Resentment seems to have been given us by nature for a defense, and for a defense only! It is the safeguard of justice and the security of innocence.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I've known for years that resentments don't hurt the person we resent, but they do hurt us.
Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
Considering the importance of resentment in our lives, and the damage it does, it receives scant attention from psychiatrists and psychologists. Resentment is a great rationalizer: it presents us with selected versions of our own past, so that we do not recognize our own mistakes and avoid the necessity to make painful choices.
Guilt is anger directed at ourselves - at what we did or did not do. Resentment is anger directed at others - at what they did or did not do.
The worst resentment that anybody can have is one you feel justified to keep.
So what exactly are the rewards of resentment. It is always a relief to know that the reason we have failed in life is not because we lack the talent, energy, or determination to succeed, but because of a factor that is beyond our control and that has loaded the dice decisively against us.
Bitterness and resentment only hurt one person, and it's not the person we're resenting - it's us.
Resentment is weak and lowers your self-esteem.
To show resentment at a reproach is to acknowledge that one may have deserved it.