--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A little anger is a good thing if it…" description: "\"A little anger is a good thing if it isn't on your own behalf, if it's for others deserving of your anger, your empathy.\" — David Simon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/david-simon-3189_anger_a-little-anger-is-a-good-thing-if-it-isn_777220.png" --- # A little anger is a good thing if it isn't on your own… ![“A little anger is a good thing if it isn't on your own behalf, if it's for others deserving of your anger, your empathy.” quote by David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/david-simon-3189_anger_a-little-anger-is-a-good-thing-if-it-isn_777220.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/david-simon-3189_anger_a-little-anger-is-a-good-thing-if-it-isn_777220.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/david-simon-3189_anger_a-little-anger-is-a-good-thing-if-it-isn_777220.png) > “A little anger is a good thing if it isn't on your own behalf, if it's for others deserving of your anger, your empathy.” [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anger directed at others' injustices fuels empathy, distinguishing it from selfish resentment. **In simple terms:** Anger for others' sake builds empathy. Key Takeaway Channel anger into caring action. Themes justice empathy anger Mood thoughtful motivational Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - advocacy work - supporting victims - community organizing - ethical debates Key Concepts moral philosophy social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - When is anger justified? - How can you turn anger into positive change? A Different Perspective Anger can become destructive if misdirected. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Good things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-things/) ## Related quotes > [“Every time we replace anger with empathy and caring, we help a child become better prepared to make wise decisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-fay/every-time-we-replace-anger-with-empathy-and-caring-we-help-a-child/) [Jim Fay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-fay/) > [“frustration with a lack of progress by your ADHD spouse more often leads to anger than empathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-orlov/frustration-with-a-lack-of-progress-by-your-adhd-spouse-more-often/) [Melissa Orlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-orlov/) > [“All right then, I’ll be mad at you on this score, which incidentally is no great misfortune, as things balance out quite well if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/all-right-then-i-ll-be-mad-at-you-on-this-score-which-incidentally-is/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [A little too much anger, too often or at the wrong time, can destroy more than you would ever imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/a-little-too-much-anger-too-often-or-at-the-wrong-time-can-destroy/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [A big Bucket full of water can be emptied by a small hole, Even a little anger or ego will burn up all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/a-big-bucket-full-of-water-can-be-emptied-by-a-small-hole-even-a/) [KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/) > [“A little more compassion and a little less anger is what most of us need.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/a-little-more-compassion-and-a-little-less-anger-is-what-most-of-us/) [Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/) > [Krumping has a little anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-basil/krumping-has-a-little-anger/) [Toni Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-basil/) > [Sometimes you just need to raise your voice. And sometimes a little anger is necessary, to be honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-hawkins/sometimes-you-just-need-to-raise-your-voice-and-sometimes-a-little/) [Corey Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-hawkins/) > [A BiG pOt FuLl Of WaTeR cAn bE eMpTiEd By A sMaLl HoLe ¦ EvEn A lItTlE aNgEr Or EgO wIlL bUrN uP aLl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark/a-big-pot-full-of-water-can-be-emptied-by-a-small-hole-even-a-little/) [Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark/) > [“Use your anger for good. Anger to people is like gas to the automobile - it fuels you to move forward and get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arun-gandhi/use-your-anger-for-good-anger-to-people-is-like-gas-to-the-automobile/) [Arun Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arun-gandhi/) > [“anger, in and of itself, is a good thing, within reason, but it will be your greatest enemy if you don't learn to control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-vali/anger-in-and-of-itself-is-a-good-thing-within-reason-but-it-will-be/) [Ali Vali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-vali/) > [“Never be too angry beyond repairs. Anger is nothing good to be part of your tributes. Are you angry with someone? The sun is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/never-be-too-angry-beyond-repairs-anger-is-nothing-good-to-be-part-of/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Anger is good. Get nice and pissed. Use the fuel of your injustices to push you to destroy your mask. Don't waste them. