--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Envy comes from wanting something that…" description: "\"“Envy comes from wanting something that isn't yours, but grief comes from losing something you've already had.”\" — Jodi Picoult" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/jodi-picoult-45_envy_envy-comes-from-wanting-something-that-i_3134425.jpg" --- # Envy comes from wanting something that isn't yours, but… ![“Envy comes from wanting something that isn't yours, but grief comes from losing something you've already had.” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/jodi-picoult-45_envy_envy-comes-from-wanting-something-that-i_3134425.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/jodi-picoult-45_envy_envy-comes-from-wanting-something-that-i_3134425.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/jodi-picoult-45_envy_envy-comes-from-wanting-something-that-i_3134425.jpg) > ““Envy comes from wanting something that isn't yours, but grief comes from losing something you've already had.”” [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Envy desires what we lack; grief mourns what we have lost. **In simple terms:** Envy and grief stem from different emotional triggers. Key Takeaway Recognize and address both feelings. Themes emotions loss desire Mood reflective empathetic Type literary psychological When to use this quote - personal relationships - career setbacks - family dynamics - mental health counseling Key Concepts psychology human experience Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your envy? - How do you process grief health? A Different Perspective Envy can motivate positive change if managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Envy Comes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy-comes-4209231/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Grief Comes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief-comes-803512/) [Jealousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jealousy/) [Wanting Isn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting-isn-1030165/) ## Related quotes > [Envy, after all, comes from wanting something that isn't yours. But grief comes from losing something you've already had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/envy-after-all-comes-from-wanting-something-that-isn-t-yours-but/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [For men can endure to hear others praised only so long as they can severally persuade themselves of their own ability to equal the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/for-men-can-endure-to-hear-others-praised-only-so-long-as-they-can/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Envy comes from people's ignorance of, or lack of belief in, their own gifts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/envy-comes-from-people-s-ignorance-of-or-lack-of-belief-in-their-own/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [Envy never comes to the ball dressed as envy; it comes dressed as high moral standards or distaste for materialism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/envy-never-comes-to-the-ball-dressed-as-envy-it-comes-dressed-as-high/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“In the monotony of everyday existence grief comes as a holiday, and a fire is an entertainment. A scratch embellishes an empty face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-gorky/in-the-monotony-of-everyday-existence-grief-comes-as-a-holiday-and-a/) [Maxim Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-gorky/) > [There are moments when the grief comes bubbling up. The first time I saw Chris's chair empty, that was really hard. And it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-reeve/there-are-moments-when-the-grief-comes-bubbling-up-the-first-time-i/) [Dana Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-reeve/) > [“I think; here I lie under a haystack… The tiny space I occupy is so infinitely small in comparison with the rest of space,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-turgenev/i-think-here-i-lie-under-a-haystack-the-tiny-space-i-occupy-is-so/) [Ivan Turgenev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-turgenev/) > [Whenever you start-give it your best. The opportunities are there to be anything you want to be. But wanting to be someone isn't enough;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/whenever-you-start-give-it-your-best-the-opportunities-are-there-to/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [“Are we always to be wanting what isn't: the greenest grass accord and principle motherhood and career? Yet our age lies to us like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-crooker/are-we-always-to-be-wanting-what-isn-t-the-greenest-grass-accord-and/) [Barbara Crooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-crooker/) > [“When you want something," says Michael, "it's like admitting that your life has a hole in it." "And to fill that hole, you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-acampora/when-you-want-something-says-michael-it-s-like-admitting-that-your/) [Paul Acampora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-acampora/) > [“Grief, when it comes, is nothing we expect it to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/grief-when-it-comes-is-nothing-we-expect-it-to-be/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Grief is different. Grief has no distance. Grief comes in waves, paroxysms, sudden apprehensions that weaken the knees and blind the eyes and obliterate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/grief-is-different-grief-has-no-distance-grief-comes-in-waves/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Grief, when it comes, is nothing like we expect it to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/grief-when-it-comes-is-nothing-like-we-expect-it-to-be/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Death