--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes comparing can be a good thing…" description: "\"Sometimes comparing can be a good thing: it can inspire us to work harder and reach farther. But for the most part, excessive measuring yourself up aga..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97d/rachel-simmons-4183_comparing_sometimes-comparing-can-be-a-good-thing_1748226.png" --- # Sometimes comparing can be a good thing: it can inspire us… ![“Sometimes comparing can be a good thing: it can inspire us to work harder and reach farther. But for the most part, excessive measuring yourself up against others - especially when it becomes a way to put yourself down - is a colossal waste of time. It's a dead end. It won't make you do anything…” quote by Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97d/rachel-simmons-4183_comparing_sometimes-comparing-can-be-a-good-thing_1748226.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97d/rachel-simmons-4183_comparing_sometimes-comparing-can-be-a-good-thing_1748226.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97d/rachel-simmons-4183_comparing_sometimes-comparing-can-be-a-good-thing_1748226.png) > “Sometimes comparing can be a good thing: it can inspire us to work harder and reach farther. But for the most part, excessive measuring yourself up against others - especially when it becomes a way to put yourself down - is a colossal waste of time. It's a dead end. It won't make you do anything except feel horrible.” [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comparing yourself to others can motivate, but excessive self‑measurement leads to self‑criticism and wasted time. **In simple terms:** Comparison can inspire or harm; excess harms. Key Takeaway Avoid harmful comparison; focus on personal growth. Themes motivation self‑esteem productivity Mood reflective cautious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - academic performance - fitness goals - creative projects Key Concepts social comparison self‑criticism mindset Questions to Reflect On - How can you channel healthy competition? - What personal metrics truly matter? A Different Perspective Excessive comparison may cause anxiety and reduce confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comparing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparing/) [Comparing Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparing-good-1583339/) [Dead end](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-end/) [End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end/) [Excessive Measuring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excessive-measuring-1583340/) [Feel Horrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-horrible-308940/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-thing/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Waste of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste-of-time/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work harder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-harder/) ## Related quotes > [“Stop comparing yourself with others. If they are good at something, you too are good at something else. Self-confidence is not measured by your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/stop-comparing-yourself-with-others-if-they-are-good-at-something-you/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [I've never been so broken that it hurts intensely when I breathe I sit and cry an ocean not knowing what to think. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-never-been-so-broken-that-it-hurts-intensely-when-i-breathe-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I would feel horrible to think I had put my name on a pistol permit and allowed someone to carry around a gun and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rutherford/i-would-feel-horrible-to-think-i-had-put-my-name-on-a-pistol-permit/) [Mike Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rutherford/) > [In real life, I balk. Even seeing a real fight, I feel horrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-evans/in-real-life-i-balk-even-seeing-a-real-fight-i-feel-horrible/) [Gareth Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-evans/) > [People found me ugly and weird looking. All those years of that whole insecurity thing just makes you feel horrible then really slowly you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-stone/people-found-me-ugly-and-weird-looking-all-those-years-of-that-whole/) [Lara Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-stone/) > [“He would feel horrible if anything happened to her and her baby, all because of him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-faust/he-would-feel-horrible-if-anything-happened-to-her-and-her-baby-all/) [Christa Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-faust/) > [I'm lactose intolerant, so usually pizza makes me feel horrible. But I'll occasionally go very hard and do pizza and pineapple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-wolff/i-m-lactose-intolerant-so-usually-pizza-makes-me-feel-horrible-but-i/) [Alex Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-wolff/) > [Sure, I'd love to be on primetime, but if I'm blessed enough to be picked up by another soap, thank God! It's so hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hartley/sure-i-d-love-to-be-on-primetime-but-if-i-m-blessed-enough-to-be/) [Lindsay Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-hartley/) > [It's a balancing act of you feel horrible that you're away but there is something about the road that is rather liberating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/it-s-a-balancing-act-of-you-feel-horrible-that-you-re-away-but-there/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [The make-up and the costumes were me being scared. I needed to create a boundary between me and the audience. To project this bigger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/the-make-up-and-the-costumes-were-me-being-scared-i-needed-to-create/) [Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/) > [It's funny how hard people try to be prefect, perfect for the one you like. But what's hillarious is when they don't notice... and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-funny-how-hard-people-try-to-be-prefect-perfect-for-the-one-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Be always drunken. Nothing else matters: that is the only question. If you would not feel the horrible burden of time weighing on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/be-always-drunken-nothing-else-matters-that-is-the-only-question-if/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [“I feel horrible. She doesn't love me and I wander around the house like a sewing machine that's just finished sewing a turd to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-feel-horrible-she-doesn-t-love-me-and-i-wander-around-the-house/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [I’ll feel that horrible feeling in my stomach you get when you’ve gone over to the Dark Side. But I’ll be fine. That’s the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lileks/i-ll-feel-that-horrible-feeling-in-my-stomach-you-get-when-you-ve/) [James Lileks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lileks/) > [My mom can't defend herself to the world. She is such an amazing woman, with such an open heart. It's a real hard line,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-reed/my-mom-can-t-defend-herself-to-the-world-she-is-such-an-amazing-woman/) [Nikki Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-reed/) ## More by Rachel Simmons > [There are no shortcuts to genuine friendship. Relationships are built over time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/there-are-no-shortcuts-to-genuine-friendship-relationships-are-built/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [Prom drops girls squarely into the beauty spending pipeline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/prom-drops-girls-squarely-into-the-beauty-spending-pipeline/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [From