On the first day, the boy hammered 37 nails into the back of the door. In the weeks that followed, as he learned to control his temper, he hammered fewer and fewer nails.

He realized that it was easier to control his anger than to keep hammering nails into the door. Eventually, the day came when he was able to control his temper for the entire day.

After telling his father, the father suggested that he remove one nail from the door each day that he managed to keep his temper under control.

The days went by, and finally the young boy was able to tell his father that there were no more nails left to remove from the door.

His father took him by the hand, led him to the door, and said:

“You have worked hard, my son, but look at all those holes in the door. It will never be the same again.”

Each time you lose your patience, you can unintentionally leave scars, just like the ones you see here. You might insult or disrespect someone and later take back what you said, but the way you expressed it may leave an indelible mark on that person—one that lasts over time, even if you never intended it.

Remember: a verbal wound can be as damaging as a physical one—or even worse.