“Therefore, when anger comes, close your mouth tightly, and do not speak to him who curses, dishonours, reproaches, or bothers you in any way without reason. Then this snake will writhe around in your heart, rise up to your throat, and (since you don’t give it a way out) will choke and suffocate. When this is repeated several times, it will diminish and cease entirely.”
Saint Joseph the Hesychast
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“The first step toward freedom from anger is to keep the lips silent when the heart is stirred. Next step, is to keep the thoughts silent when the Soul is stirred. Last step, is to be totally calm when unclean winds are blowing.”
Saint John Climacus
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“No matter how just your words may be, when you speak with anger, you ruin all: no matter how boldly you speak, how fairly reprove, or what not.”
Saint John Chrysostom
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“When a wise person gets angry, he sits down and remains silent to calm his heart, so that anger does not take over him-allowing him to remain the master of himself.”
Saint Nektarios of Aegina
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“We must receive the one who curses us as a messenger from God, rebuking our hidden evil thoughts, so that we, seeing our thoughts with exactness, might correct ourselves. For we do not know how many hidden evils we have; Only a perfect man can understand all of his own shortcomings.”
Saint Mark the Ascetic
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“Sometimes God allows for a relative or a fellow worker to cause us problems in order to exercise our patience and humbleness; however, instead of being grateful for the chance God gives us, we react and refuse to be cured. It is like refusing to pay the doctor who is giving us a shot when we are ill.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“No matter what provokes it, anger blinds the Soul’s eyes, preventing it from seeing the Son of Righteousness.”
Saint John Cassian
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And once he was advising one of his spiritual children on how to restrain her anger, and would say:
“Do you think, my child, that I don’t know how to speak out? I know but I think of the result.”
Saint Nicholas Planas
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“Bear it in silence when an enemy offends you, and open your heart to the Lord.”
Saint Seraphim of Sarov
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“As with the appearance of light, darkness retreats; so, at the fragrance of humility all anger and bitterness vanishes.”
Saint John Climacus
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“If you feel that you cannot control your anger, remain silent, and for the time being, simply say nothing, until, through continuous Prayer and self-reproach, your heart has become calm.”
Saint Hilarion of Optina
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“”Bad temper” is egoism.”
Saint Gavrilia, the Ascetic of Love
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“Grace will visit you gradually. You’ll enter into joy. You’ll begin to live in peace, and then you’ll become stronger by God’s Grace. You won’t get angry. You won’t lose your temper, you won’t get upset with people, you won’t judge. You’ll accept all of them with love.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“Love does not know how to lose its temper.”
Saint Isaac the Syrian
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“As long as anger lives, it continues to be the fruitful parent of many unhappy children.”
Saint John Climacus
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“A wise Elder asked his disciples, “Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?” His disciples thought for a while, one of them said, “Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.” “But, why do you shout when the other person is just next to you?” asked the Elder, “Isn’t it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you’re angry?” The disciples continued to give some other answers but none satisfied the Elder. Finally he explained, “When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.” Then the Elder asked, “What happens when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small…” The Elder continued, “When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that’s all. That is how close two people are when they love each other. When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other more, else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return! Love calms and agreeably expands the heart and vivifies it, whilst hatred painfully contracts and disturbs it. Those who hate others torture and tyrannise themselves… What is sweeter than love? And yet there is not much love in us! Lord! Thou, Whose love to us infinitely surpasses the love of every father, of every mother, of the tenderest wife, have mercy upon us!””
Saint John of Kronstadt
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“When you are insulted by someone or humiliated, guard against angry thoughts, lest they arouse a feeling of irritation, and so cut you off from love and place you in the realm of hatred!”
Saint Maximus the Confessor
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“Nothing is more powerful than meekness. For as fire is extinguished by water, so a mind inflated by anger is subdued by meekness. By meekness we practice and make known our virtue, and also cause the indignation of our brother to cease, and deliver his mind from perturbation.”
Saint John Chrysostom
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“A person who suffers bitterly when slighted or insulted should recognize from this that he still harbours the ancient serpent in his breast. If he quietly endures the insult or responds with great humility, he weakens the serpent and lessens its hold. But if he replies acrimoniously or brazenly, he gives it strength to pour its venom into his heart and to feed mercilessly on his guts. In this way the serpent becomes increasingly powerful; it destroys his Soul’s strength and his attempts to set himself right, compelling him to live for sin and to be completely dead to righteousness.”
Saint Symeon the New Theologian