--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nowadays you envy a manic-depressive…" description: "\"Nowadays you envy a manic-depressive. Half the time he's happy, the other half he's right.\" — Robert Breault" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/robert-breault-304_depressive_nowadays-you-envy-a-manic-depressive-hal_1157920.png" --- # Nowadays you envy a manic-depressive. Half the time he's… ![“Nowadays you envy a manic-depressive. Half the time he's happy, the other half he's right.” quote by Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/robert-breault-304_depressive_nowadays-you-envy-a-manic-depressive-hal_1157920.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/robert-breault-304_depressive_nowadays-you-envy-a-manic-depressive-hal_1157920.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/robert-breault-304_depressive_nowadays-you-envy-a-manic-depressive-hal_1157920.png) > “Nowadays you envy a manic-depressive. Half the time he's happy, the other half he's right.” [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) ## 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 highlights the paradox of envy toward someone whose mood swings give them both happiness and insight, suggesting that emotional extremes can be enviable. **In simple terms:** Envy arises from seeing both joy and correctness in a manic-depressive. Key Takeaway Recognize the value in emotional complexity. Themes psychology envy mental health Mood conflicted thoughtful Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - mental health awareness - self‑reflection Key Concepts bipolar disorder emotional intelligence social comparison Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance empathy with envy? - What can we learn from emotional extremes? A Different Perspective Envy may overlook the suffering behind mood swings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depressive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressive/) [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Manic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manic/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Being a mathematician is a bit like being a manic depressive: you spend your life alternating between giddy elation and black despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-g-krantz/being-a-mathematician-is-a-bit-like-being-a-manic-depressive-you/) Steven G. Krantz > [The Chinese believe that before you can conquer a beast you first must make it beautiful. In some strange way, I have tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/the-chinese-believe-that-before-you-can-conquer-a-beast-you-first-2/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [If you're manic-depressive and you're functioning in this world and doing it all well, I think, wow, you should be proud of being able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/if-you-re-manic-depressive-and-you-re-functioning-in-this-world-and/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [I'm a happy-go-lucky manic-depressive. It does get very deep and dark for me, and it gets scary at times when I feel I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/i-m-a-happy-go-lucky-manic-depressive-it-does-get-very-deep-and-dark/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [Alright, so I'm a manic depressive. What do you want from me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-forlani/alright-so-i-m-a-manic-depressive-what-do-you-want-from-me/) [Claire Forlani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-forlani/) > [Remember that the stock market is manic-depressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/remember-that-the-stock-market-is-manic-depressive/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [I suffer from manic-depressive disorder, and I've chosen not to take medication for it. Because of that, every once in a while I go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-weiland/i-suffer-from-manic-depressive-disorder-and-i-ve-chosen-not-to-take/) [Scott Weiland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-weiland/) > [Every now and then I hear voices in my head, but not very clear. I can't understand what they are saying. It's a mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wilson/every-now-and-then-i-hear-voices-in-my-head-but-not-very-clear-i-can/) [Brian Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wilson/) > [Getting my father to throw anything away was pretty difficult. He was not trying to hide who he was, and he said, you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-forbes/getting-my-father-to-throw-anything-away-was-pretty-difficult-he-was/) [Maya Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-forbes/) > [I don't know what other singers feel when they articulate lyrics, but being an 18-karat manic-depressive and having lived a life of violent emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sinatra/i-don-t-know-what-other-singers-feel-when-they-articulate-lyrics-but/) [Frank Sinatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sinatra/) > [My dad is actually a manic depressive, which is very exciting half the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/my-dad-is-actually-a-manic-depressive-which-is-very-exciting-half-the/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [I have had manic-depressive illness, also known as bipolar disorder, since I was 18 years old. It is an illness that ensures that those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-have-had-manic-depressive-illness-also-known-as-bipolar-disorder/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [The point about manic depression or bipolar disorder, as it's now more commonly called, is that it's about mood swings. So, you have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/the-point-about-manic-depression-or-bipolar-disorder-as-it-s-now-more/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [I spoke so much about being a manic-depressive. I want to bring everyone back to my earliest memories of this companion of mine. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dreyfuss/i-spoke-so-much-about-being-a-manic-depressive-i-want-to-bring/) [Richard Dreyfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dreyfuss/) > [I am not schizoid. A little manic-depressive, maybe." "'Know thyself.'" "We try, sir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-am-not-schizoid-a-little-manic-depressive-maybe-know-thyself-we-try/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) ## More by Robert Breault > [You will not find a soulmate in the quiet of your room. You must go to a noisy place and look in the quiet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/you-will-not-find-a-soulmate-in-the-quiet-of-your-room-you-must-go-to/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Never mind the odds against you. If you doubled your effort, what would the odds against you do — send for reinforcements?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/never-mind-the-odds-against-you-if-you-doubled-your-effort-what-would/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Retirement is having nothing to do and someone always keeping you from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/retirement-is-having-nothing-to-do-and-someone-always-keeping-you/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [There is in art the notion of less is more, which is to say, you don't torture a painting that has already confessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/there-is-in-art-the-notion-of-less-is-more-which-is-to-say-you-don-t/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [One's dream is defeated not by unsolvable problems, but by all the more-or-less satisfactory solutions that kill it forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/one-s-dream-is-defeated-not-by-unsolvable-problems-but-by-all-the/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [I cultivate my garden, and my garden cultivates me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/i-cultivate-my-garden-and-my-garden-cultivates-me/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [In the end you regret less the things you believed that weren't true than the things that never came true because you didn't believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/in-the-end-you-regret-less-the-things-you-believed-that-weren-t-true/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The trick to getting ahead is to give it the same effort you give to getting even.