--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is better to be envied than pitied." description: "\"It is better to be envied than pitied.\" — Herodotus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/herodotus-2844_envy_it-is-better-to-be-envied-than-pitied-12_1218234.jpg" --- # It is better to be envied than pitied. ![“It is better to be envied than pitied.” quote by Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/herodotus-2844_envy_it-is-better-to-be-envied-than-pitied-12_1218234.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/herodotus-2844_envy_it-is-better-to-be-envied-than-pitied-12_1218234.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/herodotus-2844_envy_it-is-better-to-be-envied-than-pitied-12_1218234.jpg) > “It is better to be envied than pitied.” [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being envied is preferable to being pitied because envy reflects admiration while pity implies weakness. **In simple terms:** Envied is better than pitied. Key Takeaway Seek respect, not sympathy. Themes pride social perception status Mood reflective critical Type moral philosophical When to use this quote - political ambition - personal reputation - leadership - public image Key Concepts Greek historiography human nature Questions to Reflect On - Do you value admiration over compassion? - How does seeking envy affect relationships? A Different Perspective Envy can breed resentment and conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better/) [Better Envied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-envied-3720803/) [Envied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envied/) [Envied Pitied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envied-pitied-846959/) [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Pitied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pitied/) ## Related quotes > [How much better a thing it is to be envied than to be pitied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/how-much-better-a-thing-it-is-to-be-envied-than-to-be-pitied/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [If our inward griefs were written on our brows, how many who are envied now would be pitied. It would seem that they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/if-our-inward-griefs-were-written-on-our-brows-how-many-who-are/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [If our inward griefs were seen written on our brow, how many would be pitied who are now envied! \[It., Se a ciascun l'interno…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/if-our-inward-griefs-were-seen-written-on-our-brow-how-many-would-be/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [Envy is ever joined with the comparing of a man's self; and where there is no comparison, no envy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/envy-is-ever-joined-with-the-comparing-of-a-man-s-self-and-where/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Envy ought to have no place allowed it in the hearts of people; for the goods of this present world are so vile and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/envy-ought-to-have-no-place-allowed-it-in-the-hearts-of-people-for/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Envy assails the noblest: the winds howl around the highest peaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/envy-assails-the-noblest-the-winds-howl-around-the-highest-peaks/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [He will be loved when dead, who was envied when he was living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/he-will-be-loved-when-dead-who-was-envied-when-he-was-living/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Each of them berated you, because they feared and envied you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/each-of-them-berated-you-because-they-feared-and-envied-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is no sweeter sound than the crumbling of one's fellow man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/there-is-no-sweeter-sound-than-the-crumbling-of-one-s-fellow-man/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“People pitied only what they could easily slaughter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-hill/people-pitied-only-what-they-could-easily-slaughter/) [C.J. 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They lose a great deal.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/t-hey-are-much-to-be-pitied-who-have-not-been-given-a-taste-for/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [When men take pleasure in feeling their minds elevated with strong drink, and so indulge their appetite as to disorder their understandings, neglect their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-woolman/when-men-take-pleasure-in-feeling-their-minds-elevated-with-strong/) [John Woolman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-woolman/) > [This thought strengthened in me my belief that all men, without exception, deserve to be pitied, if only because they are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-moravia/this-thought-strengthened-in-me-my-belief-that-all-men-without/) [Alberto Moravia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-moravia/) > [If we believe that a person seeking refuge is to be pitied, feared, despised, and looked down upon, we are doing ourselves a disservice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clemantine-wamariya/if-we-believe-that-a-person-seeking-refuge-is-to-be-pitied-feared/) [Clemantine Wamariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clemantine-wamariya/) ## More by Herodotus > [Haste in every business brings failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/haste-in-every-business-brings-failures/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [A real friend ... exults in his friend’s happiness, rejoices in all his joys, and is ready to afford him the best advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/a-real-friend-exults-in-his-friend-s-happiness-rejoices-in-all-his/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; While others, on the contrary, obtain a victory by exerting, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/some-men-give-up-their-designs-when-they-have-almost-reached-the-goal/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [I know that human happiness never remains long in the same place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/i-know-that-human-happiness-never-remains-long-in-the-same-place/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [Happiness is not fame or riches or heroic virtues, but a state that will inspire posterity to think in reflecting upon our life, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/happiness-is-not-fame-or-riches-or-heroic-virtues-but-a-state-that/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [But I like not these great success of yours; for I know how jealous are the gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/but-i-like-not-these-great-success-of-yours-for-i-know-how-jealous/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [Knowledge may give weight, but accomplishments give lustre, and many more people see than weigh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/knowledge-may-give-weight-but-accomplishments-give-lustre-and-many/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest do not happen at all. 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