Envy Quotes

“To all apparent beauties blind, each blemish strikes an envious mind.”
― Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack

“Mankind are tolerant of the praises of others as long as each hearer thinks that he can do as well or nearly as well himself, but, when the speaker rises above him, jealousy is aroused and he begins to be incredulous.”
― Thucydides

“If you hold a candle close to you, its flame rises. And if you hold it away from you, its flame shrinks. The same way you hold a candle close to you, keep all your plans, aspirations, projects, and dreams close to you too. Do not share your plans or goals until you complete them, because as you hold your candle away from you — envy, jealousy, and resentment may put out your flame before it grows.”
― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

“Let us not believe that an external fast from visible food alone can possibly be sufficient for perfection of heart and purity of body unless with it there has also been united a fast of the soul. For the soul also has its foods that are harmful. Slander is its food and indeed one that is very dear to it. A burst of anger also supplies it with miserable food for an hour and destroys it as well with its deadly savor. Envy is food of the mind, corrupting it with its poisonous juices and never ceasing to make it wretched and miserable at the prosperity and success of another. Vanity is its food which gratifies the mind with a delicious meal for a time but afterward strips it clear and bare of all virtue. Then vanity dismisses it barren and void of all spiritual fruit. All lust and shift wanderings of heart are a sort of food for the soul, nourishing it on harmful meats but leaving it afterwards without a share of its heavenly bread and really solid food. If then, with all the powers we have, we abstain from these in a most holy fast our observance of the bodily fast will be both useful and profitable.”
― John Cassian, Making Life a Prayer: Selected Writings

“She left me, offended at my want of sympathy, and thinking, no doubt, that I envied her. I did not - at least, I firmly believed I did not.”
― Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey

“He shook his head in exasperation. “Are you sure you’re not a Succubus? You seem really obsessed with the sin of lust.”

“It’s a good sin. I like gluttony an awful lot, too. Sloth has its moments, but I just don’t understand acedia at all. I mean, what the f**k is that anyway? Oh, and greed is good, to quote Gordon Gekko. Anger, envy and pride,” I ticked them off on my fingers. “I don’t often have much use for them. It’s a shortcoming that I’m hoping to correct in the next millennium or two. I’m not very old; I can’t be expected to have mastered them all yet.”

“I think you’ve worked too hard on some of those,” he said dryly. “Maybe you should switch over to virtues instead. Give yourself a much needed break.”

Virtues? Yeah, right.

“Virtues are too difficult,” I told him, shaking my head. “Look how old you are and you’ve hardly made a dent in them. I’ll admit, you seem to have zeal nailed, as well as faith and temperance. Self control? I’ve got my doubts based on your recent actions. I’m not seeing the kindness, love or generosity, either. That humility thing seems to be pretty far beyond your reach, too. Really, really far. I’m sorry to tell you this, but from what I can see, the sin of pride is a major component of your character. Dude, you’re f**king old. You should have these things pretty well ticked off your shopping list by now. I’m seriously disappointed. Seriously.”
― Debra Dunbar, A Demon Bound

“He had been dazzled. Because of the dazzling brightness, he had had to kill [Seigen]. All who had encountered Seigen had had their hearts stolen by that brightness. That envy had turned to malice.”
― Takayuki Yamaguchi, シグルイ 15

“I'm not equipped to handle what she has, both good and bad and what she has is always a package deal of both. In other words, I've been assigned a load I can handle.”
― Lysa Terheurst, Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions

“The envied are like bureaucrats; the more impersonal they are, the greater the illusion (for themselves and for others) of their power.”
― John Berger

“When you're and only child in a family with an only parent, you look at other, bigger families with envy. Mary Alice had a family with a station wagon, a split-level house, and a pool.
But then I looked up and saw Mary Alice's toes, as she stood at the edged of the diving board. Her second toe lay on top of her big toe on each foot. I had never seen such a thing. I wondered if Mary Alice's toes would ever prevent her from doing the things she wanted to do in life.
"Look, y'all!" she said, forming her perfect body into a perfect swan's dive. I decided then that any time I got frustrated with my overall situation in life, mad or jealous of knee socks or a pink canopy bed in a pink room, I'd take a deep breath and think about Mary Alice's toes. At least I didn't have Mary Alice's toes.”
― Margaret McMullan

“When I envied a man's spurs then they were indeed worth coveting.”
― Zane Grey

“Neither compares nor competes.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita

“It is only when the mirror has not spoken to Chimpanzee in a plain language that it thinks it looks more better than the Gorilla”
― Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

