Half a century later, Ike recalled her advice, noting that it marked a change in his life. ‘Hating was a futile sort of thing, she said, because hating anyone or anything meant that there was little to be gained. The person who had incurred my displeasure probably didn’t care, possibly didn’t even know, and the only person injured was myself…I have always looked back on that conversation as one of the most valuable moments of my life.’
And indeed, in his life and career, although Ike could display a blistering temper on rare occasions, he became far better known for his calm strength under pressure. He developed a simple method for handling rage, an ‘anger drawer’ in his desk into which he dropped slips of paper with the names of people he was angry at. Once in the drawer, the grievance was banished from thought.” (Bret Baier, Chapter 1, Three Days in January)
