---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never ask a woman why she's angry at you…"
description: "\"Never ask a woman why she's angry at you. She will either get angrier at you for not knowing, or she'll tell you. Both ways, you lose.\" — Ian Shoales"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd6/ian-shoales-32861_anger_never-ask-a-woman-why-she-s-angry-at-you_1416290.jpg"
---

#  Never ask a woman why she's angry at you. She will either…

![“Never ask a woman why she's angry at you. She will either get angrier at you for not knowing, or she'll tell you. Both ways, you lose.” quote by Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd6/ian-shoales-32861_anger_never-ask-a-woman-why-she-s-angry-at-you_1416290.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd6/ian-shoales-32861_anger_never-ask-a-woman-why-she-s-angry-at-you_1416290.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd6/ian-shoales-32861_anger_never-ask-a-woman-why-she-s-angry-at-you_1416290.jpg)

> “Never ask a woman why she's angry at you. She will either get angrier at you for not knowing, or she'll tell you. Both ways, you lose.”

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Questioning a woman's anger often leads to escalation or loss, suggesting a need for careful communication.

**In simple terms:** Avoid probing anger directly; it can backfire.

Key Takeaway

Communicate with empathy and patience.

Themes

communication gender dynamics conflict empathy

Mood

cautious thoughtful

Type

advisory reflective

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- workplace dynamics
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

relationship management emotional intelligence

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you address concerns without triggering anger?
- What listening strategies improve understanding?

A Different Perspective

Direct questioning may not resolve underlying issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/)

## Related quotes

> [You can write a great country record and still be angry. Who's angrier than Toby Keith? He's angrier than the average 10 rappers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/you-can-write-a-great-country-record-and-still-be-angry-who-s-angrier/)

[Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/)

> [The moment a man or a woman becomes angry they show a great weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilford-woodruff/the-moment-a-man-or-a-woman-becomes-angry-they-show-a-great-weakness/)

[Wilford Woodruff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilford-woodruff/)

> [My friend, there is nothing so sexy as a woman who is angry. Perhaps when she is even throwing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marat-safin/my-friend-there-is-nothing-so-sexy-as-a-woman-who-is-angry-perhaps/)

[Marat Safin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marat-safin/)

> [If it's unseemly and possibly dangerous for a man to be angry, it's totally unacceptable for a woman to be angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/if-it-s-unseemly-and-possibly-dangerous-for-a-man-to-be-angry-it-s/)

[Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/)

> [You should make a woman angry if you wish her to love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/you-should-make-a-woman-angry-if-you-wish-her-to-love/)

[Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/)

> [“A woman can never be angry; she can only be neurotic, hysterical, frustrated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-deshpande/a-woman-can-never-be-angry-she-can-only-be-neurotic-hysterical/)

[Shashi Deshpande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-deshpande/)

> [“I swear, the only thing worse than an angry woman, is an angry woman who’s got a big stick to whack you with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-muchamore/i-swear-the-only-thing-worse-than-an-angry-woman-is-an-angry-woman/)

[Robert Muchamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-muchamore/)

> [Anyway, these books I love, they’re all books by men—every last one of them. Because if it’s unseemly and possibly dangerous for a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/anyway-these-books-i-love-they-re-all-books-by-men-every-last-one-of/)

[Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/)

> [She writhes under her life. A woman more angry, passionate, reckless, and revengeful never lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/she-writhes-under-her-life-a-woman-more-angry-passionate-reckless-and/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“There was a dumb misery about him that irritated her; there was a manly staying of his hand that made her heart beat faster.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/there-was-a-dumb-misery-about-him-that-irritated-her-there-was-a/)

[Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/)

> [What passes for love is imperfect knowledge. Not knowing, initially, allows faithlessness to dress up as its opposite; casts the inarticulate as enigmatic, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-laird/what-passes-for-love-is-imperfect-knowledge-not-knowing-initially/)

[Nick Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-laird/)

> [A wise man once said: I don't know ask a woman!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-wise-thought/a-wise-man-once-said-i-don-t-know-ask-a-woman/)

The Wise Thought

> [I won't ask a woman if she's pregnant unless the baby is crowning. We've all seen that happen, where you say, 'So, when are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-reynolds/i-won-t-ask-a-woman-if-she-s-pregnant-unless-the-baby-is-crowning-we/)

