---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bitterness is cancer - it eats upon the…"
description: "\"Bitterness is cancer - it eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the object of its displeasure.\" — Maya Angelou"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/maya-angelou-104_anything_bitterness-is-cancer-it-eats-upon-the-ho_2632909.png"
---

#  Bitterness is cancer - it eats upon the host. It doesn't…

![“Bitterness is cancer - it eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the object of its displeasure.” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/maya-angelou-104_anything_bitterness-is-cancer-it-eats-upon-the-ho_2632909.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/maya-angelou-104_anything_bitterness-is-cancer-it-eats-upon-the-ho_2632909.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/maya-angelou-104_anything_bitterness-is-cancer-it-eats-upon-the-ho_2632909.png)

> “Bitterness is cancer - it eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the object of its displeasure.”

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

## About This Quote

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

Bitterness consumes the holder like cancer, harming the self without affecting the target.

**In simple terms:** Bitterness harms the one who feels it.

Key Takeaway

Release bitterness to protect yourself.

Themes

emotions health psychology

Mood

somber reflective

Type

psychological inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- stress management
- self‑care

Key Concepts

mental health toxic emotions

Questions to Reflect On

- What triggers your bitterness?
- How can you transform it into something positive?

A Different Perspective

Letting go can be difficult.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anything/) [Bitterness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitterness/) [Bitterness Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitterness-cancer-2204293/) [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Displeasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/displeasure/) [Eats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eats/) [Eats Host](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eats-host-2204295/) [Host](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/host/) [Object](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/object/) [Object Displeasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/object-displeasure-2204294/)

## Related quotes

> [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/)

> [Bitterness is like cancer. It eats...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/bitterness-is-like-cancer-it-eats/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [A man in love ... is the master, so it seems, but only if his lady friend permits it! The need to interchange the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-desclos/a-man-in-love-is-the-master-so-it-seems-but-only-if-his-lady-friend/)

[Anne Desclos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-desclos/)

> [I think in order to write really well and convincingly, one must be somewhat poisoned by emotion, dislike, displeasure, resentment, fault-finding, imagination, passionate remonstrance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/i-think-in-order-to-write-really-well-and-convincingly-one-must-be/)

[Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/)

> [“What if pleasure and displeasure were so tied together that whoever wanted to have as much as possible of one must also have as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/what-if-pleasure-and-displeasure-were-so-tied-together-that-whoever/)

[Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/)

> [“If I don't talk about it, it's either very displeasing or very precious to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-rachelle/if-i-don-t-talk-about-it-it-s-either-very-displeasing-or-very/)

[Joyce Rachelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-rachelle/)

> [Never shall I recollect the occasion he gave me of displeasure, without feeling it renewed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-shall-i-recollect-the-occasion-he-gave-me-of-displeasure/)

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

> [Be careful how you do one man a pleasure which must needs occasion equal displeasure in another. For he who is thus slighted will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesco-guicciardini/be-careful-how-you-do-one-man-a-pleasure-which-must-needs-occasion/)

[Francesco Guicciardini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesco-guicciardini/)

> [It wasn't like I was some expert on the meaning of being supportive. Was it being loyal even against your better judgement? Or, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/it-wasn-t-like-i-was-some-expert-on-the-meaning-of-being-supportive/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [Thus the will to power strives towards oppositions, towards displeasure. There is a will to suffering at the foundation of all organic life (contrary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/thus-the-will-to-power-strives-towards-oppositions-towards/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“For any display of displeasure or anger against injustice and ungodliness, there is a reward and a godly result.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/for-any-display-of-displeasure-or-anger-against-injustice-and/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [You behold in me, Stephen said with grim displeasure, a horrible example of free thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/you-behold-in-me-stephen-said-with-grim-displeasure-a-horrible/)

[James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/)

> [Insensibility, of all kinds, and on all occasions, most moves my imperial displeasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/insensibility-of-all-kinds-and-on-all-occasions-most-moves-my/)

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

> [I remember a group therapy session when one of the patients was reluctantly turning his corner. He would accept it, he said, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-b-kopp/i-remember-a-group-therapy-session-when-one-of-the-patients-was/)

[Sheldon B. Kopp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-b-kopp/)

> [Work addiction seems to be an addiction we are proud of. We almost seem to brag with mock displeasure that we are "overwhelmed" with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pearsall/work-addiction-seems-to-be-an-addiction-we-are-proud-of-we-almost/)

