--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That some are poorer than others, ever…" description: "\"That some are poorer than others, ever was and ever will be: And that many are naturally querulous and envious, is an Evil as old as the World.\" — Will..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1b/william-petty-28895_envious_that-some-are-poorer-than-others-ever-wa_2129844.png" --- # That some are poorer than others, ever was and ever will… ![“That some are poorer than others, ever was and ever will be: And that many are naturally querulous and envious, is an Evil as old as the World.” quote by William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1b/william-petty-28895_envious_that-some-are-poorer-than-others-ever-wa_2129844.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1b/william-petty-28895_envious_that-some-are-poorer-than-others-ever-wa_2129844.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1b/william-petty-28895_envious_that-some-are-poorer-than-others-ever-wa_2129844.png) > “That some are poorer than others, ever was and ever will be: And that many are naturally querulous and envious, is an Evil as old as the World.” [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wealth disparity and envy are ancient, persistent evils in society. **In simple terms:** Inequality and envy are age‑old problems. Key Takeaway Recognize and address systemic inequality. Themes inequality envy human nature justice Mood reflective critical Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - policy making - education reform - community building - personal reflection Key Concepts social hierarchy moral philosophy economics Questions to Reflect On - How do structural changes reduce envy? - Can personal virtue offset systemic unfairness? A Different Perspective Addressing inequality alone cannot eradicate envy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“IN the year 1888 Herr von Pasenow was seventy, and there were people who felt an extraordinary and inexplicable repulsion when they saw him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-broch/in-the-year-1888-herr-von-pasenow-was-seventy-and-there-were-people/) [Hermann Broch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-broch/) > [Learning acquired in youth arrests the evil of old age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/learning-acquired-in-youth-arrests-the-evil-of-old-age/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [“The Mustang growled into reverse, aiming straight for the old lady. Cassandra would have winced, even if she had been the most evil old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendare-blake/the-mustang-growled-into-reverse-aiming-straight-for-the-old-lady/) [Kendare Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendare-blake/) > [“Evil and I are old adversaries. When we compete I hate to lose," Manny Bettencourt from Murder in the Pinelands”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-moniz/evil-and-i-are-old-adversaries-when-we-compete-i-hate-to-lose-manny/) Larry Moniz > [“That's funny! Where I come from, good triumphs over evil, you old hag!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-spencer/that-s-funny-where-i-come-from-good-triumphs-over-evil-you-old-hag/) J.C. Spencer > [Fenworth nodded. "Yes, yes. Urgent, deadly, insidious. The world is in peril and we must rise against evil." The old wizard released the general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donita-k-paul/fenworth-nodded-yes-yes-urgent-deadly-insidious-the-world-is-in-peril/) [Donita K. Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donita-k-paul/) > [Normally, what you’re envious of is a book, not a writer: standards, ideas, levels … almost nonexistent things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/normally-what-you-re-envious-of-is-a-book-not-a-writer-standards/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“There, display and extravagance, in dress, in furniture, in costly entertainments, are startling. They seem to push you back into a corner, like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/there-display-and-extravagance-in-dress-in-furniture-in-costly/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Reputation being essentially contemporaneous, is always at the mercy of the Envious and the Ignorant. But Fame, whose very birth is posthumous, and which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-brownell-jameson/reputation-being-essentially-contemporaneous-is-always-at-the-mercy/) [Anna Brownell Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-brownell-jameson/) > [England is a fairly envious little country and it's embodied in the press. They don't like anyone being more distinguished than they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/england-is-a-fairly-envious-little-country-and-it-s-embodied-in-the/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [“Don't envy what people have, emulate what they did to have it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/don-t-envy-what-people-have-emulate-what-they-did-to-have-it/) [Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/) > [Books are never out of humour; never envious or jealous, they answer all questions with readiness; ... they teach us how to live and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holbrook-jackson/books-are-never-out-of-humour-never-envious-or-jealous-they-answer/) [Holbrook Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holbrook-jackson/) > [Do the kind of things that come from the heart, When you do, you won't be dissatisfied, you won't be envious, you won't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-the-kind-of-things-that-come-from-the-heart-when-you-do-you-won-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let your love drive you mad, mad about life, mad about the smell of Jasmine. Mad about the painting that reminds you of one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-minagar/let-your-love-drive-you-mad-mad-about-life-mad-about-the-smell-of/) [Melody Minagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-minagar/) > [I made a decision to stop feeling envious of other people, to crack on with my life and stop comparing myself with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-phillips/i-made-a-decision-to-stop-feeling-envious-of-other-people-to-crack-on/) [Jess Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-phillips/) ## More by William Petty > [Causes of Civil War are also, that the Wealth of the Nation is in too few mens hands, and that no certain means are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/causes-of-civil-war-are-also-that-the-wealth-of-the-nation-is-in-too/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [It were good to know how much hay an acre of every sort will bear; how many cattle the same weight of each sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/it-were-good-to-know-how-much-hay-an-acre-of-every-sort-will-bear-how/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [Here we are to remember that in consequence of our opinion that labor is the Father and active principle of wealth, as lands are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/here-we-are-to-remember-that-in-consequence-of-our-opinion-that-labor/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [Money is the best rule of commerce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/money-is-the-best-rule-of-commerce/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [Raising of money may indeed change the species, but with so much loss as the foreign pieces were raised unto, above their intrinsick value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/raising-of-money-may-indeed-change-the-species-but-with-so-much-loss/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [A thousand acres that can feed a thousand souls is better than ten thousand acres of no more effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/a-thousand-acres-that-can-feed-a-thousand-souls-is-better-than-ten/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [Wherefore the race being not to the swift, etc. but time and chance happening to all men, I leave the Judgement of the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/wherefore-the-race-being-not-to-the-swift-etc-but-time-and-chance/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [The method I take to do this is not yet very usual; for instead of using only comparative and superlative Words, and intellectual Arguments,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/the-method-i-take-to-do-this-is-not-yet-very-usual-for-instead-of/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [I hope no man takes what I said about the living and dieing of men for mathematical demonstration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/i-hope-no-man-takes-what-i-said-about-the-living-and-dieing-of-men/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [No man pays double or twice for the same thing, forasmuch as nothing can be spent but once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/no-man-pays-double-or-twice-for-the-same-thing-forasmuch-as-nothing/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [An house is of a double nature, viz., one, wherein it is a way and means of expence, the other as it is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/an-house-is-of-a-double-nature-viz-one-wherein-it-is-a-way-and-means/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [“Milk was used in various forms during the summer months; in winter beer or water was used. Bread, cakes, potatoes, and sea food were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/milk-was-used-in-various-forms-during-the-summer-months-in-winter/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [The trade of banks is the buying and selling of interest and exchange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/the-trade-of-banks-is-the-buying-and-selling-of-interest-and-exchange/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [Without the knowledge of the true number of the people, as a principle, the whole scope and use of keeping bills of birth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/without-the-knowledge-of-the-true-number-of-the-people-as-a-principle/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [Every seaman is not only a navigator, but a merchant and also a soldier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/every-seaman-is-not-only-a-navigator-but-a-merchant-and-also-a-soldier/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) [Explore all 19 William Petty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) ## More Envious quotes > [Let your love drive you mad, mad about life, mad about the smell of Jasmine. Mad about the painting that reminds you of one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-minagar/let-your-love-drive-you-mad-mad-about-life-mad-about-the-smell-of/) [Melody Minagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-minagar/) > [Do the kind of things that come from the heart, When you do, you won't be dissatisfied, you won't be envious, you won't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-the-kind-of-things-that-come-from-the-heart-when-you-do-you-won-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Books are never out of humour; never envious or jealous, they answer all questions with readiness; ... they teach us how to live and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holbrook-jackson/books-are-never-out-of-humour-never-envious-or-jealous-they-answer/) [Holbrook Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holbrook-jackson/) > [“Don't envy what people have, emulate what they did to have it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/don-t-envy-what-people-have-emulate-what-they-did-to-have-it/) [Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/) > [“There, display and extravagance, in dress, in furniture, in costly entertainments, are startling. They seem to push you back into a corner, like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/there-display-and-extravagance-in-dress-in-furniture-in-costly/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Normally, what you’re envious of is a book, not a writer: standards, ideas, levels … almost nonexistent things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/normally-what-you-re-envious-of-is-a-book-not-a-writer-standards/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [I made a decision to stop feeling envious of other people, to crack on with my life and stop comparing myself with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-phillips/i-made-a-decision-to-stop-feeling-envious-of-other-people-to-crack-on/) [Jess Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-phillips/) > [Reputation being essentially contemporaneous, is always at the mercy of the Envious and the Ignorant. But Fame, whose very birth is posthumous, and which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-brownell-jameson/reputation-being-essentially-contemporaneous-is-always-at-the-mercy/) [Anna Brownell Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-brownell-jameson/) > [England is a fairly envious little country and it's embodied in the press. They don't like anyone being more distinguished than they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/england-is-a-fairly-envious-little-country-and-it-s-embodied-in-the/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [I was a kid when the Tamagotchi craze hit, and I was always envious of my friends and cousins who got to hand-rear their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/i-was-a-kid-when-the-tamagotchi-craze-hit-and-i-was-always-envious-of/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [Because I am a horrible flincher, contact lenses are not an option. I'm always envious of contact-wearers. There are endless reasons to take off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/because-i-am-a-horrible-flincher-contact-lenses-are-not-an-option-i-m/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [I was in love with everything- I wanted to look with love at the angry people so that their eyes would be forced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/egon-schiele/i-was-in-love-with-everything-i-wanted-to-look-with-love-at-the-angry/) [Egon Schiele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/egon-schiele/) > [The gigantic intellect, the envious temper, the ravenous ambition and the rotten heart of Daniel Webster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/the-gigantic-intellect-the-envious-temper-the-ravenous-ambition-and/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [The Greeks understood perfectly that if there were divine beings they are capricious, unkind, malicious mostly, temperamental, envious and mostly deeply unpleasant because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/the-greeks-understood-perfectly-that-if-there-were-divine-beings-they/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [The problem was money and the indignities of life without it. Every stroller, cell phone, Yankees cap, and SUV he saw was a torment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/the-problem-was-money-and-the-indignities-of-life-without-it-every/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) Browse all 330 Envious quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That some are poorer than others, ever was and ever will be: And that many are naturally querulous and envious, is an Evil as old as the World.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Petty" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/that-some-are-poorer-than-others-ever-was-and-ever-will-be-and-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Envious" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/that-some-are-poorer-than-others-ever-was-and-ever-will-be-and-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1b/william-petty-28895_envious_that-some-are-poorer-than-others-ever-wa_2129844.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1b/william-petty-28895_envious_that-some-are-poorer-than-others-ever-wa_2129844.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1b/william-petty-28895_envious_that-some-are-poorer-than-others-ever-wa_2129844.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That some are poorer than others, ever was and ever will be: And that many are naturally querulous and…” — William Petty", "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": "William Petty", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "That some are poorer than others,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/that-some-are-poorer-than-others-ever-was-and-ever-will-be-and-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/that-some-are-poorer-than-others-ever-was-and-ever-will-be-and-that/#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 } } ] } ```