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/the-trick-to-getting-ahead-is-to-give-it-the-same-effort-you-give-to/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Man will have replicated his own intelligence not when he teaches a computer to reason but when he teaches a computer to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/man-will-have-replicated-his-own-intelligence-not-when-he-teaches-a/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [To hurt someone you know will forgive you is the unkindiest thing of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/to-hurt-someone-you-know-will-forgive-you-is-the-unkindiest-thing-of/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [For every person who atones, a hundred others find regret sufficient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/for-every-person-who-atones-a-hundred-others-find-regret-sufficient/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [As a means to success, determination has this advantage over talent - that it does not have to be recognized by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/as-a-means-to-success-determination-has-this-advantage-over-talent/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [As a gardener, I wonder if flowers really can't speak or just exercise unfailing good judgment in the matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/as-a-gardener-i-wonder-if-flowers-really-can-t-speak-or-just-exercise/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Genius is a plodding intellect, incapable of dreaming up the obstacles that stop the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/genius-is-a-plodding-intellect-incapable-of-dreaming-up-the-obstacles/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) [Explore all 710 Robert Breault quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) ## More Depressive quotes > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I think that for thousands of years people have made the observation that there are certain kinds of extreme depressive states that seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-think-that-for-thousands-of-years-people-have-made-the-observation/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Being a mathematician is a bit like being a manic depressive: you spend your life alternating between giddy elation and black despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-g-krantz/being-a-mathematician-is-a-bit-like-being-a-manic-depressive-you/) Steven G. Krantz > [A lot of people don't realize that not everybody gets high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ringwald/a-lot-of-people-don-t-realize-that-not-everybody-gets-high/) [Molly Ringwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ringwald/) > [One of the most common outcomes of a depressive illness is a mistreated body. Now is the time to treat your body well. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-h-bloomfield/one-of-the-most-common-outcomes-of-a-depressive-illness-is-a/) [Harold H. Bloomfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-h-bloomfield/) > [I'm constantly having to be vigilant with a depressive tendency, an addictive tendency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-marber/i-m-constantly-having-to-be-vigilant-with-a-depressive-tendency-an/) [Patrick Marber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-marber/) > [The cynic sees only cynicism, the depressive can taint creation with one glance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-funder/the-cynic-sees-only-cynicism-the-depressive-can-taint-creation-with/) [Anna Funder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-funder/) > [I spoke so much about being a manic-depressive. I want to bring everyone back to my earliest memories of this companion of mine. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dreyfuss/i-spoke-so-much-about-being-a-manic-depressive-i-want-to-bring/) [Richard Dreyfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dreyfuss/) > [Even in my first analysis of a depressive psychosis, I was immediately struck by its structural similarity with obsessional neurosis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-abraham/even-in-my-first-analysis-of-a-depressive-psychosis-i-was-immediately/) [Karl Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-abraham/) > [I'm not a big depressive, but I have my moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-acaster/i-m-not-a-big-depressive-but-i-have-my-moments/) [James Acaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-acaster/) > [I know I'm depressive and always have been thinking about life and death for too much, but before my days will end I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/i-know-i-m-depressive-and-always-have-been-thinking-about-life-and/) [Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/) > [I always thought I was depressive, and I only recently realized that I have more of an anxiety disorder than chronic depression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/autre-ne-veut/i-always-thought-i-was-depressive-and-i-only-recently-realized-that-i/) [Autre Ne Veut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/autre-ne-veut/) > [I think I am naturally depressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-think-i-am-naturally-depressive/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [The point about manic depression or bipolar disorder, as it's now more commonly called, is that it's about mood swings. So, you have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/the-point-about-manic-depression-or-bipolar-disorder-as-it-s-now-more/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [Statistically 1 out of 5 females and 1 out of 8 males will go through a depressive episode at some point during their lives. You're never alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/statistically-1-out-of-5-females-and-1-out-of-8-males-will-go-through/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 106 Depressive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nowadays you envy a manic-depressive. Half the time he's happy, the other half he's right.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Breault" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/nowadays-you-envy-a-manic-depressive-half-the-time-he-s-happy-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Depressive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/nowadays-you-envy-a-manic-depressive-half-the-time-he-s-happy-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/robert-breault-304_depressive_nowadays-you-envy-a-manic-depressive-hal_1157920.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/robert-breault-304_depressive_nowadays-you-envy-a-manic-depressive-hal_1157920.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/robert-breault-304_depressive_nowadays-you-envy-a-manic-depressive-hal_1157920.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nowadays you envy a manic-depressive. Half the time he's happy, the other half he's right.” — Robert Breault", "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": "Robert Breault", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nowadays you envy a manic-depressive. Half...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/nowadays-you-envy-a-manic-depressive-half-the-time-he-s-happy-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/nowadays-you-envy-a-manic-depressive-half-the-time-he-s-happy-the/#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 } } ] } ```