childhood to adolescence, girls face mixed messages about displaying power and authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/from-childhood-to-adolescence-girls-face-mixed-messages-about/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [Having a baby on my own is a dream come true, but in my world, there's no sheepish spouse on his way home from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/having-a-baby-on-my-own-is-a-dream-come-true-but-in-my-world-there-s/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [The Internet foments outrageous behavior in part because it is a 'gray area' for social interactions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/the-internet-foments-outrageous-behavior-in-part-because-it-is-a-gray/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [When I went to prom in the early 1990s, I seesawed between my wish to get asked by the right guy and ride in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/when-i-went-to-prom-in-the-early-1990s-i-seesawed-between-my-wish-to/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people stay for a while, and give us a deeper understanding of what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/some-people-come-into-our-lives-and-quickly-go-some-people-stay-for-a/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [My experience is that aggression is a universal trait in human beings - girls feel it in any sort of environment, same-sex or co-ed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/my-experience-is-that-aggression-is-a-universal-trait-in-human-beings/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [In the age of girl power, we're loath to send a message of surrender to our girls. To the contrary: we've doubled down on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/in-the-age-of-girl-power-we-re-loath-to-send-a-message-of-surrender/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [You might be thinking that some people are just naturally good at speaking up, and others just aren't - game over. Not true. Speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/you-might-be-thinking-that-some-people-are-just-naturally-good-at/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [Most parents would not hesitate to assume responsibility for their child's behavior on a playground, at school, or in someone else's home. What happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/most-parents-would-not-hesitate-to-assume-responsibility-for-their/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [I was a single mom by choice at 37, and if my love life hadn't quite panned out, most everything else had. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/i-was-a-single-mom-by-choice-at-37-and-if-my-love-life-hadn-t-quite/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [A girl's social networking profile is a persona she constructs, a photoshopped billboard on the information superhighway. It also offers a salve for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/a-girl-s-social-networking-profile-is-a-persona-she-constructs-a/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [You don't learn how to say 'hey, I have a problem,' but you also don't learn how to hear it. There's a total breakdown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/you-don-t-learn-how-to-say-hey-i-have-a-problem-but-you-also-don-t/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [Many girls aspire to a version of selfhood that puts a psychological glass ceiling on their potential to succeed. They suffer from what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/many-girls-aspire-to-a-version-of-selfhood-that-puts-a-psychological/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) [Explore all 115 Rachel Simmons quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) ## More Comparing quotes > [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/) > [One of the greatest of all sources of misery is comparing yourself to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhat/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-sources-of-misery-is-comparing-yourself-to/) [Zhat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhat/) > [If you're not comparing apples to apples, it doesn't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reince-priebus/if-you-re-not-comparing-apples-to-apples-it-doesn-t-matter/) [Reince Priebus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reince-priebus/) > [You start comparing people, and ultimately, somebody feels diminished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-van-gundy/you-start-comparing-people-and-ultimately-somebody-feels-diminished/) [Jeff Van Gundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-van-gundy/) > [“The trouble with comparing yourself to others is that there are too many others. Using all others as your control group, all your worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-trouble-with-comparing-yourself-to-others-is-that-there-are-too/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyndale/we-dare-not-class-ourselves-or-compare-ourselves-with-those-who/) [Tyndale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyndale/) > [When ever we start comparing our partner with others that means we start ending our relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-choudhri/when-ever-we-start-comparing-our-partner-with-others-that-means-we/) [Nikhil Choudhri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-choudhri/) > [“Comparing yourself to others does nothing for you. Society has conditioned us to value people who fit a secular mold of perfection".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-woolley/comparing-yourself-to-others-does-nothing-for-you-society-has/) [Michele Woolley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-woolley/) > [Comparing objects like cars, houses, clothes, and defining life according to those comparisons, instead of trying to discover the real reason for being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/comparing-objects-like-cars-houses-clothes-and-defining-life/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-dyson/don-t-undermine-your-worth-by-comparing-yourself-with-others-it-is/) [Brian Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-dyson/) > [“To love is to stop comparing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-love-is-to-stop-comparing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“All of us are interested in things outside of our stewardships, and we should be, but the most important way to do anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/all-of-us-are-interested-in-things-outside-of-our-stewardships-and-we/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [That's like comparing apples with hermaphroditic ground sloths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/that-s-like-comparing-apples-with-hermaphroditic-ground-sloths/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The Problem With Things Is That Everyone Is Always Comparing Everyone With Everyone And Because Of That, It Discredits People...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-problem-with-things-is-that-everyone-is-always-comparing-everyone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Quit comparing yourself to others. The only comparison that makes any sense is whether you are better today than you were yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-rai/quit-comparing-yourself-to-others-the-only-comparison-that-makes-any/) [Suman Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-rai/) [Browse all 174 Comparing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes comparing can be a good thing: it can inspire us to work harder and reach farther. But for the most part, excessive measuring yourself up against others - especially when it becomes a way to put yourself down - is a colossal waste of time. It's a dead end. 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