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Sweeter than Revenge

Overcoming Your Payback Mind

Paperback
$19.95 US
5-1/2"W x 8-1/2"H | 13 oz | 44 per carton
On sale Nov 11, 2025 | 200 Pages | 9781645474708

When you feel you have been wronged, the urge to retaliate can feel overwhelming and justified. In this groundbreaking work, acclaimed author and psychotherapist David Richo explores the complex dynamics of retaliation, offering profound insights into why we seek revenge and practices to help us break free from this destructive cycle.

Sweeter than Revenge delves deeply into one of humanity’s most instinctive yet destructive impulses: the urge to strike back when we feel wronged. Drawing from psychology, principles of emotional intelligence, Christian and Buddhist teachings, and years of therapeutic expertise, Richo illuminates the web of emotions and triggers that drive retaliatory behavior. He challenges readers to examine their own patterns of retaliation and provides practical tools for responding to conflict with wisdom rather than reactivity.

Revenge happens in any human relationship, even intimate ones. Through compelling insights and actionable strategies, Richo guides us in understanding how to transform vengeful impulses into opportunities for growth and healing.  Whether dealing with personal relationships, workplace dynamics, or internal struggles, this book offers a revolutionary framework for moving beyond the primitive urge for revenge toward more enlightened responses. We may not be able to eliminate our impulse to retaliate, but we can stop acting on it. 

Readers will discover powerful techniques for managing anger, developing emotional resilience, and fostering genuine forgiveness. Through real-world examples and exercises, this book illuminates the path from reactive behavior to conscious response.  

Sweeter than Revenge is an essential read for anyone seeking to be freed from destructive patterns and cultivate more constructive ways of handling life’s inevitable conflicts.
“David Richo possesses a deep understanding of the subtle forces that shape interpersonal relationships. In this thorough and revealing exploration of retaliation and revenge, he provides practical and purposeful approaches to improving how we can relate with characteristic gentleness and timeless wisdom. For those of us who learned How to Be an Adult in Relationships, Sweeter than Revenge is a perfect next-level companion.”
Mayim Bialik, actress, podcaster, and author

“In these turbulent times, reactive impulses to strike back arise in many of us. This down-to-earth, healing, and practical guidebook offers skillful methods for meeting daily challenges
and discovering the power of innate loving-kindness.”
Gaylon Ferguson, author of Welcoming Beginner’s Mind
DAVID RICHO, PHD, is a psychotherapist, teacher, writer, and workshop leader whose work emphasizes the benefits of mindfulness and loving-kindness in personal growth and emotional well-being. He combines Jungian, poetic, and mythic perspectives with the intention of integrating the psychological and the spiritual.

About

When you feel you have been wronged, the urge to retaliate can feel overwhelming and justified. In this groundbreaking work, acclaimed author and psychotherapist David Richo explores the complex dynamics of retaliation, offering profound insights into why we seek revenge and practices to help us break free from this destructive cycle.

Sweeter than Revenge delves deeply into one of humanity’s most instinctive yet destructive impulses: the urge to strike back when we feel wronged. Drawing from psychology, principles of emotional intelligence, Christian and Buddhist teachings, and years of therapeutic expertise, Richo illuminates the web of emotions and triggers that drive retaliatory behavior. He challenges readers to examine their own patterns of retaliation and provides practical tools for responding to conflict with wisdom rather than reactivity.

Revenge happens in any human relationship, even intimate ones. Through compelling insights and actionable strategies, Richo guides us in understanding how to transform vengeful impulses into opportunities for growth and healing.  Whether dealing with personal relationships, workplace dynamics, or internal struggles, this book offers a revolutionary framework for moving beyond the primitive urge for revenge toward more enlightened responses. We may not be able to eliminate our impulse to retaliate, but we can stop acting on it. 

Readers will discover powerful techniques for managing anger, developing emotional resilience, and fostering genuine forgiveness. Through real-world examples and exercises, this book illuminates the path from reactive behavior to conscious response.  

Sweeter than Revenge is an essential read for anyone seeking to be freed from destructive patterns and cultivate more constructive ways of handling life’s inevitable conflicts.

Praise

“David Richo possesses a deep understanding of the subtle forces that shape interpersonal relationships. In this thorough and revealing exploration of retaliation and revenge, he provides practical and purposeful approaches to improving how we can relate with characteristic gentleness and timeless wisdom. For those of us who learned How to Be an Adult in Relationships, Sweeter than Revenge is a perfect next-level companion.”
Mayim Bialik, actress, podcaster, and author

“In these turbulent times, reactive impulses to strike back arise in many of us. This down-to-earth, healing, and practical guidebook offers skillful methods for meeting daily challenges
and discovering the power of innate loving-kindness.”
Gaylon Ferguson, author of Welcoming Beginner’s Mind

Author

DAVID RICHO, PHD, is a psychotherapist, teacher, writer, and workshop leader whose work emphasizes the benefits of mindfulness and loving-kindness in personal growth and emotional well-being. He combines Jungian, poetic, and mythic perspectives with the intention of integrating the psychological and the spiritual.