Envy: quotes, catchphrases, aphorisms and sayings

Looking for interesting sayings about envy? Quotes, aphorisms, catchphrases? Do you want to understand why envious feelings appear in people, how they are expressed, and is there a way to resist it? By reading quotes and statements about envy, sayings and aphorisms about it, you will be able to find answers to all these interesting and important questions.

Envy is a negative emotion that can eat many people from the inside. This is an unhealthy character trait of a person; it prevents anyone from moving forward, since an envious person is able to focus only on the success of others. He cannot focus on his goals and achievements, so he is unlikely to be able to achieve at least some success in life.

There is a Buddhist term, mudita, which means the benevolence or selfless joy that a person can experience at the success of others. If we learn to replace envy with sympathy like this, our lives can radically change, turning previously negative emotions into positive ones. After all, selfless joy for others does not slow down, but, on the contrary, motivates and inspires. Therefore, below we will offer some thoughts for reading about envious people, envy and gossip, which must be taken into account when meeting them on the path of life.

Aphorisms about envy

What is envy? Quotes and aphorisms about her reveal the essence of the phenomenon.

You should not seek or want someone else's misfortune. If anger or envy were made tangible and had a form, then it would definitely be the shape of a boomerang.
Envious people and simply stupid people will never be able to understand the motives that guide outstanding minds. That is why as soon as they notice a couple of superficial contradictions, they immediately seize on them.
If you are taught life by a person who has achieved nothing, do not listen to his advice. This is envy speaking in him.
Schadenfreude is when you enjoy other people's misfortunes even more than your own successes.
Don't be jealous, you can't know for sure how it will all end.

How to behave so as not to become an object of envy

Of course, if you have already become an object of envy, nothing can be fixed; you can only hope for a peaceful resolution of the issue. But this fate can be avoided if you behave more carefully, so as not to cause negative emotions in others:

Never brag or tell anything unnecessary about yourself. It’s nice, of course, to share your joys and successes, but it’s better to keep your feelings in check. The less others know, the less negativity will fall on you.
Never show your superiority, especially at work. The more your boss praises you, the less positive emotions you will evoke among your colleagues. Therefore, even if you became employee of the year, do not boast about it, maintain equal relations with everyone.
Attractive people who are successful with the opposite sex often become objects of envy. Therefore, you should not flirt openly, especially for women. Among the fair sex there are too many envious women with unsettled personal lives.
Don't forget about tact. Never joke about less fortunate acquaintances, especially in a team or group.
Don't put others down. Even if you are successful in your personal life and successful at work, you should not humiliate others. Never start conversations on a personal topic, do not give advice “from above”. This will not lead to anything good.

Envy is a bad feeling

Quotes and sayings about envy and envious people help to understand their condition.

Envy always dies in the joy of others, hates any superiority that it is not able to achieve.
Sincere admiration never loosens the tongue, but, on the contrary, fetters it.
An envious person torments himself more than his enemies.
This is one of the rare concepts that does not even have its own antonym.
Envy is a sign of low self-esteem.
People can be divided into two types. The first ones enjoy their lives. The latter look at the former and are simply jealous.

How do men and women envy?

Are there any differences in the envy of men and women? The specialist found an answer to this question. As it turns out, envy has no gender. Envy is a feeling of injustice, mental sadness about someone else's good, which is inherent in both sexes.

The only difference is what is the envy of men and women.

As a rule, men envy: • manhood; • a younger and more beautiful body; • career; • money; • men whose woman is more beautiful than their own; • age.

Women have similar points of envy, but they are still different. Thus, women envy: • appearance; • breast size; • age; • who is married\who is not married; • presence of children.

From this it is clear that the primitive basis of envy for everyone is the successful implementation of the masculine or feminine principle.

