---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anger is often like an inverted lotus: On…"
description: "\"“Anger is often like an inverted lotus: On the surface lie muddy, not-so-beautiful roots. Under water lie beautiful blossoms. You need to develop an am..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/thomas-moore-3267_anger_anger-is-often-like-an-inverted-lotus-on_2172613.png"
---

#  Anger is often like an inverted lotus: On the surface lie…

![“Anger is often like an inverted lotus: On the surface lie muddy, not-so-beautiful roots. Under water lie beautiful blossoms. You need to develop an amphibious eye to appreciate the full meaning of such an unusual flower.” quote by Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/thomas-moore-3267_anger_anger-is-often-like-an-inverted-lotus-on_2172613.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/thomas-moore-3267_anger_anger-is-often-like-an-inverted-lotus-on_2172613.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/thomas-moore-3267_anger_anger-is-often-like-an-inverted-lotus-on_2172613.png)

> ““Anger is often like an inverted lotus: On the surface lie muddy, not-so-beautiful roots. Under water lie beautiful blossoms. You need to develop an amphibious eye to appreciate the full meaning of such an unusual flower.””

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

## About This Quote

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

Anger contains hidden beauty beneath its harsh exterior; understanding requires seeing both the ugly roots and the lovely blossoms.

**In simple terms:** Anger has both ugly and beautiful aspects.

Key Takeaway

Seek to understand anger’s deeper value.

Themes

self‑awareness emotion anger beauty perspective

Mood

thoughtful introspective

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- personal growth
- creative expression
- meditation

Key Concepts

psychology philosophy mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- What hidden positives might anger reveal?
- How can you view anger as a source of growth?

A Different Perspective

Focusing only on anger’s pain ignores its potential insights.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Anger Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger-like/) [Inverted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inverted/) [Inverted Lotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inverted-lotus-4658587/) [Like Inverted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-inverted-4658588/)

## Related quotes

> [ Andrade \[who was looking after wartime inventions\] is like an inverted Micawber, waiting for something to turn down. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-tizard/andrade-who-was-looking-after-wartime-inventions-is-like-an-inverted/)

[Henry Tizard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-tizard/)

> [Anger is like drinking posin and expecting the other person to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anger-is-like-drinking-posin-and-expecting-the-other-person-to-die/)

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

> [Those who give way to great anger are like the dead:Those who are free from anger are free from death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thiruvalluvar/those-who-give-way-to-great-anger-are-like-the-dead-those-who-are/)

[Thiruvalluvar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thiruvalluvar/)

> [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/)

> [Recognition is powerful, as long as it's authentic and specific. Whatever their level on the inverted pyramid, employees wants to feel needed and valued.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-spector/recognition-is-powerful-as-long-as-it-s-authentic-and-specific/)

[Robert Spector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-spector/)

> [You can be slum-born and slum-bred and still achieve something worth while; but it is a stupid inverted snobbishness to be proud of it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-fullerton-gerould/you-can-be-slum-born-and-slum-bred-and-still-achieve-something-worth/)

[Katharine Fullerton Gerould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-fullerton-gerould/)

> [You have to study composition to understand that things can be done backwards and forwards and upside down, inverted, but it's mainly just an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/you-have-to-study-composition-to-understand-that-things-can-be-done/)

[Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/)

> [The mind leaps, and leaps perhaps with a sort of elation, through the immensities of space, but the spirit, frightened and cold, longs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/the-mind-leaps-and-leaps-perhaps-with-a-sort-of-elation-through-the/)

[Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/)

> [“Murphy's law inverted: What can go right, will go right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saloma-miller-furlong/murphy-s-law-inverted-what-can-go-right-will-go-right/)

[Saloma Miller Furlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saloma-miller-furlong/)

> [O Winter, ruler of the inverted year!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/o-winter-ruler-of-the-inverted-year/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [Shakespeare was an intellectual ocean, whose waves touched all the shores of thought; within which were all the tides and waves of destiny and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/shakespeare-was-an-intellectual-ocean-whose-waves-touched-all-the/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [Remember the heart. It is supposed to be in control of the mind. That's the way it was supposed to happen. It got inverted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drunvalo-melchizedek/remember-the-heart-it-is-supposed-to-be-in-control-of-the-mind-that-s/)

[Drunvalo Melchizedek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drunvalo-melchizedek/)

> [“At no point during the making of this book have I inverted my penis although I did go to Blackpool which turned out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rudd/at-no-point-during-the-making-of-this-book-have-i-inverted-my-penis/)

