---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Holding anger is a poison. Never regret…"
description: "\"“Holding anger is a poison. Never regret something that made you smile. Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you.”\" — John Green"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/john-green-12_anger_holding-anger-is-a-poison-never-regret-s_1239895.jpg"
---

#  Holding anger is a poison. Never regret something that…

![“Holding anger is a poison. Never regret something that made you smile. Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/john-green-12_anger_holding-anger-is-a-poison-never-regret-s_1239895.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/john-green-12_anger_holding-anger-is-a-poison-never-regret-s_1239895.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/john-green-12_anger_holding-anger-is-a-poison-never-regret-s_1239895.jpg)

> ““Holding anger is a poison. Never regret something that made you smile. Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you.””

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## About This Quote

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

Holding onto anger harms you; choose forgiveness and kindness instead.

**In simple terms:** Anger is toxic; be kind.

Key Takeaway

Let go of anger, practice empathy.

Themes

forgiveness kindness emotional health

Mood

reflective calm

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- conflict resolution
- mental health
- stress management

Key Concepts

psychology ethics self‑care

Questions to Reflect On

- What anger are you holding onto?
- How could letting go change your day?

A Different Perspective

Forgiveness can be difficult when hurt runs deep.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Poison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison/)

## Related quotes

> [“Holding anger is poison”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/holding-anger-is-poison/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. One who thinks that anger is a weapon that attacks the person who harms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/holding-anger-is-a-poison-it-eats-you-from-inside-one-who-thinks-that/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

> [“Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/holding-anger-is-a-poison-it-eats-you-from-inside/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Holding anger is a poison.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/holding-anger-is-a-poison/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Ruby stepped toward him. “Edward,” she said softly. It was the first time she had called him by name. “Learn this from me. Holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/ruby-stepped-toward-him-edward-she-said-softly-it-was-the-first-time/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Anger is poison. Maybe”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-larkin/anger-is-poison-maybe/)

Matt Larkin

> [Anger is poison. You must purge it from your mind or else it will corrupt your better nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/anger-is-poison-you-must-purge-it-from-your-mind-or-else-it-will/)

[Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/)

> [“Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from the inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/holding-anger-is-a-poison-it-eats-you-from-the-inside-we-think-that/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [A woman wanted to know how to deal with anger. I asked when anger arose whose anger it was. She said it was hers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/a-woman-wanted-to-know-how-to-deal-with-anger-i-asked-when-anger/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/holding-on-to-anger-is-like-grasping-a-hot-coal-with-the-intent-of/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [Holding Your Anger Is A Poison. It Eats You From Inside. We Think That Hating Is A Weapon That Attacks The Person Who Harmed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/holding-your-anger-is-a-poison-it-eats-you-from-inside-we-think-that/)

Pacifiersucker

> [Anger is a poison which is spreading quickly in the body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/anger-is-a-poison-which-is-spreading-quickly-in-the-body/)

Mak\_786

> [Anger is a poison that can do more harm to the vessel(Us) in which it is stored than to anyone on which it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-mcfatridge-terry/anger-is-a-poison-that-can-do-more-harm-to-the-vessel-us-in-which-it/)

[Kris( McFatridge) Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-mcfatridge-terry/)

> [Holding onto anger is like drinking a poison and expecting the other person to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/holding-onto-anger-is-like-drinking-a-poison-and-expecting-the-other/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-mcfatridge-terry/holding-on-to-anger-resentment-and-hurt-only-gives-you-tense-muscles/)

[Kris( McFatridge) Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-mcfatridge-terry/)

## More by John Green

> [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

[Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## 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": "“Holding anger is a poison. Never regret something that made you smile. Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Green"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/holding-anger-is-a-poison-never-regret-something-that-made-you-smile/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anger"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/holding-anger-is-a-poison-never-regret-something-that-made-you-smile/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/john-green-12_anger_holding-anger-is-a-poison-never-regret-s_1239895.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/john-green-12_anger_holding-anger-is-a-poison-never-regret-s_1239895.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/john-green-12_anger_holding-anger-is-a-poison-never-regret-s_1239895.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Holding anger is a poison. Never regret something that made you smile. Do not do unto others what you do not…” — John Green",
                "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": "John Green",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Holding anger is a poison. Never...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/holding-anger-is-a-poison-never-regret-something-that-made-you-smile/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/holding-anger-is-a-poison-never-regret-something-that-made-you-smile/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
