“As soon as you pick up the hot-coal (become angry or vengeful) it burns you before you to hurt your “enemy” with it and you quickly drop it out of pain. Meanwhile, the person who wronged you is untouched, and you’re the one left with an even greater, deeper, throbbing-pain. No one gets hurt by our anger except ourselves. Buddhism helped me realize that by not forgiving others, I was giving them control over my peace and happiness. I had inadvertently tied my mental and emotional stability to the whims of their egos. I had surrendered my sense of happiness to, ironically, the very people that had hurt me initially!!”

The Buddhist Blog: Forgiveness Brings Peace.