---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yet we always envy others, comparing our…"
description: "\"Yet we always envy others, comparing our shadows to their sunlit sides.\" — Margaret George"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/margaret-george-11964_compare_yet-we-always-envy-others-comparing-our_2630282.png"
---

#  Yet we always envy others, comparing our shadows to their…

![“Yet we always envy others, comparing our shadows to their sunlit sides.” quote by Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/margaret-george-11964_compare_yet-we-always-envy-others-comparing-our_2630282.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/margaret-george-11964_compare_yet-we-always-envy-others-comparing-our_2630282.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/margaret-george-11964_compare_yet-we-always-envy-others-comparing-our_2630282.png)

> “Yet we always envy others, comparing our shadows to their sunlit sides.”

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Envy arises from comparing our hidden flaws to others' visible successes.

**In simple terms:** We envy others’ bright sides.

Key Takeaway

Focus on personal growth, not comparison.

Themes

envy comparison self‑esteem perception

Mood

introspective motivational

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career
- social media
- personal relationships
- self‑improvement

Key Concepts

psychology social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What aspects of your life do you truly value?
- How can you celebrate others’ successes?

A Different Perspective

Comparison can motivate positive change if balanced.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) [Shadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadows/)

## Related quotes

> [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/)

> [No one else has access to the world you carry around within yourself; you are its custodian and entrance. No one else can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/no-one-else-has-access-to-the-world-you-carry-around-within-yourself/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [You always envy someone else's life and, as a woman, you're always comparing your life to someone else's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-camp/you-always-envy-someone-else-s-life-and-as-a-woman-you-re-always/)

[Anna Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-camp/)

> [“She bid him farewell, And scrutinized his silhouette, That slowly faded in the shadows. She whispered, "Au-revoir" To the nocturnal mist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruqayya-shaheed-khan/she-bid-him-farewell-and-scrutinized-his-silhouette-that-slowly-faded/)

Ruqayya Shaheed Khan

> [There are only shades of gray. Black and white are nothing more than lofty ideals in our minds, the standards by which we try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/there-are-only-shades-of-gray-black-and-white-are-nothing-more-than/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“There is light in the shadow just as there is shadow in the light and although many disclaim these shadows as everything unpleasant in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kensi-brianne-smith/there-is-light-in-the-shadow-just-as-there-is-shadow-in-the-light-and/)

Kensi Brianne Smith

> [“My dream is to create something so beautiful that it encourages people to present the best version of themselves to me everywhere I go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-caligiuri/my-dream-is-to-create-something-so-beautiful-that-it-encourages/)

[Ross Caligiuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-caligiuri/)

> [As we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-plant/as-we-wind-on-down-the-road-our-shadows-taller-than-our-souls/)

[Robert Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-plant/)

> [“Try to think of it as though we are rewriting history––the first time this experience occurred you and I never kissed in this Dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-caligiuri/try-to-think-of-it-as-though-we-are-rewriting-history-the-first-time/)

[Ross Caligiuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-caligiuri/)

> [Never Allow The Dark Shadows Of Your Past To Dim The Light You Were Destined To Shine...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prahmiss/never-allow-the-dark-shadows-of-your-past-to-dim-the-light-you-were/)

Prahmiss

> [The sun was trembling on the brink of the world, the shadows at their longest, and they still had several kilometers to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/the-sun-was-trembling-on-the-brink-of-the-world-the-shadows-at-their/)

[John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/)

> [“strike from the shadows, disapear into darkness”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/strike-from-the-shadows-disapear-into-darkness/)

[derek landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/)

> [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [I watched the movie 'What We Do in the Shadows' in a packed theater when it first came out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-dacosta/i-watched-the-movie-what-we-do-in-the-shadows-in-a-packed-theater/)

[Nia DaCosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-dacosta/)

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Margaret George

> [“Looking out the rain-fogged window at the gray November day, Mary felt almost grateful for the snug warmth of her well-heated chamber. Escape, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/looking-out-the-rain-fogged-window-at-the-gray-november-day-mary-felt/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [We are more than our bodies, it is true; but we cannot be divorced from them. They are us, and the only way in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/we-are-more-than-our-bodies-it-is-true-but-we-cannot-be-divorced-from/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [“I realized then how odd it must seem to them to be summoned by a woman. Roman women were at home quietly minding their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/i-realized-then-how-odd-it-must-seem-to-them-to-be-summoned-by-a/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [Mary awoke from her nightmare with a pounding heart, convinced that she had only imagined Elizabeth's cruel plot. A full moon was shining into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/mary-awoke-from-her-nightmare-with-a-pounding-heart-convinced-that/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [“Mary was like a caged tiger in the first days of her captivity. Keen, alert, and watchful, she listened tensely each dawn for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/mary-was-like-a-caged-tiger-in-the-first-days-of-her-captivity-keen/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [“There is no respect for hidden music”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/there-is-no-respect-for-hidden-music/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [Now I felt the long-forgotten urgency of lovemaking, when it seems one's human selves leave, to be replaced by hungry beasts bolting their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/now-i-felt-the-long-forgotten-urgency-of-lovemaking-when-it-seems-one/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [“Life as a whole is not happy. Only moments. This is my moment. It will pass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/life-as-a-whole-is-not-happy-only-moments-this-is-my-moment-it-will/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [“Mary fell asleep early, but her dreams were most unpleasant. She was a mouse running across the kitchen floor, and Elizabeth was a sharp-clawed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/mary-fell-asleep-early-but-her-dreams-were-most-unpleasant-she-was-a/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [Kindness is stronger than iron bars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/kindness-is-stronger-than-iron-bars/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [“But marrying within one's own family can get monotonous. One has heard all the same family stories, knows all the jokes and all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/but-marrying-within-one-s-own-family-can-get-monotonous-one-has-heard/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [To love someone is to catch your breath whenever he walks in the room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/to-love-someone-is-to-catch-your-breath-whenever-he-walks-in-the-room/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [In my experience, there are two things that no one will admit to: having no sense of humor and being susceptible to flattery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/in-my-experience-there-are-two-things-that-no-one-will-admit-to/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [“It is thus that inanimate objects seem to soak up the essence of living things, and later cause pain or pleasure when we merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/it-is-thus-that-inanimate-objects-seem-to-soak-up-the-essence-of/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

