There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper he must hammer a nail into the fence. The first day the boy had to drive 15 nails into the fence.
Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger the number of nails hammered daily dwindled down. The boy learned that it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy no longer lost his temper at all. He told his father about this and his father suggested that he now pull a nail out for every day he is able to hold his temper. The days passed and the boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were pulled out of the fence.
The father then took his son by the hand and took him to the fence. He said, “You have done well my son, but look at all the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger they leave scars just like these. You can put a knife in a man and pull it out and no matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the damage is done.”
