---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The jealous man is so preoccupied with…"
description: "\"The jealous man is so preoccupied with what he hasn't got that he fails to appreciate the value of what he has got. He loses the ability to feel glad b..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/william-ralph-inge-6819_ability_the-jealous-man-is-so-preoccupied-with-w_3160845.png"
---

#  The jealous man is so preoccupied with what he hasn't got…

![“The jealous man is so preoccupied with what he hasn't got that he fails to appreciate the value of what he has got. He loses the ability to feel glad because the sun is shining. He doesn't see the wonder and the newness of the beginning of spring.” quote by William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/william-ralph-inge-6819_ability_the-jealous-man-is-so-preoccupied-with-w_3160845.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/william-ralph-inge-6819_ability_the-jealous-man-is-so-preoccupied-with-w_3160845.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/william-ralph-inge-6819_ability_the-jealous-man-is-so-preoccupied-with-w_3160845.png)

> “The jealous man is so preoccupied with what he hasn't got that he fails to appreciate the value of what he has got. He loses the ability to feel glad because the sun is shining. He doesn't see the wonder and the newness of the beginning of spring.”

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

## About This Quote

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

Obsessive focus on lack blinds one to present blessings, reducing joy and appreciation.

**In simple terms:** Missing out on what you have.

Key Takeaway

Practice gratitude daily.

Themes

contentment mindfulness comparison self‑awareness

Mood

reflective calm

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- relationship counseling
- coaching sessions

Key Concepts

gratitude practice mindful observation

Questions to Reflect On

- What am I overlooking today?
- How does comparison erode happiness?

A Different Perspective

Negativity can be hard to overcome.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Appreciate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciate/) [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Failing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Glad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glad/) [Jealous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jealous/) [Jealous man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jealous-man/) [Jealousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jealousy/) [Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses/) [Man Preoccupied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-preoccupied-1073036/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Newness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newness/) [Preoccupied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preoccupied/) [Preoccupied Hasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preoccupied-hasn-5712580/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/)

## Related quotes

> [Finally, everybody agrees that no one pursuit can be successfully followed by a man who is preoccupied with many things-eloquence cannot, nor the liberal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/finally-everybody-agrees-that-no-one-pursuit-can-be-successfully/)

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

> [“A married man is a preoccupied man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-day-gilbert/a-married-man-is-a-preoccupied-man/)

[Heather Day Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-day-gilbert/)

> [“Man is like a bride unto God. God is jealous when man veers away from Him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/man-is-like-a-bride-unto-god-god-is-jealous-when-man-veers-away-from/)

[Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/)

> [As a jealous man, I suffer four times over: because I am jealous, because I blame myself for being so, because I fear that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/as-a-jealous-man-i-suffer-four-times-over-because-i-am-jealous/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [Greed is but a word jealous men inflict upon the ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-licinius-crassus/greed-is-but-a-word-jealous-men-inflict-upon-the-ambitious/)

[Marcus Licinius Crassus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-licinius-crassus/)

> [“Gadol spit up blood, coughing. “They break the land itself!” he hissed, eyes wild. “They want it, but in their rage they will destroy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/gadol-spit-up-blood-coughing-they-break-the-land-itself-he-hissed/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“Then he asked angrily, “Instead of teasing me, why the hell didn’t you tell me you had a famous, jealous maniac for a lover?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lowell/then-he-asked-angrily-instead-of-teasing-me-why-the-hell-didn-t-you/)

[Elizabeth Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lowell/)

> [“day with the douche brothers, he was mostly jealous of the man’s intoxication. Not to mention that if his gift was walking around in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-raymond/day-with-the-douche-brothers-he-was-mostly-jealous-of-the-man-s/)

[C.M. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-raymond/)

> [As far as your ego is concerned and your jealousy is concerned, my whole work here is to help you become so loving that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/as-far-as-your-ego-is-concerned-and-your-jealousy-is-concerned-my/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [A jealous man only sees his own spectrum when he looks upon other men, and gives his character in theirs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/a-jealous-man-only-sees-his-own-spectrum-when-he-looks-upon-other-men/)

[William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/)

> [I like jealous men. I love jealousy. I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-lima/i-like-jealous-men-i-love-jealousy-i-do/)

[Adriana Lima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-lima/)

