Breaking Bottles of Good and Expensive Wine

Story: Breaking Bottles of Good and Expensive Wine

By Remez Sasson

We often excuse our anger as a natural reaction, failing to realize the massive internal toll it takes on our lives.

This insightful story uses a striking, practical experiment to expose the hidden cost of a short temper, demonstrating how a simple physical reminder in your daily environment can help you interrupt automatic rage and consciously choose tranquility over anger.

George was short-tempered, and used to get angry at everything and everyone. This spoiled his relations with friends and family and made him an unhappy person.

One day, while having a conversation with his good friend Tom, George said, “I am so frustrated that I cannot get rid of my anger. What do you think I should do to control it?”

Tom looked at George, thought for a moment, and said:
“You like good wine, right?”

“Of course”, George replied. “I love wine and drink it with great pleasure.”

“I want you to buy a few bottles of good and expensive wine, and whenever you get angry, go home, break one bottle, and spill all the wine down the kitchen sink.”

“Are you out of your mind?” George exclaimed, “That’s an awful thing to do; I don’t want to throw away good money and good wine.”

“You are right,” Tom replied, “It’s a waste of money and good wine, but this is what you actually do every time you get angry; you waste your energy and harm your health.

Anger Is Bad for Your Health

Tom continued talking:

“When you are angry, you harm your health, spoil your relations with friends and family, and lose opportunities. You also create needless stress, resentment, and anger all around you. This is much more severe than breaking a few bottles of expensive good wine.”

“You are right,” said George, overwhelmed by the insight that Tom’s words dawned on him.

“Do as I say, at least a few times.” Tom said and continued, “Go and buy expensive good wine, even though you know that you might break the bottles and throw away the wine.

“Then, for the next week, whenever rage arises within you, break a bottle of good wine, and spill its content into the kitchen’s sink.

“When you do so, notice how bad you feel for doing so, and remind yourself that anger also creates bad feelings for you and other people.

“Next time you get angry, remind yourself how you felt when you broke the bottle and spilled the expensive good wine.

“Remind yourself frequently that anger creates more harm, physically and emotionally, than breaking a bottle of good wine.”

George agreed to follow Tom’s suggestion. He bought a few bottles of expensive good wine and put them on the kitchen’s table.

Every time he entered the kitchen and saw the bottles, he remembered that he should keep his temper down, so that he will not have to break any bottle. This helped him make tremendous efforts to remain calm and not get angry.

Well, he had to break a few bottles, but this taught him to make even greater efforts to learn to stay calm and avoid anger.

In this way, George learned to control his temper and not to let anger control his behavior and interactions with friends and family. His most important achievement was gaining the strength and ability to choose tranquility over anger and an agitated state of mind.

I do not suggest that you break bottles of wine in order to remind yourself to remain calm. I just want you to think about this story whenever you are angry, so as to remember how much you lose when you get angry.

However, it is a very good idea to buy a good bottle of wine, or something fragile you care about and want to keep it in one piece. Put it in a place where you can see it often, and let it act as a reminder to choose tranquility over anger.

The above is an excerpt from the book Let Go of Anger and Let in Tranquility.

More Inspiring Stories

Learn to Get Rid of Anger

Everyone gets angry occasionally. It’s normal and part of life. However, if you let anger linger on, and don’t let it go immediately, it will keep occupying your mind, adversely affecting your feelings and actions, and robbing your peace, tranquility and happiness.

Anger, resentment and holding grudges can increase blood pressure and heart rate, and adversely affect the physical health and mental health.

When you feel anger, negative emotions arise, which prevent peace of mind.

Holding on to anger and long-term resentment wastes your time and energy and do not allow you to feel good, happy and peaceful.

What’s the conclusion?

Learn to get rid of anger. Even better, don’t let it start at all. Is this possible? Yes, it is, if you are earnest enough and are willing to do something about it.

Let Go of Anger and Let in Tranquility

How Can This Book Help You?

This book will show you how to calm down your anger before it becomes strong and difficult to control.

You will learn simple ways deal with anger, stop it, and avoid it.

You will discover how to let go of anger.

The book will show you how to deal with impulsiveness, frustration and delays.

You will learn how to deal with angry people.

And much more…

Key Takeaways on Overcoming Anger and Choosing Tranquility

Tom’s unique challenge to George reveals three profound psychological principles of anger management and self-mastery:

The Hidden Cost of Rage: George was horrified at the thought of wasting expensive wine, yet he routinely wasted his health, energy, and relationships through anger without a second thought. This story highlights that anger is a massive emotional and physical drain that costs far more than any luxury item.

The Power of Physical Triggers: Placing the expensive bottles on the kitchen table changed George’s environment. Every time he looked at them, his subconscious mind was primed to stay calm. Visual anchors are incredibly effective tools for breaking automatic, destructive habits before they start.

Tranquility is a Conscious Choice: George eventually broke a few bottles, but the physical loss taught him to make a greater effort to stay calm. This proves that self-control is a muscle; by training yourself to pause, you regain the power to choose inner peace over an agitated state of mind.

More Inspiring Stories

📖 Learn to Quiet the Mind and Reclaim Your Focus

Reading about a quiet mind is the first step; achieving it amidst daily distractions is the real work. If you want practical exercises to silence internal chatter and build unshakeable inner strength, explore our step-by-step guides below.