--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Envy not greatness: for thou mak'st…" description: "\"Envy not greatness: for thou mak'st thereby Thyself the worse, and so the distance greater.\" — George Herbert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/george-herbert-107_distance_envy-not-greatness-for-thou-mak-st-there_1358402.jpg" --- # Envy not greatness: for thou mak'st thereby Thyself the… ![“Envy not greatness: for thou mak'st thereby Thyself the worse, and so the distance greater.” quote by George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/george-herbert-107_distance_envy-not-greatness-for-thou-mak-st-there_1358402.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/george-herbert-107_distance_envy-not-greatness-for-thou-mak-st-there_1358402.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/george-herbert-107_distance_envy-not-greatness-for-thou-mak-st-there_1358402.jpg) > “Envy not greatness: for thou mak'st thereby Thyself the worse, and so the distance greater.” [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that envy degrades the envious and widens the gap between them and greatness. **In simple terms:** Envy harms the envious and widens the gap to greatness. Key Takeaway Cultivate gratitude instead of envy. Themes envy self‑improvement spirituality Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal growth - leadership - spiritual practice Key Concepts moral philosophy psychology Christian ethics Questions to Reflect On - What practices reduce envy? - How does envy impact personal development? A Different Perspective Envy can be a powerful motivator for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Distance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance/) [Distance Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance-greater-4641308/) [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Envy Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy-greatness-4201243/) [Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Thyself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thyself/) [Thyself Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thyself-worse-4641306/) [Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse/) [Worse Distance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse-distance-4641307/) ## Related quotes > [Reverence for greatness dies out, and is succeeded by base envy of greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/reverence-for-greatness-dies-out-and-is-succeeded-by-base-envy-of/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [“But perhaps no distance is greater than that which separates a poor family in the same country”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/but-perhaps-no-distance-is-greater-than-that-which-separates-a-poor/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [The distance between yourself and others should not be greater than your arm’s length.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christophe-agou/the-distance-between-yourself-and-others-should-not-be-greater-than/) [Christophe Agou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christophe-agou/) > [By all means use some time to be alone, salute thyself, see what thy soul doth wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/by-all-means-use-some-time-to-be-alone-salute-thyself-see-what-thy/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Help thyself, and God will help thee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/help-thyself-and-god-will-help-thee/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [In solitude, be a multitude to thyself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-solitude-be-a-multitude-to-thyself/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Lie not, neither to thyself, nor man, nor God. 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"That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-raised-another-shot-that-sound-you-hear-is-the-heads-of-moral/) [Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/) > [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) [Frank H. T. 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In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) [Browse all 3,296 Distance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Envy not greatness: for thou mak'st thereby Thyself the worse, and so the distance greater.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Herbert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/envy-not-greatness-for-thou-mak-st-thereby-thyself-the-worse-and-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Distance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/envy-not-greatness-for-thou-mak-st-thereby-thyself-the-worse-and-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/george-herbert-107_distance_envy-not-greatness-for-thou-mak-st-there_1358402.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/george-herbert-107_distance_envy-not-greatness-for-thou-mak-st-there_1358402.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/george-herbert-107_distance_envy-not-greatness-for-thou-mak-st-there_1358402.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Envy not greatness: for thou mak'st thereby Thyself the worse, and so the distance greater.” — George Herbert", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "George Herbert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Envy not greatness: for thou mak'st...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/envy-not-greatness-for-thou-mak-st-thereby-thyself-the-worse-and-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/envy-not-greatness-for-thou-mak-st-thereby-thyself-the-worse-and-so/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```