[Paul Pearsall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pearsall/)

## More by Maya Angelou

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [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/)

> [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [You want me to do something... tell me I can't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-want-me-to-do-something-tell-me-i-can-t-do-it/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Life is going to give you just what you put in it. Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-is-going-to-give-you-just-what-you-put-in-it-put-your-whole/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-more-you-know-of-your-history-the-more-liberated-you-are/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Life offers us tickets to places which we have not knowingly asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-offers-us-tickets-to-places-which-we-have-not-knowingly-asked-for/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Nathaniel Hawthorne once said that easy reading is damn hard writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/nathaniel-hawthorne-once-said-that-easy-reading-is-damn-hard-writing/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

[Explore all 1,313 Maya Angelou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

## More Anything quotes

> [I guess I've never really wanted to be anything else. I've never even thought about having another job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-farrell/i-guess-i-ve-never-really-wanted-to-be-anything-else-i-ve-never-even/)

[Owen Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-farrell/)

> [I would give anything to be able to kick a ball with my son or read the kids a bedtime story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-burrow/i-would-give-anything-to-be-able-to-kick-a-ball-with-my-son-or-read/)

[Rob Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-burrow/)

> [Comfort food is really anything you want at that time. That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/)

[Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/)

> [I haven't shut any doors, and I'm really open to anything, so I think it's just about the material and what is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/i-haven-t-shut-any-doors-and-i-m-really-open-to-anything-so-i-think/)

[Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/)

> [When it really comes down to it, the job you do is more important and is more representative of who you are than your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/when-it-really-comes-down-to-it-the-job-you-do-is-more-important-and/)

[Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/)

> [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/)

[Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/)

> [I never did drama at school. I did it for one term, when it was compulsory, and I hated it. Tennis was the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-mitchell/i-never-did-drama-at-school-i-did-it-for-one-term-when-it-was/)

[Luke Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-mitchell/)

> [We live in such a special time when literally anything we can think of is possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-willey/we-live-in-such-a-special-time-when-literally-anything-we-can-think/)

[Daniel Willey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-willey/)

> [You know, I'm from Baltimore; nobody has anything. When somebody had talent, I was hiring my uncle, my cousin, you know? Getting people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/you-know-i-m-from-baltimore-nobody-has-anything-when-somebody-had/)

[Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/)

> [I said to my agent, 'I want short, sharp, well-paid jobs because I haven't got time for anything else.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-whitelaw/i-said-to-my-agent-i-want-short-sharp-well-paid-jobs-because-i-haven/)

[Billie Whitelaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-whitelaw/)

> [I think anything that anyone writes thats any good is going to have a lot of autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-adly-guirgis/i-think-anything-that-anyone-writes-thats-any-good-is-going-to-have-a/)

[Stephen Adly Guirgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-adly-guirgis/)

> [If the Bible is correct, and the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that means there were no dinosaurs, and museum curators have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-shock/if-the-bible-is-correct-and-the-earth-is-only-6-000-years-old-that/)

[Ron Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-shock/)

> [Don't do anything drastic like getting your eyebrows tattooed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/don-t-do-anything-drastic-like-getting-your-eyebrows-tattooed/)

[Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/)

> [Whenever you define family as anything other than a man and a woman married together, you have just introduced an ethical nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-evans/whenever-you-define-family-as-anything-other-than-a-man-and-a-woman/)

[Tony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-evans/)

> [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/)

[Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/)

[Browse all 9,437 Anything quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anything/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Bitterness is cancer - it eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the object of its displeasure.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Maya Angelou"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/bitterness-is-cancer-it-eats-upon-the-host-it-doesn-t-do-anything-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anything"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/bitterness-is-cancer-it-eats-upon-the-host-it-doesn-t-do-anything-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/maya-angelou-104_anything_bitterness-is-cancer-it-eats-upon-the-ho_2632909.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/maya-angelou-104_anything_bitterness-is-cancer-it-eats-upon-the-ho_2632909.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/maya-angelou-104_anything_bitterness-is-cancer-it-eats-upon-the-ho_2632909.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Bitterness is cancer - it eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the object of its displeasure.” — Maya Angelou",
                "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": "Maya Angelou",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Bitterness is cancer - it eats...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/bitterness-is-cancer-it-eats-upon-the-host-it-doesn-t-do-anything-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/bitterness-is-cancer-it-eats-upon-the-host-it-doesn-t-do-anything-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
