Humility can serve as an antidote to a bad temper. The thirteenth-century rabbi Menachem ha-Meiri wrote of a righteous king who had one serious flaw: he was quick-tempered. Wishing to overcome this tendency, he wrote down three thoughts on a piece of paper, then instructed one of his servants to show him the paper whenever he started to lose his temper. The lines read:

• Always remember that you are merely one of God's creations, and you yourself are not the Creator.
• Always remember that you are flesh and blood and will eventually perish.
• Always remember that there will be mercy for you in the future only if you have mercy on others.

— Joseph Telushkin in A Code of Jewish Ethics: Volume 1