Beware the fury of a patient man!

The line warns that outward calm and long-suffering temperament can mask a capacity for decisive, even overwhelming retaliation once limits are finally crossed. It plays on the paradox that patience—often praised as a virtue—can accumulate grievance and moral certainty, making the eventual response more focused and formidable than the quick anger of an impulsive person. As a maxim, it cautions against mistaking restraint for weakness and suggests that the most dangerous adversary may be the one who endures silently until provoked beyond endurance.