Anger as soon as fed is dead - 'Tis starving makes it fat.

The couplet treats anger as something that grows or withers depending on how it is handled. “Fed” suggests giving anger attention—naming it, expressing it, or addressing the grievance directly—so that it is discharged and loses its force (“dead”). By contrast, “starving” anger—suppressing it, refusing to acknowledge it, or leaving the cause unresolved—allows it to intensify and become more entrenched (“fat”). The paradox underscores a psychological insight: emotions often gain power when denied and diminish when brought into the open and dealt with. The rhyme and epigrammatic form make the advice memorable and proverbial.