“There they were, the movers and shakers of Benjamin Franklin Hight - the sports stars, the cheerleaders, the good, the great, the gorgeous - bent over their pizzas.
Trish sensed my angst and said, "My mother says girls like Lisa Shooty get the ultimate curse known to man."
"What's that?"
"Too much too soon."
I looked at poor, cursed Lisa who had been sprayed with sex appeal at birth. She had gleaming teeth and long, raven-black curls. She threw back her head and laughed with diamond-studded joy.
"When do you think the curse takes effect?" I asked.
"Not in our lifetime," Trish answered.”
― Joan Bauer, Thwonk

“Envy is a declaration of inferiority”
― Napoléon Bonaparte

“Freundschaft, ou quelque chose comme ça. Ta meilleure amie gagne un million au Loto, t'es contente pour elle et, en même temps, tu peux pas t'empêcher de penser avec rage: "Pourquoi pas moi?".
J'adore Ariane, mais quand je vois sa vie parfaite, c'est pareil. "Pourquoi pas moi?".
J'ai horreur de penser des trucs comme ça.”
― Agathe Hochberg, Ce crétin de prince charmant

“Better an unsung HERO than the source of envy.”
― Haresh Sippy

“I claim that the absolute Majority of strict and proud Christians would not only fail to recognize Jesus, but also despise him, not listen to him and even envy him.”
― Sino Melo

“All his feelings and all his being were shaken to their depths, and he came to know that terrible torment which, by way of a striking exception, sometimes occurs in nature, when a weak talent strains to show itself on too grand a scale and fails; that torment which gives birth to great things in a youth, but, in passing beyond the border of dream, turns into a fruitless yearning; that dreadful torment which makes a man capable of terrible evildoing. A terrible envy possessed him, an envy bordering on rage. The bile rose in him when he saw some work that bore the stamp of talent. He ground his teeth and devoured it with the eyes of a basilisk.”
― Nikolai Gogol, The Mysterious Portrait

“First, one receives the scepter of notoriety or sublime distinction; then, the mantle of fame drapes over the shoulders; and finally, the crown is placed upon the head—not forged from gold, but woven from the envy of others.”
― Geverson Ampolini

“Ladies, luxury is not found in a woman's tears. It’s not earned by stealing another woman’s peace, her husband, her home, or the life she’s built. True luxury comes from building your own, without tearing someone else’s apart.”
― D'los Ángeles

“Ladies, luxury is not found in another woman's tears. It’s not earned by stealing another woman’s peace, her husband, her home, or the life she’s built. True luxury comes from building your own, without tearing someone else’s apart.”
― D'los Ángeles

“Why do people always have to be envious of others? Why can't they see their own wonderful qualities?”
― Natsuki Takaya, Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 2

“H stopped suddenly at the sight of the old man's face. "Don't!" wheezed the voice. Take the path as it comes to you, my son, and look not in envy toward him who walks above you nor in tenderness to him who walks below. Happiness lies not in understanding but in accepting. I used to ask questions too, when I was young, and I know.”
― Dorothy Clarke Wilson, Prince of Egypt

“He stopped suddenly at the sight of the old man's face. "Don't!" wheezed the voice. Take the path as it comes to you, my son, and look not in envy toward him who walks above you nor in tenderness to him who walks below. Happiness lies not in understanding but in accepting. I used to ask questions too, when I was young, and I know.”
― Dorothy Clarke Wilson, Prince of Egypt

“If this thing shoots a parachute out the back, I’m definitely stealing this car.”
― Daniel Thorman, The Zodiac Quest: A LitRPG Adventure

“தன்னிடம் இல்லாதது பிறரிடம் இருந்தால், ஒரு ஆச்சரியமாக சாதனையாக மதிப்பார்கள் சாதாரண மனிதர்கள். ரொம்ப தெரிந்தவர்களாக எல்லாம் தெரிந்தவர்களாக நினைக்கிறவர்கள் தங்களிடம் தீராத குறை இருப்பதைக் கண்டு தங்கள்மீதே வெறுப்பு கொள்கிறார்கள், பிறரின் சாதனைகளை அலட்சியம் செய்கிறார்கள். இது சிறுபிள்ளைத்தனம். வளராத மனசு, வளராத சிறுமை.”
― Thi Janakiraman

“People don’t always stab you with knives. Sometimes it’s the slow slicing of passive envy.”
― Arabella Sveinsdottir, Where The Cicada Sleeps: A Diary-Style Portrait of Girlhood, Betrayal, and the Quiet Violence of Being Misunderstood

“White knights are just predators with better timing.”
― Arabella Sveinsdottir, Where The Cicada Sleeps: A Diary-Style Portrait of Girlhood, Betrayal, and the Quiet Violence of Being Misunderstood

“Do I envy anyone? Of course, I do. I envy those who were opportune to meet with nice people.”
― Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu