--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Envy is the ulcer of the soul." description: "\"Envy is the ulcer of the soul.\" — Socrates" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/socrates-405_envy_envy-is-the-ulcer-of-the-soul-1636191_1636191.jpg" --- # Envy is the ulcer of the soul. ![“Envy is the ulcer of the soul.” quote by Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/socrates-405_envy_envy-is-the-ulcer-of-the-soul-1636191_1636191.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/socrates-405_envy_envy-is-the-ulcer-of-the-soul-1636191_1636191.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/socrates-405_envy_envy-is-the-ulcer-of-the-soul-1636191_1636191.jpg) > “Envy is the ulcer of the soul.” [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Jealousy damages the soul like a disease. **In simple terms:** Envy harms inner health. Key Takeaway Avoid envy, foster contentment. Themes ethics emotions philosophy Mood thoughtful cautionary Type philosophical warning When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace dynamics - social media - political discourse Key Concepts moral decay psychological harm Questions to Reflect On - What triggers envy in you? - Can envy be redirected product? A Different Perspective Envy can sometimes motivate positive change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Envy Ulcer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy-ulcer-528088/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Ulcer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ulcer/) [Ulcer Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ulcer-soul-528089/) [Ulcers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ulcers/) ## Related quotes > [Unfortunately, only a small number of patients with peptic ulcer are financially able to make a pet of an ulcer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james-mayo/unfortunately-only-a-small-number-of-patients-with-peptic-ulcer-are/) [William James Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james-mayo/) > [Ugliness is a point of view; an ulcer is wonderful to a pathologist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/ugliness-is-a-point-of-view-an-ulcer-is-wonderful-to-a-pathologist/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) > [Golf is a game where guts and blind devotion will always net you absolutely nothing but an ulcer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-bolt/golf-is-a-game-where-guts-and-blind-devotion-will-always-net-you/) [Tommy Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-bolt/) > [I have an ulcer. It has an IQ of 185.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lynde/i-have-an-ulcer-it-has-an-iq-of-185/) [Paul Lynde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lynde/) > [You must lance an ulcer to heal it. You must tear down parts of an old building to restore it, and so it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/you-must-lance-an-ulcer-to-heal-it-you-must-tear-down-parts-of-an-old/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [I'm going to do my best to do both and die of an ulcer at age 30.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-west/i-m-going-to-do-my-best-to-do-both-and-die-of-an-ulcer-at-age-30/) [Shane West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-west/) > [The 20th-century ulcer epidemic was a sign of good health in American people - good diet, strong acidity and healthy immune response actually make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/the-20th-century-ulcer-epidemic-was-a-sign-of-good-health-in-american/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [I hate putting negative energy out into the world. But it's either inside or out. I mean, it's either get an ulcer or have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-van-etten/i-hate-putting-negative-energy-out-into-the-world-but-it-s-either/) [Sharon Van Etten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-van-etten/) > [“Beasley was a little man whose face looked like an X ray of an ulcer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/beasley-was-a-little-man-whose-face-looked-like-an-x-ray-of-an-ulcer/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [“But the decubitus ulcer presents a unique psychological horror. The word “decubitus” comes from the Latin decumbere, to lie down. As a rule, bedridden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/but-the-decubitus-ulcer-presents-a-unique-psychological-horror-the/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“Anybody over sixteen without an ulcer's a goddamn spy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/anybody-over-sixteen-without-an-ulcer-s-a-goddamn-spy/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [I wanted to do 'Texas Trilogy' on stage. But it didn't do well in New York. In fact, it did very badly there, thanks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ladd/i-wanted-to-do-texas-trilogy-on-stage-but-it-didn-t-do-well-in-new/) [Diane Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ladd/) > [“Your ability to survive anything that gets thrown at you sometimes leaves the rest of us swallowing ulcer medication for days afterward. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/your-ability-to-survive-anything-that-gets-thrown-at-you-sometimes/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [It was so frustrating to see ulcer patients having surgery, or even dying, when I knew a simple antibiotic treatment could fix the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/it-was-so-frustrating-to-see-ulcer-patients-having-surgery-or-even/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [Nobody should smoke cigarettes - and smoking with an ulcer is like pouring gasoline on a burning house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nobody-should-smoke-cigarettes-and-smoking-with-an-ulcer-is-like/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Socrates > [By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/by-all-means-marry-if-you-get-a-good-wife-you-ll-be-happy-if-you-get/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Falling down is not a failure. Failure comes when you stay where you have fallen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/falling-down-is-not-a-failure-failure-comes-when-you-stay-where-you/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Do not go through life like leaf blown from here to there believing whatever you are told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/do-not-go-through-life-like-leaf-blown-from-here-to-there-believing/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [If the whole world depends on today's youth, I can't see the world lasting another 100 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-the-whole-world-depends-on-today-s-youth-i-can-t-see-the-world/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“I only know, I know nothing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/i-only-know-i-know-nothing/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/i-cannot-teach-anybody-anything-i-can-only-make-them-think/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [If measure and symmetry are absent from any composition in any degree, ruin awaits both the ingredients and the composition... Measure and symmetry are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-measure-and-symmetry-are-absent-from-any-composition-in-any-degree/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Marry a good woman, and be happy the rest of your life. Or, marry a bad, and become a good philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/marry-a-good-woman-and-be-happy-the-rest-of-your-life-or-marry-a-bad/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“For the fear of death is indeed the pretense of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being a pretense of knowing the unknown; and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/for-the-fear-of-death-is-indeed-the-pretense-of-wisdom-and-not-real/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [There is no difference between knowledge and temperance; for he who knows what is good and embraces it, who knows what is bad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/there-is-no-difference-between-knowledge-and-temperance-for-he-who/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Besides, it is a shame to let yourself grow old through neglect before seeing how you can develop the maximum beauty and strength of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/besides-it-is-a-shame-to-let-yourself-grow-old-through-neglect-before/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [The greatest blessing granted to mankind come by way of madness, which is a divine gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/the-greatest-blessing-granted-to-mankind-come-by-way-of-madness-which/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [I desire only to know the truth, and to live as well as I can...And, to the utmost of my power, I exhort all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/i-desire-only-to-know-the-truth-and-to-live-as-well-as-i-can-and-to/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [So you would rather suffer an injustice than do an injustice?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/so-you-would-rather-suffer-an-injustice-than-do-an-injustice/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [The end of life is to be like unto God; and the soul following God, will be like unto Him; He being the beginning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/the-end-of-life-is-to-be-like-unto-god-and-the-soul-following-god/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) [Explore all 579 Socrates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) ## 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 is the ulcer of the soul.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Socrates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/envy-is-the-ulcer-of-the-soul/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Envy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/envy-is-the-ulcer-of-the-soul/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/socrates-405_envy_envy-is-the-ulcer-of-the-soul-1636191_1636191.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/socrates-405_envy_envy-is-the-ulcer-of-the-soul-1636191_1636191.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/socrates-405_envy_envy-is-the-ulcer-of-the-soul-1636191_1636191.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Envy is the ulcer of the soul.” — Socrates", "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": "Socrates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Envy is the ulcer of the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/envy-is-the-ulcer-of-the-soul/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/envy-is-the-ulcer-of-the-soul/#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 } } ] } ```