Among the cruelest slaveries is mood, because we recognize neither the master nor the manacle.  In the first place we don’t notice our moods; in the second place we don’t notice that they have mastered us.

The first step toward freedom from this tyrant is to see him.  This step is often the most difficult; my mood will usually be plain to everyone else long before it is visible to me.

The second step toward freedom is to defy him.  I may feel foul; it does not follow that I must do his bidding and act foully.

The third step is to break the shackle.  Although it is not easy to change a mood, it is often much easier than we expect, even when we are in affliction.

The last and most difficult step is not to be caught again.  I must not to venture into the alleys and culs de sac where my known foul moods hide out; I must carry my weapons lest they leap out unexpected; I must practice the martial art of being cheerful.