> [“A bitter, disappointed, and jealous man kills the man he believes to be his wife's lover, this you consider to be unlikely. A murderous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/a-bitter-disappointed-and-jealous-man-kills-the-man-he-believes-to-be/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [The jealous man's disease is of so malignant a nature, that it converts all it takes into its own nourishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-jealous-man-s-disease-is-of-so-malignant-a-nature-that-it/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [“Confidence thrills men for it means you won’t be fidgety or excessively jealous when the man is in the midst of people especially those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agu-jaachynma-n-e/confidence-thrills-men-for-it-means-you-won-t-be-fidgety-or/)

[Agu Jaachynma N.E](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agu-jaachynma-n-e/)

> [A jealous man always finds more than he is looking for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-de-scudery/a-jealous-man-always-finds-more-than-he-is-looking-for/)

[Madeleine de Scudery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-de-scudery/)

## More by William Ralph Inge

> [The world belongs to those who think and act with it, who keep a finger on its pulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-world-belongs-to-those-who-think-and-act-with-it-who-keep-a/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [They who will live for others shall have great troubles, but they shall seem to them small. Those who will live for themselves shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/they-who-will-live-for-others-shall-have-great-troubles-but-they/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [The vulgar mind always mistakes the exceptional for the important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-vulgar-mind-always-mistakes-the-exceptional-for-the-important/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [The game of life is worth playing, but the struggle is the prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-game-of-life-is-worth-playing-but-the-struggle-is-the-prize/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [It is becoming impossible for those who mix at all with their fellow-men to believe that the grace of God is distributed denominationally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/it-is-becoming-impossible-for-those-who-mix-at-all-with-their-fellow/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [Beneath the dingy uniformity of international fashions in dress, man remains what he has always been; a splendid fighting animal, a self-sacrificing hero, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/beneath-the-dingy-uniformity-of-international-fashions-in-dress-man/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [The Devil deserves zero tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-devil-deserves-zero-tolerance/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [We should think of the church as an orchestra in which the different churches play on different instruments while a Divine Conductor calls the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/we-should-think-of-the-church-as-an-orchestra-in-which-the-different/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [Originality is undetected plagiarism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/originality-is-undetected-plagiarism/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [Each generation takes a special pleasure in removing the household gods of its parents from their pedestals, and consigning them to the cupboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/each-generation-takes-a-special-pleasure-in-removing-the-household/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [Literature flourishes best when it is half a trade and half an art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/literature-flourishes-best-when-it-is-half-a-trade-and-half-an-art/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [No healthy civilization can ever be reared on a foundation of devitalized work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/no-healthy-civilization-can-ever-be-reared-on-a-foundation-of/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [Public opinion, a vulgar, impertinent, anonymous tyrant who deliberately makes life unpleasant for anyone who is not content to be the average person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/public-opinion-a-vulgar-impertinent-anonymous-tyrant-who-deliberately/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [Deliberate cruelty to our defenceless and beautiful little cousins is surely one of the meanest and most detestable vices of which a human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/deliberate-cruelty-to-our-defenceless-and-beautiful-little-cousins-is/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [The great discovery of the nineteenth century, that we are of one blood with the lower animals, has created new ethical obligations which have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-great-discovery-of-the-nineteenth-century-that-we-are-of-one/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

[Explore all 97 William Ralph Inge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

## More Ability quotes

> [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/)

[Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/)

> [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/)

[Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/)

> [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/)

[Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/)

> [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/)

[Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/)

[Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/)

> [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/)

[Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/)

> [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/)

[Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/)

> [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/)

[Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/)

> [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/)

[Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/)

[Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The jealous man is so preoccupied with what he hasn't got that he fails to appreciate the value of what he has got. He loses the ability to feel glad because the sun is shining. He doesn't see the wonder and the newness of the beginning of spring.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Ralph Inge"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-jealous-man-is-so-preoccupied-with-what-he-hasn-t-got-that-he/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ability"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-jealous-man-is-so-preoccupied-with-what-he-hasn-t-got-that-he/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/william-ralph-inge-6819_ability_the-jealous-man-is-so-preoccupied-with-w_3160845.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/william-ralph-inge-6819_ability_the-jealous-man-is-so-preoccupied-with-w_3160845.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/william-ralph-inge-6819_ability_the-jealous-man-is-so-preoccupied-with-w_3160845.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The jealous man is so preoccupied with what he hasn't got that he fails to appreciate the value of what he…” — William Ralph Inge",
                "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 Ralph Inge",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The jealous man is so preoccupied...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-jealous-man-is-so-preoccupied-with-what-he-hasn-t-got-that-he/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-jealous-man-is-so-preoccupied-with-what-he-hasn-t-got-that-he/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
