Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
What These Words Mean
Anger almost always feels like heat: quick, sharp, and loud. It rushes into your chest, floods your face, and insists that you do something right now. These words offer a quiet, surprising counter-move to that rush.
"The best remedy for anger is delay."
First, take in the phrase "The best remedy for anger." On the surface, it speaks like a doctor talking about medicine. There is a problem, and there is something that can help heal it. Anger is treated as something that hurts you, something that needs attention, not just a feeling to obey. You are being told that anger is not just about what someone else did; it is something happening inside you that can be soothed.
These words suggest that when you are angry, you are not powerless. You can reach for something that changes the course of what happens next. That matters, because anger so often convinces you that you have no choice but to lash out, withdraw, or explode. Calling for a "remedy" reminds you that anger leaves a mark, and the first person it burns is usually you.
Then comes the second part: "is delay." On the surface, this is very plain. The suggestion is: wait. Hold back. Do not respond immediately. Let time pass between the feeling and your reaction. Nothing fancy, no complicated technique. Just a pause.
Inside that small word "delay" is a whole different way of living with your emotions. To delay is to give your nervous system time to cool, your breathing time to deepen, your thoughts time to catch up to your feelings. It gives you space to remember who you actually want to be when the heat dies down. Delay does not erase your anger, but it changes the shape of what you do with it.
Think of a simple moment: you get a harsh text that feels unfair and disrespectful. Your thumb is already flying over the screen, tapping out a cutting reply. Your face is warm, the room suddenly feels tighter. If you follow the quote, you set the phone down for ten minutes. Maybe you walk to the sink, run cold water, feel it over your hands. In that small delay, your body starts to settle. The words you were about to send do not feel quite right anymore. You might still be upset, but now you can choose whether you want payback or understanding.
Delay here is not about pretending you are not angry. It is about refusing to let anger be the only voice in the room. When you delay, other parts of you get a chance to speak up: your values, your long-term hopes, your care for your relationships, even your sense of humor. I think this is one of the most quietly powerful skills a person can learn.
There is an honesty to notice, though: sometimes delay is not enough. If you never address what hurt you, if you only postpone again and again, anger can harden into resentment. In some situations, especially where there is abuse or deep injustice, delay alone is not a remedy; you need boundaries, action, maybe even confrontation. These words are at their strongest in everyday conflicts and emotional storms, less so when harm is ongoing and serious.
Still, in most of the ordinary angers that color your days — the traffic that traps you, the colleague who interrupts you, the friend who cancels last minute — delay is like opening a window in a stuffy room. It lets a little air in. It lets you respond from a steadier place. And slowly, over time, you learn that you do not have to be ruled by the first, fiercest wave of feeling. You can let it rise, wait, and then choose your way forward.
The Background Behind the Quote
Brigham Young lived in the 19th century, a time when public life was rough, arguments were intense, and communities were being built in difficult, uncertain conditions. Anger, conflict, and strong disagreement were part of daily reality, whether in politics, religion, or frontier life. Words were not just opinions; they could split families, churches, and towns.
He was a religious leader in a community that faced hostility, displacement, and misunderstanding. Emotions were not abstract ideas; they were forces that could either hold a group together or tear it apart. In that kind of setting, how people handled anger mattered enormously. One rash outburst could lead to feuds, violence, or long-standing divisions that were hard to mend.
So when he spoke of anger and its remedy, it likely came from watching how quick reactions could damage relationships and reputations. Delay, in his world, was not just politeness; it was a practical survival habit. Slowing down anger helped avoid fights, protect unity, and keep fragile communities from dissolving under pressure.
The idea that time can soften anger was also part of the broader moral teaching of his era. Patience, self-control, and restraint were praised as marks of character, especially for leaders. Encouraging delay was a way of saying: do not let your immediate feelings destroy the future you are trying to build. That message, born in a tense and demanding time, still fits modern life, where a single impulsive message or reaction can have long, echoing consequences.
About Brigham Young
Brigham Young, who was born in 1801 and died in 1877, was an American religious leader and a central figure in the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He grew up in a time of religious revival and social change in the United States, and eventually became the second president of his church after the death of its founder, Joseph Smith.
He is most remembered for leading large groups of Latter-day Saints westward, eventually settling in what is now Utah. Under his leadership, communities were built in harsh conditions, with limited resources and constant external pressures. He served not only as a religious leader but also as a political and practical organizer, overseeing everything from town planning to disputes among his people.
Living in constant tension — with the land, with the U.S. government, with surrounding groups — meant that tempers could easily flare. Someone in his position had to think not just about what felt right in the moment, but about what would keep a fragile society from breaking apart. A focus on delaying anger fits with that kind of responsibility.
His worldview emphasized discipline, community stability, and long-term vision. The idea that "the best remedy for anger is delay" reflects a belief that strength is not only about passion, but about control; not only about speaking, but also about knowing when to wait.
