100 Quotes About Jealousy To Help You Overcome Envy

Writvik Gupta
Dec 12, 2023 By Writvik Gupta
Originally Published on Mar 19, 2021
Edited by Isobel Murphy
Word JEALOUSY
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Age: 0-99
Read time: 12.5 Min

Why Jealousy Quotes

Jealousy is a difficult human emotion that can hold us back from attaining happiness. We might feel jealous because we feel inferior to other people, be it in our relationships, our friendships, our experiences, or our careers. Jealousy can be caused by low-self esteem or a poor self-image when you do not feel confident in yourself.

What Parents Should Know

At the center of jealousy, there lies insecurity, fear, or a sense of competition.

Jealousy is a feeling of, “I’m not enough; something is lacking.”

Children receive so many messages on a daily basis from society and peers, pointing out their flaws and failures.

Jealousy, as an emotion has always been here. The Greeks wrote about it. Shakespeare wrote about it. It’s also in the Bible.

What To Discuss With Kids

There are a number of ways in which you can help your child process this uncomfortable emotion of jealousy. Some of the ways in which you might be able to help them are:

Sharing your own insecurities. This helps children understand that they’re not alone.

Governing behaviour, not feelings. Jealousy is not always rational and it cannot be avoided, but a person’s reaction to it should be dignified.

Highlighting their strength. Children can go from ‘Something is missing’ to ‘I am enough’ if you remind them of their strengths.

Avoid comparing them to other people. Encourage them to be their authentic selves.

If you like these quotes, you can also check out these Shakespeare love quotes and these quotes about maturity too.

Jealousy And Envy Quotes

We have gathered some inspiring and interesting quotes on jealousy and envy to help you process this emotion through inspiration.

(Here are a few jealousy quotes to describe the feeling of jealousy and envy.)

1. "Jealousy in romance is like salt in food. A little can enhance the savor, but too much can spoil the pleasure and, under certain circumstances, can be life-threatening."- Maya Angelou.

2. "He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind."- Buddha.

3. "It is not love that is blind, but jealousy."- Buddha.

4. "Jealousy is a disease, love is a healthy condition. The immature mind often mistakes one for the other, or assumes that the greater the love, the greater the jealousy - in fact, they are almost incompatible; one emotion hardly leaves room for the other."- Robert A. Heinlein, 'Stranger In A Strange Land'.

5. "Jealousy is a disease. Get well soon."- Paris Hilton, Twitter, 17 November 2017.

6. "So full of artless jealousy is guilt, it spills itself in fearing to be split."- Gertrude, 'Hamlet'.

7. "A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything."- Robert A Heinlein.

8. "Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own..."- Robert A Heinlein.

9. "People only rain on your parade because they’re jealous of your sun and tired of their shade."- Unknown*.

10. "Jealousy is when you count someone else's blessings instead of your own."- Amanda Metcalf.

Powerful Jealousy Quotes

Below we've collected a few powerful jealousy quotes all about jealousy and envy.

11. "Whoever envies another confesses his superiority."- Samuel Johnson.

12. "'Welcome to the wonderful world of jealousy,' he thought. 'For the price of admission, you get a splitting headache, a nearly irresistible urge to commit murder, and an inferiority complex. Yippee.'"- J.R. Ward.

13. "People hate those who make them feel their own inferiority."- Lord Chesterfield.

14. "Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity."- Robert A. Heinlein.

15. "Jealousy isn't a pleasant quality, but if it isn't overdone (and if it's combined with modesty), apart from its inconvenience there's even something touching about it."- Milan Kundera.

16. "The worst part of success is trying to find someone who is happy for you."- Bette Midler.

17. "Nothing brings on jealousy like laughter."- Françoise Sagan

18. "There will always be someone willing to hurt you, put you down, gossip about you, belittle your accomplishments and judge your soul.

It is a fact that we all must face. However, if you realize that God is a best friend that stands beside you when others cast stones you will never be afraid, never feel worthless, and never feel alone. "- Shannon Alder.

19. "Anger, resentment, and jealousy don't change the heart of others - it only changes yours."- Shannon Alder.

20. "Noble hearts are neither jealous nor afraid because jealousy spells doubt and fear spells pettiness."- Honoré de Balzac.

Quotes About Gossip And Jealousy

Here are a few jealousy and gossip quotes from William Shakespeare and more. These quotes might help you to overcome jealousy and envy!

21. "Envy is for people who don’t have the self-esteem to be jealous."- Bauvard.

22. "Surrounded by the flames of jealousy, the jealous one winds up, like the scorpion, turning the poisoned sting against himself."- Friedrich Nietzsche.

