--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My form master in 4B1, Snappy Priestman…" description: "\"“My form master in 4B1, Snappy Priestman, was a gentle man, cultivated, kind and civilized except when he (very occasionally) lost his temper. Even the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/richard-dawkins-115_anger_my-form-master-in-4b1-snappy-priestman-w_3096102.jpg" --- # My form master in 4B1, Snappy Priestman, was a gentle man… ![“My form master in 4B1, Snappy Priestman, was a gentle man, cultivated, kind and civilized except when he (very occasionally) lost his temper. Even then, there was something oddly gentlemanly about the way he did it. In one of his lessons he caught a boy misbehaving. After a lull when nothing…” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/richard-dawkins-115_anger_my-form-master-in-4b1-snappy-priestman-w_3096102.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/richard-dawkins-115_anger_my-form-master-in-4b1-snappy-priestman-w_3096102.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/richard-dawkins-115_anger_my-form-master-in-4b1-snappy-priestman-w_3096102.jpg) > ““My form master in 4B1, Snappy Priestman, was a gentle man, cultivated, kind and civilized except when he (very occasionally) lost his temper. Even then, there was something oddly gentlemanly about the way he did it. In one of his lessons he caught a boy misbehaving. After a lull when nothing happened, he began to give us verbal warning of his escalating internal fury, speaking quite calmly as an objective observer of his own internal state. Oh dear. I can't hold it. I'm going to lose my temper. Get down below your desks. I'm warning you. It's coming. Get down below your desks. As his voice rose in a steady crescendo he was becoming increasingly red in the face, and he finally picked up everything within reach - chalk, inkpots, books, wood-backed blackboard erasers - and hurled them, with the utmost ferocity, towards the miscreant. Next day he was charm itself, apologizing briefly but graciously to the same boy. He was a kind gentleman provoked beyond endurance - as who would not be in his profession? Who would not be in mine, for that matter?”” [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A teacher’s brief temper flare can be both frightening and oddly dignified, showing that even gentle people have limits. **In simple terms:** Even kind people can lose control when pushed. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage personal triggers. Themes self‑control authority empathy Mood tense reflective Type narrative observational When to use this quote - classroom discipline - conflict resolution - personal development Key Concepts psychology emotional regulation leadership Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle sudden anger? - What signals precede your own loss of control? A Different Perspective Temper can damage trust and safety if not contained. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Fury Speaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fury-speaking-5345465/) [Gentleman Provoked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentleman-provoked-5345463/) [Lose Temper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose-temper/) [Lost Temper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-temper-339865/) [Next day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-day/) [Snappy Priestman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snappy-priestman-5345464/) [Within reach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/within-reach/) ## Related quotes > [I think that fear does come into it in some respect in the sense of when I lost my temper I didn't hide behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ferguson/i-think-that-fear-does-come-into-it-in-some-respect-in-the-sense-of/) [Alex Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ferguson/) > [I keep my emotions to myself. I have never lost my temper in public, I have never wept in public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-jayalalithaa/i-keep-my-emotions-to-myself-i-have-never-lost-my-temper-in-public-i/) [J. Jayalalithaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-jayalalithaa/) > [Jessie Wallace was the first time I erupted. She was late, she was young. She's not like that any more. I lost my temper.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-windsor/jessie-wallace-was-the-first-time-i-erupted-she-was-late-she-was/) [Barbara Windsor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-windsor/) > [Delly lost her temper at Peeta over how he treated you. She got very squeaky. It was like someone stabbing a mouse with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/delly-lost-her-temper-at-peeta-over-how-he-treated-you-she-got-very/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“I realized it, but in the days since he yelled at me, there are no questions at all. He hasn’t come to me for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-savage/i-realized-it-but-in-the-days-since-he-yelled-at-me-there-are-no/) [Vivienne Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-savage/) > [There are only two people who can tell you the truth about yourself - an enemy who has lost his temper and a friend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antisthenes/there-are-only-two-people-who-can-tell-you-the-truth-about-yourself/) [Antisthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antisthenes/) > [What happened to your hand? It got hit by a mirror. How'd that happen? I lost my temper at myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-anderson/what-happened-to-your-hand-it-got-hit-by-a-mirror-how-d-that-happen-i/) [Wes Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-anderson/) > [“He’d lost his temper with Erisa once too often, and look what had happened. The stupid woman had tried to run from him, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-marillier/he-d-lost-his-temper-with-erisa-once-too-often-and-look-what-had/) [Juliet Marillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-marillier/) > [I lost my temper but it came back!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-lost-my-temper-but-it-came-back/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where I once constantly lost my temper, I found myself arriving at a crisis and experiencing peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/where-i-once-constantly-lost-my-temper-i-found-myself-arriving-at-a/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [He always apologized, and sometimes he would even cry because of the bruises he'd made on her arms or legs or her back. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/he-always-apologized-and-sometimes-he-would-even-cry-because-of-the/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“Enough of this, dearest one. I ought not to have spoken of it, but I lost my temper. Still, it is pleasant to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/enough-of-this-dearest-one-i-ought-not-to-have-spoken-of-it-but-i/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [I lost my temper on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-richards/i-lost-my-temper-on-stage/) [Michael Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-richards/) > [I've only lost my temper three times in my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/i-ve-only-lost-my-temper-three-times-in-my-whole-life/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [Being frank or straightforward doesn't only tells the truth, it also states the fact that you just lost your temper of holding back from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince/being-frank-or-straightforward-doesn-t-only-tells-the-truth-it-also/) [Vince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince/) ## More by Richard Dawkins > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“The fundamentalist Kurt Wise proclaims that all the evidence in the universe would not change his mind. 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And of all its money-making rip-offs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-roman-catholic-church-is-an-institution-for-whose-gains-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/let-us-understand-what-our-own-selfish-genes-are-up-to-because-we-may/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [What's going to happen when I die? I may be buried, or I may be cremated, I may give my body to science. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-s-going-to-happen-when-i-die-i-may-be-buried-or-i-may-be/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We have seen that living things are too improbable and too beautifully 'designed' to have come into existence by chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-have-seen-that-living-things-are-too-improbable-and-too/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“We will not go quietly away. If in the future that requires violence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-will-not-go-quietly-away-if-in-the-future-that-requires-violence/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [It's a truly disgusting idea that the creator of the universe - capable of inventing the laws of physics and designing the evolutionary process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-s-a-truly-disgusting-idea-that-the-creator-of-the-universe-capable/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Explore all 1,239 Richard Dawkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## 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": "“My form master in 4B1, Snappy Priestman, was a gentle man, cultivated, kind and civilized except when he (very occasionally) lost his temper. Even then, there was something oddly gentlemanly about the way he did it. In one of his lessons he caught a boy misbehaving. After a lull when nothing happened, he began to give us verbal warning of his escalating internal fury, speaking quite calmly as an objective observer of his own internal state. Oh dear. I can't hold it. I'm going to lose my temper. Get down below your desks. I'm warning you. It's coming. Get down below your desks. As his voice rose in a steady crescendo he was becoming increasingly red in the face, and he finally picked up everything within reach - chalk, inkpots, books, wood-backed blackboard erasers - and hurled them, with the utmost ferocity, towards the miscreant. Next day he was charm itself, apologizing briefly but graciously to the same boy. He was a kind gentleman provoked beyond endurance - as who would not be in his profession? 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