Holding onto anger is like drinking poison

Although attributed to the Buddha this quote does not appear in Buddhist scripture. It seems that is mat have actually originated in Alcoholics Anonymous.

On the website fakebuddhaquotes.com they outline some possible other sources:

• “In fact, not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.” Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith(1999)
• Hanging on to a resentment, someone once said, is like drinking poison and hoping it will kill someone else. Alice May, Surviving Betrayal (1999)
• Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die. Malachy McCourt (1998)
• “Charles had once remarked that holding onto a resentment was like eating rat poison and waiting for the rat to die.” Anne Lamotte, Crooked Little Heart (1997)
• “I think resentment is when you take the poison and wait for the other person to die.” M.T. A Sponsorship Guide for 12-Step Programs (1995)
• When we hang on to resentments, we poison ourselves. As compulsive overeaters, we cannot afford resentment, since it exacerbates our disease. Elizabeth L. Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters(1992)

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”