“I know, to banish anger altogether from one's breast is a difficult task. It cannot be achieved through pure personal effort. It can be done only by God's grace.”
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Probable attribution
This saying is widely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, but the attribution is not supported by a reliable primary source.
Likely origin: Compiled in Glorious Thoughts of Gandhi (1965) and Gandhi's collected works; widely attributed, but no specific dated primary issue confirmed.
About this quote
Some inner changes resist being forced. White-knuckling against anger tends to tighten its grip rather than loosen it. Real release usually comes when you stop treating it as a contest of will and open instead to something larger — humility, surrender, help from beyond your own control.
When to use it
- A parent who stops gritting through patience and finds it eases once they drop the demand for perfection.
- Someone nursing an old grudge who lets it go through a genuine change of heart, not sheer effort.
- A short-tempered worker whose fury only softens after he admits he can't master it alone.