Let him not despise what he has received, nor ever envy others: a mendicant who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
—The Dhammapada Buddhist Anthology of Verses
How bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man’s eyes!
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Envy is a kind of praise.
—John Gay (1685–1732) English Poet, Dramatist
Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius.
—Fulton J. Sheen (1895–1979) American Catholic Religious Leader, Theologian
Fools may our scorn, not envy raise, for envy is a kind of praise.
—John Gay (1685–1732) English Poet, Dramatist
There is no greater glory than love, nor any greater punishment than jealousy.
—Lope de Vega (1562–1635) Spanish Playwright, Poet
Envy always implies conscious inferiority wherever it resides.
—Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE) Roman Scholar, Encyclopedist
Among true and real friends, all is common; and were ignorance and envy and superstition banished from the world, all mankind would be friend.
—Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) English Poet, Dramatist, Essayist, Novelist
Envy and fear are the only passions to which no pleasure is attached.
—John Churton Collins (1848–1908) English Literary Critic
Envy, like flame, blackens that which is above it, and which it cannot reach.
—Jean Antoine Petit-Senn (1792–1870) Swiss Poet
Mediocrity doesn’t mean average intelligence, it means an average intelligence that resents and envies its betters.
—Ayn Rand (1905–82) Russian-born American Novelist, Philosopher, Playwright, Screenwriter
To cure jealousy is to see it for what it is, a dissatisfaction with self.
—Joan Didion (b.1934) American Essayist, Novelist, Memoirist
All the world is competent to judge my pictures except those who are of my profession.
—William Hogarth (1697–1764) English Painter, Cartoonist, Social Critic
He who goes unenvied shall not be admired.
—Aeschylus (525–456 BCE) Greek Poet
Envy is the antagonist of the fortunate.
—Epictetus (55–135) Ancient Greek Philosopher
Envy lurks at the bottom of the human heart, like a viper in its hole.
—Honore de Balzac (1799–1850) French Novelist
There is nothing more counterproductive than envy. Someone in the world will always be better than you. Of all the sins, envy is easily the worst, because you can’t even have any fun with it. It’s a total net loss.
—Charlie Munger (b.1924) American Investor, Philanthropist
Jealousy is an inner consciousness of one’s own inferiority. it is a mental cancer.
—B. C. Forbes (1880–1954) Scottish-born American Journalist, Publisher
There is no sweeter sound than the crumbling of ones fellow man.
—Groucho Marx (1890–1977) American Actor, Comedian, Singer
As a moth gnaws a garment, so doth envy consume a man.
—John Chrysostom (c.347–407 CE) Archbishop of Constantinople
Envy, like the worm, never runs but to the fairest fruit; like a cunning blood hound, it singles out the fattest deer in the flock. — Abraham’s riches were the Philistines’ envy, and Jacob’s blessings had Esau’s hatred.
—Francis Beaumont (1584–1616) English Dramatist
Jealousy is all the fun you think they had.
—Erica Jong (b.1942) American Novelist, Poet, Writer