is awful fierce. After it cuts those still living into little pieces, grief comes along to watch them bleed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-morgan-denkers/death-is-awful-fierce-after-it-cuts-those-still-living-into-little/) [Sandi Morgan Denkers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-morgan-denkers/) > [And I know you've spent a lifetime trying to protect me from the staggering pain of grief that comes from losing the things and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-noel/and-i-know-you-ve-spent-a-lifetime-trying-to-protect-me-from-the/) [Alyson Noel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-noel/) ## More by Jodi Picoult > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) [Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More Envy quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I don't envy "busy." Busy means having a schedule, not living life. What I really covet is leisure and peace of mind. Those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/i-don-t-envy-busy-busy-means-having-a-schedule-not-living-life-what-i/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [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/) > [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Is it not strange that the more someone has, the less he feels he has? Envy can never be sated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-wheeler/is-it-not-strange-that-the-more-someone-has-the-less-he-feels-he-has/) [Jeff Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-wheeler/) > [I avoid envy at all costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-winkleman/i-avoid-envy-at-all-costs/) [Claudia Winkleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-winkleman/) > [Sometimes I envy painters, it is wonderful to remain in front of a bouquet of flowers a whole morning, or even longer. A photographer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-boubat/sometimes-i-envy-painters-it-is-wonderful-to-remain-in-front-of-a/) [Edouard Boubat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edouard-boubat/) > [avarice breeds envy, a worm that is always gnawing, letting the avaricious enjoy neither their own nor anyone else's good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/avarice-breeds-envy-a-worm-that-is-always-gnawing-letting-the/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [“You don’t see someone flying and you begin to bite yourself for not being able to do that. You do what you can.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-don-t-see-someone-flying-and-you-begin-to-bite-yourself-for-not/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Knowledge forbidden? Suspicious, reasonless. Why should their Lord Envy them that? Can it be sin to know, Can it be death? And do they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/knowledge-forbidden-suspicious-reasonless-why-should-their-lord-envy/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [“Who would have thought you had so many supporters?" she whispered. "Not mine, my love. Yours. I had not a one till you started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-sinclair/who-would-have-thought-you-had-so-many-supporters-she-whispered-not/) [Michele Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-sinclair/) > [“Treachery is always a hairy caterpillar bred of a small butterfly called envy, no matter how lofty the principles involved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fazil-iskander/treachery-is-always-a-hairy-caterpillar-bred-of-a-small-butterfly/) [Fazil Iskander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fazil-iskander/) > [Yes, Clay Matthews has a long, golden, Fabio-esque flowing mane that most women would chick-slap someone for. And yes, the shiny, beautiful, dark locks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-foudy/yes-clay-matthews-has-a-long-golden-fabio-esque-flowing-mane-that/) [Julie Foudy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-foudy/) > [“I have known many true connoisseurs, with excellent tastes that range across the humanities and the culinary arts--and they never fail to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with-excellent-tastes-that-range/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) [Browse all 2,111 Envy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Envy comes from wanting something that isn't yours, but grief comes from losing something you've already had.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jodi Picoult" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/envy-comes-from-wanting-something-that-isn-t-yours-but-grief-comes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Envy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/envy-comes-from-wanting-something-that-isn-t-yours-but-grief-comes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/jodi-picoult-45_envy_envy-comes-from-wanting-something-that-i_3134425.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/jodi-picoult-45_envy_envy-comes-from-wanting-something-that-i_3134425.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/jodi-picoult-45_envy_envy-comes-from-wanting-something-that-i_3134425.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Envy comes from wanting something that isn't yours, but grief comes from losing something you've already had.” — Jodi Picoult", "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": "Jodi Picoult", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Envy comes from wanting something that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/envy-comes-from-wanting-something-that-isn-t-yours-but-grief-comes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/envy-comes-from-wanting-something-that-isn-t-yours-but-grief-comes/#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 } } ] } ```