23. "Humans are suspicious and jealous creatures. When they see something perfect, they want to find a flaw."- Gosho Aoyama.

24. "Envy is the central fact of American life."- Gore Vidal.

25. "Jealousy, that dragon which slays love under the pretense of keeping it alive. "- Havelock Ellis.

26. "I am convinced that the jealous, the angry, the bitter, and the egotistical are the first to race to the top of mountains. A confident person enjoys the journey, the people they meet along the way and sees life not as a competition."- Shannon Alder.

27. "Man will do many things to get himself loved; he will do all things to get himself envied."- Mark Twain.

28. "The only thing more frustrating than slanderers is those foolish enough to listen to them."- Criss Jami.

29. "No one can have all he wants, but a man can refrain from wanting what he has not, and cheerfully make the best of a bird in the hand."- Seneca.

30. "Trifles light as air; Are to the jealous confirmations strong as proofs of holy writ."- William Shakespeare.

31."The thermometer of success is merely the jealousy of the malcontents."- Salvador Dali.

32. "' Famous Harry Potter,' said Malfoy. 'Can't even go to a bookshop without making the front page.'"- J.K. Rowling, 'Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets'.

33. "My jealousy is a living thing. Shifting, changing, growing. Like my rage and my mother's regret."- Katja Millay.

34. "There's always this one girl. She's desperate and she's weird and she's jealous, and you're stuck with her, no matter how hard you try to get her off your back."- Courtney Summers.

35. "Insecure people only eclipse your sun because they’re jealous of your daylight and tired of their dark, starless nights."- Shannon L. Alder.

36. "But jealous souls will not be answered so. They are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they’re jealous. It is a monster begot upon itself, born on itself." - William Shakespeare.

37. "Jealousy is never satisfied with anything short of an omniscience that would detect the subtlest fold of the heart."- George Eliot.

38. "Never hate jealous people. They are jealous because they think you are better than them."- Paulo Coelho.

39. "Isn't it kind of silly to think that tearing someone else down builds you up?"- Sean Covey.

40. "What is jealousy but a reflection of your own failures?"- Michael Connelly.

41. "I’m jealous of every minute you spend with him, of every concerned emotion you send his way, of every tear shed, of every glance, every touch, and every thought."- Colleen Houck.

Quotes About Haters And Jealousy

Here are a few jealousy and haters quotes to dust away those bad vibes, from François de La Rochefoucauld and many more.

42. "I refused to believe that love could take any other form than mine: I measured love by the extent of my jealousy, and by that standard of course she could not love me at all."- Graham Greene.

43. "Men, though they know full well how much women are worth and how great the benefits we bring them, nonetheless seek to destroy us out of envy for our merits."- Moderata Fonte.

44. "He was jealous of her future, and she of his past."- Anaïs Nin.

45. "I’ve never been jealous before I met you, it burns, luv. Like silver through my veins."- Jeaniene Frost.

46. "Often those that criticize others reveal what he himself lacks."- Shannon L. Alder.

47. "You may think it all very fine, Mr. Huntingdon, to amuse yourself with rousing my jealousy; but take care you don't rouse my hate instead. And when you have once extinguished my love, you will find it no easy matter to kindle it again."- Anne Brontë.

48. "Cruel people offer pity when they no longer feel threatened. However, kind people offer compassion and understanding regardless."- Shannon L. Alder.

49. "Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die."- Carrie Fisher.

50. "Margaret was not a ready lover, but where she loved she loved passionately, and with no small degree of jealousy."- Elizabeth Gaskell.

51. "And yes, I’ll admit, I am jealous."- Colleen Houck.

52. "Our envy always lasts longer than the happiness of those we envy."- François de La Rochefoucauld.

'Othello' Quotes About Jealousy

Here are a few quotes on jealousy and envy from the play 'Othello' by William Shakespeare.

53. "He hath a person and a smooth dispose - to be suspected, framed to make women false. The Moor is of a free and open nature, that thinks men honest that but seem to be so, and will as tenderly be led by th' nose, as asses are."- Iago, 'Othello'.

54. "Why, why is this? Think'st thou I'd make a life of jealousy, to follow still the changes of the moon with fresh suspicions?"- Othello, 'Othello'.

55. "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.- Iago, 'Othello'.

Bible Quotes About Jealousy

Here are a few famous jealousy quotes from the Bible. The Bible speaks a lot about jealousy and envy, it tells us of the dangers of letting jealousy control us.

56. "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones."- Proverbs 14:30.

57. "Surely resentment destroys the fool, and jealousy kills the simple."- Job 5:2.

58. "Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord."- Proverbs 23:17-18.

