived in a universe that featured him. Everything was all about one all-important, all-offended being. Every scene in his film, every page…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/second-jimmy-lived-in-a-universe-that-featured-him-everything-was-all/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“Motives are your core values and commitments, what you base your identity on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/motives-are-your-core-values-and-commitments-what-you-base-your/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“His mercy is not niceness. His mercy is not blanket acceptance of any and all. Mercy to us costs him—the blood of the Lamb.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/his-mercy-is-not-niceness-his-mercy-is-not-blanket-acceptance-of-any/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“Mercy is an entirely different way of reacting to offenses, to things we think are wrong. Think about this: mercy is not a non-reactive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/mercy-is-an-entirely-different-way-of-reacting-to-offenses-to-things/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“First, notice the weather. “Our Father . . . makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/first-notice-the-weather-our-father-makes-his-sun-rise-on-the-evil/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“By instinct, habit, and enculturation, all of us tend to think of counseling as a human-with-human interaction. But in fact a human-with-Savior interaction must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/by-instinct-habit-and-enculturation-all-of-us-tend-to-think-of/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“To actually make peace, where open wrong, hostility, and destruction now operate, is the hardest and best work in the world. It involves saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/to-actually-make-peace-where-open-wrong-hostility-and-destruction-now/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“Motives are not only the fine china of plausible desires and honest hurt. They are also the steel and high explosives of all-consuming self-will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/motives-are-not-only-the-fine-china-of-plausible-desires-and-honest/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“There’s something high and mighty about anger, when distilled to its basic elements. Anger goes wrong when you get godlike. Your desires become divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/there-s-something-high-and-mighty-about-anger-when-distilled-to-its/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“None of us are as bad as we could be (though some people come close). None of us are as good as we should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/none-of-us-are-as-bad-as-we-could-be-though-some-people-come-close/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“Conflicts can be impenetrably complex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/conflicts-can-be-impenetrably-complex/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“God’s mercies in Jesus Christ are like taking in the sun full strength. Our love for others is at best a flickering three-watt night-light.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/god-s-mercies-in-jesus-christ-are-like-taking-in-the-sun-full/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [“Every time you get angry, you make your values and point of view explicit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/every-time-you-get-angry-you-make-your-values-and-point-of-view/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) [Explore all 16 David A. Powlison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) ## More Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [My care will be in the heart n not in words My anger will be in Words n not in the Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/my-care-will-be-in-the-heart-n-not-in-words-my-anger-will-be-in-words/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Every one of us has a hard time changing. It’s hard to think straight about anger. It grabs you and it’s got you. The ancient Romans had a saying, Ira furor brevis est, “Anger is a brief madness.” Anger makes us crazy, blind, confused, and confusing. The beams of sanity are rare. Have you ever noticed and marveled later at your irrationality? What came over me? How could I have thought that, said that, done that? Sometimes the insanity is not so brief. It settles in and stays a while. Sometimes the habit runs on for a lifetime—a hamster wheel you don’t ever get off.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David A. Powlison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/every-one-of-us-has-a-hard-time-changing-it-s-hard-to-think-straight/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anger" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/every-one-of-us-has-a-hard-time-changing-it-s-hard-to-think-straight/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/788/david-a-powlison-32053_hamster-wheel_every-one-of-us-has-a-hard-time-changing_2137483.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/788/david-a-powlison-32053_hamster-wheel_every-one-of-us-has-a-hard-time-changing_2137483.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/788/david-a-powlison-32053_hamster-wheel_every-one-of-us-has-a-hard-time-changing_2137483.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every one of us has a hard time changing. It’s hard to think straight about anger. It grabs you and it’s got…” — David A. Powlison", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David A. Powlison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Every one of us has a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/every-one-of-us-has-a-hard-time-changing-it-s-hard-to-think-straight/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/every-one-of-us-has-a-hard-time-changing-it-s-hard-to-think-straight/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```