[Ryan Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-reynolds/)

> [Ask any woman who has gone through a divorce and had her standard of living decline substantially. Ask any woman who's been fired or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallie-krawcheck/ask-any-woman-who-has-gone-through-a-divorce-and-had-her-standard-of/)

[Sallie Krawcheck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallie-krawcheck/)

> [The emotions, responsibilities - and the pain - of motherhood are unique to each of us with children. Ask any woman, and she will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/the-emotions-responsibilities-and-the-pain-of-motherhood-are-unique/)

[Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/)

## More by Ian Shoales

> [The word relationship best refers to the connection between parasite and host, or shark and remora. It's a biological term. I'd rather be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/the-word-relationship-best-refers-to-the-connection-between-parasite/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

> [“ It's a ridiculous profession and it's getting worse. It's becoming almost like palm reading or phrenology. It's been relegated to pop best sellers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/it-s-a-ridiculous-profession-and-it-s-getting-worse-it-s-becoming/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

> [Sigmund Freud was a half baked Viennese quack. Our literature, culture, and the films of Woody Allen would be better today if Freud had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/sigmund-freud-was-a-half-baked-viennese-quack-our-literature-culture/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

> [Favorite color: I hate colors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/favorite-color-i-hate-colors/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

> [Americans will buy anything, as long as it doesn't cross the thin line between cute and demonic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/americans-will-buy-anything-as-long-as-it-doesn-t-cross-the-thin-line/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

> [Everybody's excited about the new service economy, even though there is no actual service as near as I can tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/everybody-s-excited-about-the-new-service-economy-even-though-there/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

> [Advice to rock gods: drugwise, stick to Ibuprofen, decaf lattes, and pale Pilsners ... If your stomach is not a flat slab, please leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/advice-to-rock-gods-drugwise-stick-to-ibuprofen-decaf-lattes-and-pale/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

> [I read a column by George Will that SCARFACE should be rated X because parents were taking their children to see it. So what?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/i-read-a-column-by-george-will-that-scarface-should-be-rated-x/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

> [Men want to put their signature at the bottom; women don't want to finish that letter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/men-want-to-put-their-signature-at-the-bottom-women-don-t-want-to/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

> [They don't produce anything. All they do is guide you through the labyrinth of the legal system that they created - and they keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/they-don-t-produce-anything-all-they-do-is-guide-you-through-the/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

> [L.A.: where there's never weather, and walking is a crime. L.A.: where the streetlights and palm trees go on forever, where darkness never comes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/l-a-where-there-s-never-weather-and-walking-is-a-crime-l-a-where-the/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

> [Why are we importing all these highbrow plays like 'Amadeus'? I could have told you Mozart was a jerk for nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/why-are-we-importing-all-these-highbrow-plays-like-amadeus-i-could/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

> [I know what love is: Tracy and Hepburn, Bogart and Bacall, Romeo and Juliet, Jackie and John and Marilyn...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/i-know-what-love-is-tracy-and-hepburn-bogart-and-bacall-romeo-and/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

> [I don't like people who speak French in public places. This includes the French.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/i-don-t-like-people-who-speak-french-in-public-places-this-includes/)

[Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

[Explore all 15 Ian Shoales quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/)

## 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": "Never ask a woman why she's angry at you. She will either get angrier at you for not knowing, or she'll tell you. Both ways, you lose.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ian Shoales"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/never-ask-a-woman-why-she-s-angry-at-you-she-will-either-get-angrier/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anger"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/never-ask-a-woman-why-she-s-angry-at-you-she-will-either-get-angrier/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd6/ian-shoales-32861_anger_never-ask-a-woman-why-she-s-angry-at-you_1416290.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd6/ian-shoales-32861_anger_never-ask-a-woman-why-she-s-angry-at-you_1416290.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd6/ian-shoales-32861_anger_never-ask-a-woman-why-she-s-angry-at-you_1416290.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Never ask a woman why she's angry at you. She will either get angrier at you for not knowing, or she'll tell…” — Ian Shoales",
                "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": "Ian Shoales",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Never ask a woman why she's...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/never-ask-a-woman-why-she-s-angry-at-you-she-will-either-get-angrier/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/never-ask-a-woman-why-she-s-angry-at-you-she-will-either-get-angrier/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