Sayings about envy

Here are some more interesting quotes about people’s envy:

The envious man has a gun. Only it always explodes in the hands of the one who takes aim.
Envy has no days off.
You should always be in a good mood. You feel better, but envious people suffer.
When a person is in love, he looks at others through a telescope. And when a person is jealous - through a microscope.
Very often, when a person desires something else, he loses his own.
Envy is the side of hatred. Her path is dark and desolate.
If you focus on yourself and your affairs, there will be no room for envy.
All sins bring pleasure to some extent. Only envy has nothing to do with pleasure.
Selfless people are extremely rare. And envious people wait at every corner.
Hate is when you actively dislike someone. And envy is the same hostility, only passive.
All my friends really want to marry me quickly. This is because they cannot stand it when someone feels good.

Age characteristics

Psychologists note that each age is characterized by different manifestations of envy.

Up to 6 years

Young children are characterized by a feeling of envy, but it manifests itself as a short-term uncontrollable emotion: “I want the same toy!”, “I want to go to the zoo too!”, “Praise me too!” If this turns into intrusiveness and obsessive thoughts, improper upbringing or the presence of psychotrauma is to blame. If you do not provide a child with psychotherapeutic assistance in a timely manner, this will affect the formation of pathological patterns of behavior and may develop into a neuropsychiatric personality disorder.

7-10 years

At primary school age, children already begin to realize that the feeling of envy they experience is negative. That's why they try to hide it. With proper upbringing and well-formed personal values up to this point, when negativity (anger, irritation, hatred) arises, the child tries to curb the surging emotions. They are still learning this, so it doesn’t always work out. Adults should understand this and not swear, scream or punish. The work should be carried out through explanatory conversations. Art therapy helps a lot in such cases - through drawings, dancing, fairy tales or role-playing games.

What parents need to do to prevent their child from growing up envious:

Accept him as he is.
Show unconditional love, and not only when he deserves it.
Forgive pranks and minor offenses, do not be too strict.
Do not elevate poverty, sacrifice, self-restraint, and self-torture to the rank of virtues and priorities.
Do not cultivate an attitude towards wealth as something sinful, negative and evil.
Respect personal space: do not touch his phone, do not check his pockets, do not enter the room without knocking.
Enjoy every little success.
Prevent naive belief in the “evil eye” and do not promote suffering as an inevitable price for success.
Instill optimism and love of life.

The more attentive parents are to the manifestations of envy in children, the less harm it will cause to the developing personality.

11-17 years old

Envy intensifies precisely during puberty, when, against the backdrop of puberty, a teenager tries to assert himself and break out from under the care of his parents. Its subject can be anything, from external data (my friend is more beautiful than me) to the possession of newfangled gadgets (his parents bought the latest model iPhone, but not me). Since at this age everything is perceived hyperbolically and as a personal insult, such experiences often lead to sad consequences:

theft (if parents do not have the opportunity to buy what they want, what everyone else has);
suicide (often due to internal complexes about appearance);
deviant behavior (to compensate for one’s own inconsistency and inferiority, to demonstrate ostentatious indifference);
the development of hypocrisy, when a teenager learns to hide his true (shameful) emotions and pretend that everything is fine with him.

Adults should notice such moments, be prepared for them and react correctly. The most common mistake parents make is to immediately satisfy their teenager’s desires: buy that same iPhone, allow them to get a tattoo in a visible place, pay for piercings, etc. This is not a solution, because envy in such cases will spread to other items, become large-scale and will lead to worship before the world of money and things. It is necessary to devote more time to the child, to get rid of loneliness and internal complexes, and to raise self-esteem in all possible ways. A teenager who feels the love and support of his parents will be able to curb his own negative impulses and cope with this difficult period.

18-30 years old

Psychologists distinguish this age period separately, arguing that it is this that becomes the real foundation for all kinds of forms of envy. If during the puberty period, after puberty ends and hormonal levels normalize, youthful maximalism disappears, then this is not to be expected here. According to statistics, it is from 18 to 30 years old that people tend to experience burning, sometimes unbearable envy.

This is due, firstly, to self-determination in life. For some, rich parents buy a place at a prestigious university, while for others, having an excellent certificate, they are forced to enter an educational institution that is an order of magnitude lower. Some fly out of the parental nest and begin to arrange their own lives, while others continue to be cared for and controlled by adults. All these factors are fertile ground for cultivating envy of more successful and fortunate peers.