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-q/anger-is-good-get-nice-and-pissed-use-the-fuel-of-your-injustices-to/) [Josh Q](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-q/) > [“Cold and anger were not a good mix. "Hayden," Nick called from behind me. Oh, good! Just what this walk needed: a double-shot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-echols/cold-and-anger-were-not-a-good-mix-hayden-nick-called-from-behind-me/) [Jennifer Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-echols/) > [Anger can be a good thing. It's a mechanism that your brain uses to get you out of situations that are bad for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/anger-can-be-a-good-thing-it-s-a-mechanism-that-your-brain-uses-to/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) ## More by David Simon > [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [It is your birthright to live a life abundant in love. Make the commitment today to open your heart and let your love flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/it-is-your-birthright-to-live-a-life-abundant-in-love-make-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [“If the case isn't plea bargained, dismissed or placed on the inactive docket for an indefinite period of time, if by some perverse twist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-the-case-isn-t-plea-bargained-dismissed-or-placed-on-the-inactive/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Boiled down to its core, the truth is always a simple, solid thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/boiled-down-to-its-core-the-truth-is-always-a-simple-solid-thing/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [When we spend time in silence, we can hear the voice of our soul whispering its sacred message and encouraging us to make choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/when-we-spend-time-in-silence-we-can-hear-the-voice-of-our-soul/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [You have the capacity to change the plot line of your life, even if you've been acting from the same script since before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/you-have-the-capacity-to-change-the-plot-line-of-your-life-even-if/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Healing is the process of reestablishing the integration between body, mind, and spirit, creating opportunities for the return of the memory of wholeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/healing-is-the-process-of-reestablishing-the-integration-between-body/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Authenticity is an alignment between your beliefs, your desires and your choices in the world. Desires change throughout the course of a life, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/authenticity-is-an-alignment-between-your-beliefs-your-desires-and/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [One of the sad things about contemporary journalism is that it actually matters very little. The world now is almost inured to the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/one-of-the-sad-things-about-contemporary-journalism-is-that-it/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Awakening into love is a lifelong path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/awakening-into-love-is-a-lifelong-path/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [“Everyone lies. Murderers lie because they have to; witnesses and other participants lie because they think they have to; everyone else lies for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/everyone-lies-murderers-lie-because-they-have-to-witnesses-and-other/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [The drug war is a holocaust in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/the-drug-war-is-a-holocaust-in-slow-motion/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Lawrence Gilliard Jr. is a fine actor and I've always felt some residual guilt that we killed him so early in The Wire. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/lawrence-gilliard-jr-is-a-fine-actor-and-i-ve-always-felt-some/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [“A man got to have a code. --The Wire”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/a-man-got-to-have-a-code-the-wire/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [What drugs have not destroyed, the war on them has](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/what-drugs-have-not-destroyed-the-war-on-them-has/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) [Explore all 134 David Simon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) ## 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": "A little anger is a good thing if it isn't on your own behalf, if it's for others deserving of your anger, your empathy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Simon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/a-little-anger-is-a-good-thing-if-it-isn-t-on-your-own-behalf-if-it-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anger" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/a-little-anger-is-a-good-thing-if-it-isn-t-on-your-own-behalf-if-it-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/david-simon-3189_anger_a-little-anger-is-a-good-thing-if-it-isn_777220.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/david-simon-3189_anger_a-little-anger-is-a-good-thing-if-it-isn_777220.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/david-simon-3189_anger_a-little-anger-is-a-good-thing-if-it-isn_777220.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A little anger is a good thing if it isn't on your own behalf, if it's for others deserving of your anger…” — David Simon", "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 Simon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A little anger is a good...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/a-little-anger-is-a-good-thing-if-it-isn-t-on-your-own-behalf-if-it-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/a-little-anger-is-a-good-thing-if-it-isn-t-on-your-own-behalf-if-it-s/#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 } } ] } ```