Life with most teenagers was like having a low-grade bladder infection. It hurts, but you had to tough it out.
Anne LamottRead
I've known for years that resentments don't hurt the person we resent, but they do hurt us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Holding onto resentment damages our own well-being rather than affecting the person we resent.
This quote highlights the destructive nature of resentment, indicating that while we may believe that our negative feelings towards others serve as a form of punishment for them, in reality, it is ourselves who suffer the consequences. By holding onto these feelings, we create emotional burdens that hinder our own happiness and peace of mind, suggesting the importance of letting go for our own sake.
Themes
ResentmentForgivenessWell-BeingAngerEmotional Health
In practice
Example use cases
During a therapy session, this quote can be used to illustrate the importance of letting go of past grievances.
More from Anne Lamott
All quotes βOr you might shout at the top of your lungs or whisper into your sleeve, "I hate you, God." That is a prayer too, because it is real, it is truth, and maybe it is the first sincere thought you've had in months.
Anne LamottRead
Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over people and circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are.
Anne LamottRead
It is hard to remember that you are a cherished spiritual being when you're burping up apple fritters and Cheetos.
Anne LamottRead
Gorgeous, amazing things come into our lives when we are paying attention: mangoes, grandnieces, Bach, ponds. This happens more often when we have as little expectation as possible. If you say, "Well, that's pretty much what I thought I'd see," you are in trouble. At that point you have to ask yourself why you are even here. [...] Astonishing material and revelation appear in our lives all the time. Let it be. Unto us, so much is given. We just have to be open for business.
Anne LamottRead
...because when people have seen you at their worst, you don't have to put on the mask as much.
Anne LamottRead
Similar quotes
Let go of your attachment to being right, and suddenly your mind is more open. You're able to benefit from the unique viewpoints of others, without being crippled by your own judgment.
Ralph MarstonRead
I'd rather spend half an hour in the company of a top carpenter, than three hours in the company of an average brain surgeon
Winston ChurchillRead
An injurious truth has no merit over an injurious lie. Neither should ever be uttered. The man who speaks an injurious truth, lest his soul be not saved if he do otherwise, should reflect that that sort of a soul is not strictly worth saving.
Mark TwainRead
Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey. To those who suffer, God does not provide arguments which explain everything; rather, his response is that of an accompanying presence, a history of goodness which touches every story of suffering and opens up a ray of light.
Pope FrancisRead
If these town gods can't detect the thieves who steal from their own temples, it's hardly likely they'll tell me who stole my spade.
AesopRead
When new turns of behavior cease to appear in the life of the individual, its behavior ceases to be intelligent.
Thomas CarlyleRead