The second reason is interpersonal relationships between the sexes and family formation. Someone starts dating in school, gets married, buys an apartment, has children - everything is great. For others, their personal lives go awry: one partner replaces the other, no constancy, unhappy love - what kind of family happiness can we talk about here? Girls who strive to obtain the status of a married woman as quickly as possible and envy their friends who managed to ring someone especially suffer from this.

And finally, it is at this age that appearance plays a big role. When hiring young personnel, preference is often given not only to those who are sociable and educated, but also to those who are handsome, well dressed, and well tailored. People with congenital physical disabilities and internal complexes often find themselves left behind. And resentment begins to lurk in the soul - the beginning of all-destructive and pathological envy.

Psychologists strongly advise those who suffer from envy at this age to engage in self-development and seek help from specialized specialists.

After 30 years

At this age, the feeling of heightened envy begins to fade among those who achieve their goals and already have a certain position in society. For those who were never able to cope with their complexes, it turns into the status of pathology and mental disorder. After 40 years, people, having gained life experience, already know how to control their feelings and emotions, so they rarely seek help with such a problem.

Envy can be destructive if it becomes a pathology and subjugates all a person’s aspirations, poisoning his life and soul day by day. In this case, it must be fought by any means, attracting your own internal resources or resorting to outside help. It must be remembered that it can also carry a positive charge if it motivates you to move forward and reach the top. It is precisely this hypostasis that everyone should strive for.

Sayings of great people about envy

You should not overestimate what you have received, and you should not envy others. Otherwise you will never find peace.
Those people who, out of whims and their vanity, want to achieve success in everything at once are constantly envious. They will always have someone to envy, because it is impossible for many people not to be superior to them in some way.
We want to have all the benefits before others. This is envy.
For some reason, popular writers are rarely popular among writers.

Sayings and quotes about envy and gossip help us understand how much of this there is in our lives.

For every good person who sincerely wishes us success and joy, there are hundreds who cannot accept our success.
Envy is unable to hide: it blames and judges without evidence, magnifies the shortcomings of others, and elevates even the most insignificant mistake to a crime. With stupid, incredible fury, she is capable of attacking the most undeniable human virtues.
An envious person cannot find peace when he sees someone else's happiness. But when he notices misfortune, he becomes calm.

Signs

Why know the signs of envy?

Firstly, they will allow you to control your own behavior. If you observe 3 or 4 manifestations from the list proposed by psychologists, you need to think about it and begin to take urgent measures. Secondly, with their help it is easy to recognize an envious person in your environment. Remember that this is a feeling that destroys not only from within, but also harms those to whom it is directed. You need to distance yourself from such people, stay away and avoid close contact with them.

Kinesics (the science of postures, gestures and facial expressions) tells in detail how an envious person reveals himself:

a strained smile that has nothing to do with the hatred (hostility) that lurks in the soul;
lack of joyful sparkle in the eyes;
a frozen mask on the face instead of lively and sincere facial expressions;
tilting the head to the side, allowing you not to look into the eyes of your interlocutor;
squinting of the eyes even with good vision;
hands near the mouth, as if covering it so as not to say too much;
closed pose (legs crossed, hands hidden behind the back or in pockets);
tilting the body in the direction opposite to the interlocutor - moving away from him;
stiffness and restraint of movements.

In terms of behavior, actions and interpersonal communication, envious people often:

build intrigues against those they envy;
spread false, defamatory rumors about them;
they deliberately get close to them, posing as girlfriends and friends in order to find out the details of their personal lives and use them against the object of envy;
they never open up and share their problems;
in the event of open confrontation, they step aside because they know their own inadequacy;
prone to suicide.

Psychotherapists name ten mental disorders of personality and behavior that most often affect an envious person:

neurosis;
obsessive-compulsive disorder;
mood disorders (affective pathologies);
behavioral syndromes;
emotional disorders;
infantilism;
passive aggression;
neuropathy;
hysteria;
anancastic personality disorder.

