I take offence far too easily at work. Small comments from colleagues stay with me for days. How do I stop letting them get under my skin?

“The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.”

Proverbs treats the ability to let something pass as a skill, not as a personality trait you either have or lack. In a culture built on honour and public reputation, overlooking an insult was a costly and visible choice. The wisdom writers set it alongside patience, which suggests they knew it takes practice rather than good intentions.

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;”

Paul wrote this to a church that was competitive, easily slighted and quick to score points, which is why the famous passage lands so hard in its original setting. It was never intended mainly for weddings. Read at your desk on a bad afternoon, the line about not being easily provoked stops being sentimental and starts being uncomfortable and useful.