--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People are afraid that if they let go of…" description: "\"People are afraid that if they let go of their anger and righteousness and wrath, and look at their own feelings-and even see the good in a bad person-..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/robert-thurman-9409_anger_people-are-afraid-that-if-they-let-go-of_794803.jpg" --- # People are afraid that if they let go of their anger and… ![“People are afraid that if they let go of their anger and righteousness and wrath, and look at their own feelings-and even see the good in a bad person-they're going to lose the energy they need to do something about the problem. But actually you get more strength and energy by operating from a…” quote by Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/robert-thurman-9409_anger_people-are-afraid-that-if-they-let-go-of_794803.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/robert-thurman-9409_anger_people-are-afraid-that-if-they-let-go-of_794803.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/robert-thurman-9409_anger_people-are-afraid-that-if-they-let-go-of_794803.jpg) > “People are afraid that if they let go of their anger and righteousness and wrath, and look at their own feelings-and even see the good in a bad person-they're going to lose the energy they need to do something about the problem. But actually you get more strength and energy by operating from a place of love and concern. You can be just as tough, but more effectively tough.” [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Letting go of anger and righteousness can actually increase strength and energy, allowing one to act from love and concern while still being effective. **In simple terms:** Releasing anger can give you more power and effectiveness. Key Takeaway Choose love over rage for stronger action. Themes emotions strength compassion Mood hopeful inspired Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - conflict resolution - leadership - personal growth Key Concepts energy dynamics ethical action inner peace Questions to Reflect On - Can you be tough without anger? - What does love‑based strength look like? A Different Perspective Some may view love as weakness in competitive contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Anger Righteousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger-righteousness-6097047/) [Bad person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-person/) [Concern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concern/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inner strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-strength/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Let Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-anger/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Lose Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose-energy-1786147/) [Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses/) [Losing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Righteousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/righteousness/) [Righteousness Wrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/righteousness-wrath-6097048/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [Strength Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength-energy-1788994/) [Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tough/) [Wrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrath/) ## Related quotes > [After a disaster strikes, it can be very devastating and very challenging. You're going to need a lot of strength and energy, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/after-a-disaster-strikes-it-can-be-very-devastating-and-very/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [There is an energy within... pure strength... the energy of the person which is put in different forms, in different shapes... once we discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/there-is-an-energy-within-pure-strength-the-energy-of-the-person/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [Focus on your problem zones, your strength, your energy, your flexibility and all the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/focus-on-your-problem-zones-your-strength-your-energy-your-2/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [“By working so hard at self-improvement we lose the energy and ability to participate in any form of social change”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/by-working-so-hard-at-self-improvement-we-lose-the-energy-and-ability/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [When I lose my marbles which is never, when I lose my energy, I travel the world today for Viacom, China, Turkey, Dubai, Kuwait.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumner-redstone/when-i-lose-my-marbles-which-is-never-when-i-lose-my-energy-i-travel/) [Sumner Redstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sumner-redstone/) > [I get energy from one-on-one conversations most often, and I lose energy from group conversations most often,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/i-get-energy-from-one-on-one-conversations-most-often-and-i-lose/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Life wears us down. We all die here. Depending upon the way you expose yourself to energies and powers and forces will determine whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/life-wears-us-down-we-all-die-here-depending-upon-the-way-you-expose/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The primary place where most people lose energy is in their relationships with others. That means you lose your energy in your interactions with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-primary-place-where-most-people-lose-energy-is-in-their/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Laws always lose in energy what the government gains in extent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/laws-always-lose-in-energy-what-the-government-gains-in-extent/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [Im like an iphone I just lose energy without doing anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/im-like-an-iphone-i-just-lose-energy-without-doing-anything/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You only lose energy when life becomes dull in your mind. Your mind gets bored and therefore tired of doing nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/you-only-lose-energy-when-life-becomes-dull-in-your-mind-your-mind/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The biggest energy losses for most people are relationships, interrelations with other people. That is where we lose the most energy, through our attachments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-biggest-energy-losses-for-most-people-are-relationships/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Item one: the law of the will. We just talked about this: one should only do that which truly fills our hearts with enthusiasm.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/item-one-the-law-of-the-will-we-just-talked-about-this-one-should/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You lose your energy, you lose that excitement and it gets the audience up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/you-lose-your-energy-you-lose-that-excitement-and-it-gets-the/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [Sometimes, when I have a lot of ideas and I want to do a lot of things, or when I'm traveling, I lose energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjork/sometimes-when-i-have-a-lot-of-ideas-and-i-want-to-do-a-lot-of-things/) [Bjork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjork/) ## More by Robert Thurman > [Whether or not enlightenment is a plausible goal for us is a vital question for our lives. If it is possible for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/whether-or-not-enlightenment-is-a-plausible-goal-for-us-is-a-vital/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [You're more responsible ethically for being there with your interconnection to the world, but the you now is an always changing one, and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/you-re-more-responsible-ethically-for-being-there-with-your/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [However, because of your interconnectedness with all things, other beings still have a problem, and when you realize that you have no absolute self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/however-because-of-your-interconnectedness-with-all-things-other/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [If you love your enemy, that means you want your enemy to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/if-you-love-your-enemy-that-means-you-want-your-enemy-to-be-happy/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [In Buddhist ideology, the conventional self is that which is constructed in a way by the use of the pronoun, and when you realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/in-buddhist-ideology-the-conventional-self-is-that-which-is/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [To become enlightened is not just to slip into some disconnected euphoria, an oceanic feeling of mystic oneness apart from ordinary reality. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/to-become-enlightened-is-not-just-to-slip-into-some-disconnected/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [I think about the trends at the moment in the planet and how it looks for my grandchildren. I don't panic over it, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/i-think-about-the-trends-at-the-moment-in-the-planet-and-how-it-looks/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [To finish building the free society dreamed of by Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson, we must draw upon the resources of the enlightened imagination, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/to-finish-building-the-free-society-dreamed-of-by-washington-franklin/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [Hate poisons your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/hate-poisons-your-life/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [A possession can't make you happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/a-possession-can-t-make-you-happy/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [People in Tibet have an expression. When you reach a certain degree of venerableness and age, and people ask, "How are you?," there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/people-in-tibet-have-an-expression-when-you-reach-a-certain-degree-of/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [“Anger spoils relationships where there should be great reciprocity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/anger-spoils-relationships-where-there-should-be-great-reciprocity/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [It isn't the meaning of love where you somehow desire that one or you want them or want them to love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/it-isn-t-the-meaning-of-love-where-you-somehow-desire-that-one-or-you/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the greatest teachers of our time. He reaches from the heights of insight down to the deepest places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/thich-nhat-hanh-is-one-of-the-greatest-teachers-of-our-time-he/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [I'd like to say is that we shouldn't have an idea that the goal of spiritual practice is to annihilate ones ego, that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/i-d-like-to-say-is-that-we-shouldn-t-have-an-idea-that-the-goal-of/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) [Explore all 73 Robert Thurman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) ## 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": "People are afraid that if they let go of their anger and righteousness and wrath, and look at their own feelings-and even see the good in a bad person-they're going to lose the energy they need to do something about the problem. But actually you get more strength and energy by operating from a place of love and concern. 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