If any of these diagnoses are present, psychiatric help is required. However, the pathology can not be brought to such an advanced form if you know what symptoms are harbingers of such disorders:

constant irritability, nervousness, causeless aggression;
secrecy, withdrawal;
insincerity, deceit;
sudden change of mood;
depression;
indifference, apathy, lack of initiative;
chronic fatigue syndrome, etc.

Knowing how to recognize true envy, you can fight its internal development and prevent it from developing into pathology. Seeing how it manifests itself in others, you can protect yourself from the negativity coming from them.

Catchphrases about envy

There is no need to accumulate resentment against those who are trying to keep you. Because the higher you are able to rise, the smaller these people become. You can't trust those who try to push you when you're trying to get up. The more envious these people are, the more dangerous they become.
Nothing in the world can stop a gossip. And envious.
If you hear obvious flattery, run. An envious person is talking to you.
In the wrong hands, even crumbs of bread look like a whole loaf.

A little more about envious people and envy:

Envious people always walk around in a bad mood. They are tormented not only by their own failures, but also by the successes of others.
Envy is poison for the soul and heart.
True love does not know what games and coquetry are. But true friendship should not know what envy and gloating are.

What to do if you are jealous

1. Try to imagine what you look like from the outside. People around us easily read our emotions, no matter how hard we try to hide them. An envious person seems both angry and pathetic. Realize how repulsive this cocktail is.

2. When we are envious, we focus on others. As a result, they feel an additional surge of strength, and we feel devastation and apathy. Modern man does not have many sources of energy to waste left and right. Remember that your supply of strength is not infinite; it is much more useful to direct it to yourself: to take care of your well-being, appearance, and mental balance.

3. Envy often occurs when a person confuses self-esteem and dignity. It seems to him that since he doesn’t have something, then he himself is insignificant. This is a very harmful misconception.

“Self-esteem is formed by comparing yourself to others. Dignity is an integral part of our nature. It cannot be lost with material wealth, health and the passage of years. Dignity is the beauty and strength of the human soul. It is with us by default until we give it up,” says Ekaterina Talakova.

"Sergeant" and "braggart". 6 types of toxic relatives and how to live with them Read more

Wise thoughts and proverbs about envy

Who in this world can protect themselves from evil envious people? The higher a person rises in the esteem of his fellow citizens, the more significant and significant the post he occupies, the faster he becomes a target for envy. As a result, entire oceans of dirt and a sea of slander are spilled on him.
Only that person thinks that he is free from feelings of envy who has not been able to study himself.
Compassion is when you grieve for someone else's misfortune. Envy is when you grieve over someone else's happiness.

And finally, a few proverbs about envy:

Rust will always eat iron. And the envious person is eaten up by his temper.
People who never have enough of everything not only do not know how to be happy for themselves, but they also know how to darken their joy for others.
The participation of someone whom no one can envy is unenviable.
People always feel sorry for the weak and unfortunate, but envy still needs to be earned.

Consequences

It is useful for everyone to know what pathological envy leads to in order to realize all the harm that it has on literally all areas of life.

Effect on physical health:

The pressure constantly rises - hypertension develops;
hyperhidrosis;
tachycardia, arrhythmia, cardiovascular diseases;
dyspnea;
problems in the nervous system;
muscle tension is formed;
the functioning of the digestive tract is disrupted, which can lead to the development of gastritis and the formation of ulcers;
pathologically low pain threshold (due precisely to the fact that the same part of the brain is responsible for envy and pain).

One of the Japanese neuroscientists suggested that pathologically envious people are more likely than others to become cancer patients. Statistics confirm this, but more scientific research is needed.

Mental health consequences:

insomnia;
neurotic disorders;
obsessive thoughts;
suicidal tendencies;
various personality and behavior disorders;
deep depression;
neuroses, psychopathy;
destruction of the system of moral values and personal attitudes.

In addition to all this, it is worth considering the destruction of interpersonal relationships. An envious person has no real friends, because at a certain moment, when they achieve something more, they become the object of his uncontrollable bile and anger. Over time, such people lose the ability to be happy for others and distance themselves from others. Social maladaptation, isolation, autism - these are the consequences of this all-destroying feeling.