59. "But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t brag and deny the truth."- James 3:14-16.

60. "Do not covet your neighbor’s house."- Exodus 20:17

61. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."- Corinthians 13:4.

62. "Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation."- 1 Peter 2:1-2.

63. "Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!"- Psalm 37:1-3.

64. "For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness."- Psalm 37:1-3.

65. "Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."- Exodus 20:17

Inspirational Jealousy Quotes

Angry white eggs in a paper tray.

Here are some inspirational quotes to guide us away from jealousy.

66. "In jealousy, there is more of self-love than love."- Francois De La Rochefoucault.

67. "Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others."- Buddha.

68. "For God's sake, let's take the word 'possess' and put a brick round its neck and drown it. We can't possess one another. We can only give and hazard all we have."- Dorothy L. Sayers.

69. "Men are jealous of every woman."- Jan Neruda.

70. "'She had loved him for such a long time,' she thought. 'How was it that she did now know him at all?'"- Cassandra Clare.

72. "The moment you have to recruit people to put another person down, in order to convince someone of your value is the day you dishonor your children, your parents, and your God."- Shannon L. Alder.

73. "I love being in love, but I also love other things, like not being jealous, overly sensitive, or needy."- Dark Jar Tin Zoo.

74. "Perhaps not dangerous, but young and inarguable good-looking... Kai hated him immediately."- Marissa Meyer, 'Scarlet'.

75. "A lot of people get so hung up on what they can't have that they don't think for a second about whether they really want it."- Lionel Shriver.

76. "I said I was impressed, Martha. I'm beside myself with jealousy. What do you want me to do, throw up?"- Edward Albee, 'Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?'.

77. "When emerging from humble beginnings, those around you tend to underestimate your authenticity because they knew you before you were 'somebody'."- Criss Jami.

78. "You can only be jealous of someone who has something you think you ought to have yourself."- Margaret Atwood.

79. "Men are jealous of every woman, even when they don’t have the slightest interest in her themselves."- Jan Neruda.

80. "Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo."- H.G. Wells.

81. "You can be the moon and still be jealous of the stars."- Gary Allan

82. "The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves."- William Penn

83. "I think it's important to get your surroundings as well as yourself into a positive state - meaning surround yourself with positive people, not the kind who are negative and jealous of everything you do."- Heidi Klum

84. "Jealousy... is a mental cancer."- B. C. Forbes

85. "Don't waste time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind."- Mary Schmich

86. "Jealousy is the fear of comparison."- Max Frisch

87. "More men die of jealousy than of cancer."- Joseph P. Kennedy

88. "The jealous are possessed by a mad devil and a dull spirit at the same time."- Johann Kaspar Lavater

89. "Like hatred, jealousy is forbidden by the laws of life because it is essentially destructive."- Alexis Carrel

90. "The knives of jealousy are honed on details."- Ruth Rendell

91. "I am drawn to women who are independent and creative, which is problematic because it's a struggle, a competition of careers. There's jealousy."- Marilyn Manson

92. "Jealousy is never satisfied with anything short of an omniscience that would detect the subtlest fold of the heart."- George Eliot

93. "Jealousy - that jumble of secret worship and ostensible aversion."- Emil Cioran

94. "Those who are believed to be most abject and humble are usually most ambitious and envious."- Baruch Spinoza

95. "Jealousy is the tie that binds, and binds, and binds."- Helen Rowland

96. "Jealousy is the jaundice of the soul."- John Dryden

97. "The envious die not once, but as oft as the envied win applause."- Baltasar Gracian

98. "As iron is eaten away by rust, so the envious are consumed by their own passion."- Antisthenes

99. "But I like not these great successes of yours; for I know how jealous are the gods."- Herodotus

100. "The lovesick, the betrayed, and the jealous all smell alike."- Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

*Do you know where this quote originated? Please email us to let us know at hello@kidadl.com.

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Sources

https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/jealousy-quotes

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/on-parenting/9-ways-parents-can-help-kids-cope-with-jealousy/2018/08/23/8aff3c82-9460-11e8-810c-5fa705927d54_story.html

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Written by Writvik Gupta

Writvik Gupta picture

Writvik Gupta

A professional content writer hailing from Kolkata, India, with extensive experience in the corporate sector, Writvik Gupta has worked with several reputed companies, including ITC WelcomHotel Jodhpur, Bharti AXA Life Insurance, Aryan Imaging, and Eduquity. He also serves as a consultant for a startup based in Bangalore. With a passion for the outdoors, Writvik enjoys trekking and traveling to remote destinations. He also has a keen interest in exploring various cuisines and regularly volunteers for social causes.

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