On Anger, Book 3, Section 5 — In Plain English

Seneca — The Senator

We can avoid anger if we regularly think about all the bad things that come with it. We need to see it clearly for what it really is. Put anger on trial in your mind and find it guilty. Study its harm thoroughly and expose it. To understand what anger really is, compare it to the worst vices. Greed collects and hoards money for someone else to eventually use. But anger spends money — very few people can afford to be angry for free. How many slaves does an angry master drive to run away or kill themselves? He loses far more through his anger than whatever made him angry in the first place was worth. Anger brings grief to fathers, divorce to husbands, hatred to public officials, and failure to politicians.

Seneca — The Senator Original

We shall succeed in avoiding anger, if from time to time we lay before our minds all the vices connected with anger, and estimate it at its real value: it must be prosecuted before us and convicted: its evils must be thoroughly investigated and exposed. That we may see what it is, let it be compared with the worst vices. Avarice scrapes together and amasses riches for some better man to use: anger spends money; few can indulge in it for nothing. How many slaves an angry master drives to run away or to commit suicide! how much more he loses by his anger than the value of what he originally became angry about! Anger brings grief to a father, divorce to a husband, hatred to a magistrate, failure to a candidate for office.