[Matt Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rudd/)

> [In the bureaucracy, incentives will forever be inverted. Failure results in success: in more funds, more training, more time off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/in-the-bureaucracy-incentives-will-forever-be-inverted-failure/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [ I worry that we don't currently have a democracy in the United States. Instead we have what \[political philosopher\] Sheldon Wolin has recently labeled… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-dumm/i-worry-that-we-don-t-currently-have-a-democracy-in-the-united-states/)

[Thomas L. Dumm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-dumm/)

## More by Thomas Moore

> [“Think of all the males and females of the animal and plant world, all the opposites in every aspect of life. They all need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/think-of-all-the-males-and-females-of-the-animal-and-plant-world-all/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [All that's bright must fade, The brightest still the fleetest; All that's sweet was made But to be lost when sweetest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/all-that-s-bright-must-fade-the-brightest-still-the-fleetest-all-that/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [An enchanted world is one that speaks to the soul, to the mysterious depths of the heart and imagination where we find value, love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/an-enchanted-world-is-one-that-speaks-to-the-soul-to-the-mysterious/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [“It isn’t comfortable to discover her place and her necessity. And yet what she has to offer is nothing less than the entire deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/it-isn-t-comfortable-to-discover-her-place-and-her-necessity-and-yet/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [When Time who steals our years away Shall steal our pleasures too, The mem'ry of the past will stay, And half our joys renew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/when-time-who-steals-our-years-away-shall-steal-our-pleasures-too-the/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [“It's my conviction that slight shifts in imagination have more impact on living than major efforts at change... deep changes in life follow movements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/it-s-my-conviction-that-slight-shifts-in-imagination-have-more-impact/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [We need people in our lives with whom we can be as open as possible. To have real conversations with people may seem like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/we-need-people-in-our-lives-with-whom-we-can-be-as-open-as-possible/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [A soulmate is someone to whom we feel profoundly connected, as though the communicating and communing that take place between us were not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/a-soulmate-is-someone-to-whom-we-feel-profoundly-connected-as-though/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [“I feel like one Who treads alone Some banquet-hall deserted, Whose lights are fled, Whose garland's dead, And all but he departed!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/i-feel-like-one-who-treads-alone-some-banquet-hall-deserted-whose/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [A philosopher being asked what was the first thing necessary to win the love of a woman, answered, Opportunity!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/a-philosopher-being-asked-what-was-the-first-thing-necessary-to-win/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [“Body exercise is incomplete if it focuses exclusively on muscle and is motivated by the ideal of a physique unspoiled by fat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/body-exercise-is-incomplete-if-it-focuses-exclusively-on-muscle-and/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [“During the dark night there is no choice but to surrender control, give in to unknowing, and stop and listen to whatever signals of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/during-the-dark-night-there-is-no-choice-but-to-surrender-control/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [The devil...the prowde spirite...cannot endure to be mocked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/the-devil-the-prowde-spirite-cannot-endure-to-be-mocked/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [And soon, too soon, we part with pain, To sail o'er silent seas again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/and-soon-too-soon-we-part-with-pain-to-sail-o-er-silent-seas-again/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [Pythagoras asks that we not let a friend go lightly, for whatever reason. Instead, we should stay with a friend as long as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/pythagoras-asks-that-we-not-let-a-friend-go-lightly-for-whatever/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

[Explore all 131 Thomas Moore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

## 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": "“Anger is often like an inverted lotus: On the surface lie muddy, not-so-beautiful roots. Under water lie beautiful blossoms. You need to develop an amphibious eye to appreciate the full meaning of such an unusual flower.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Moore"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/anger-is-often-like-an-inverted-lotus-on-the-surface-lie-muddy-not-so/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anger"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/anger-is-often-like-an-inverted-lotus-on-the-surface-lie-muddy-not-so/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/thomas-moore-3267_anger_anger-is-often-like-an-inverted-lotus-on_2172613.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/thomas-moore-3267_anger_anger-is-often-like-an-inverted-lotus-on_2172613.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/thomas-moore-3267_anger_anger-is-often-like-an-inverted-lotus-on_2172613.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Anger is often like an inverted lotus: On the surface lie muddy, not-so-beautiful roots. Under water lie…” — Thomas Moore",
                "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": "Thomas Moore",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Anger is often like an inverted...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/anger-is-often-like-an-inverted-lotus-on-the-surface-lie-muddy-not-so/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/anger-is-often-like-an-inverted-lotus-on-the-surface-lie-muddy-not-so/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