> [“Heart of my heart, bone of my bone, spirit of my spirt, we cannot be held.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/heart-of-my-heart-bone-of-my-bone-spirit-of-my-spirt-we-cannot-be-held/)

[Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

[Explore all 56 Margaret George quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/)

## More Compare quotes

> [I have touched with a sense of art some people-they felt the love and the life. Can you offer me anything to compare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cassatt/i-have-touched-with-a-sense-of-art-some-people-they-felt-the-love-and/)

[Mary Cassatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cassatt/)

> [Its extremely dangerous to compare anyone else to Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/its-extremely-dangerous-to-compare-anyone-else-to-shakespeare/)

[Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/)

> [I think, however, that Astaire's coordination is better than Kelly's... his sense of rhythm is uncanny. Kelly, on the other hand, is the stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/i-think-however-that-astaire-s-coordination-is-better-than-kelly-s/)

[Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/)

> [To fashion stars out of dog dung, that is the Great Work. To take a negative experience and, by comparing it to something worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-david-neel/to-fashion-stars-out-of-dog-dung-that-is-the-great-work-to-take-a/)

[Alexandra David-Neel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-david-neel/)

> [Rien ne se peut comparer a' Paris. Nothing can compare to Paris.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eustache-deschamps/rien-ne-se-peut-comparer-a-paris-nothing-can-compare-to-paris/)

Eustache Deschamps

> [Some twins feel like they need to compare themselves to each other, but we're not that way. That's because of my parents, though, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-olsen/some-twins-feel-like-they-need-to-compare-themselves-to-each-other/)

[Ashley Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-olsen/)

> [One of my favorite poets, Neruda, writes close to the bone. Though I know only a little Spanish, I like to compare the Spanish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-diament/one-of-my-favorite-poets-neruda-writes-close-to-the-bone-though-i/)

[Anita Diament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-diament/)

> [Nothing will kill what you've been called to do more than comparing yourself to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/nothing-will-kill-what-you-ve-been-called-to-do-more-than-comparing/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [Once an activity has been socialized, it is impossible to point out, by concrete example, how men in a free market could better conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/once-an-activity-has-been-socialized-it-is-impossible-to-point-out-by/)

[Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/)

> [Don't compare your career to anyone else's. It's tough when you're in a business that's competitive. I was having a difficult time with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-brooks/don-t-compare-your-career-to-anyone-else-s-it-s-tough-when-you-re-in/)

[Danielle Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-brooks/)

> [The terrorists-those nineteen people, with hundreds or maybe thousands behind them-did the worst thing you can possibly imagine. But tens of millions people did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-terrorists-those-nineteen-people-with-hundreds-or-maybe-thousands/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [Nobody can really compare a relationship in which the victim is 15 years old to one where she's 6. While both criminal, they're very different circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/nobody-can-really-compare-a-relationship-in-which-the-victim-is-15/)

[Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/)

> [Those who have high business acumen display specific, identifiable cognitive skills that permit them to perform better than their peers. Once we understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/those-who-have-high-business-acumen-display-specific-identifiable/)

[Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/)

> [In the formation of such a government, it is not only the right, but the indispensable duty of every citizen to examine the principles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-webster/in-the-formation-of-such-a-government-it-is-not-only-the-right-but/)

[Noah Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-webster/)

> [ Rather than comparing \[war\] to art we could more accurately compare it to commerce, which is also a conflict of human interests and activities;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/rather-than-comparing-war-to-art-we-could-more-accurately-compare-it/)

[Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/)

Browse all 1,596 Compare quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Yet we always envy others, comparing our shadows to their sunlit sides.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret George"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/yet-we-always-envy-others-comparing-our-shadows-to-their-sunlit-sides/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Compare"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/yet-we-always-envy-others-comparing-our-shadows-to-their-sunlit-sides/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/margaret-george-11964_compare_yet-we-always-envy-others-comparing-our_2630282.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/margaret-george-11964_compare_yet-we-always-envy-others-comparing-our_2630282.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/margaret-george-11964_compare_yet-we-always-envy-others-comparing-our_2630282.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Yet we always envy others, comparing our shadows to their sunlit sides.” — Margaret George",
                "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": "Margaret George",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Yet we always envy others, comparing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/yet-we-always-envy-others-comparing-our-shadows-to-their-sunlit-sides/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/yet-we-always-envy-others-comparing-our-shadows-to-their-sunlit-sides/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```