Comparing ourselves to others is inevitable.
Comparison is the thief of all joy, and often, the time wasted measuring our life to that of others holds us back from fully embracing our own.
Seeing where our friends and family members are in life and what they’ve achieved can sometimes make us feel less than, especially if we aren’t close to achieving our goals in life.
Although comparing ourselves to others can shed light on where we stand in our environment and social setting, following your own path will yield more satisfactory results.
If you’re looking for inspiring quotes on the comparison, read our curated selection of quotes. We hope they will ground you and help you find perspective.
What does it mean to “compare”?
According to Dictionary.com, to compare is to: estimate, measure, or note the similarity or dissimilarity between.
44 Inspirational Quotes On Comparison
- “Comparison is the death of joy.”
― Mark Twain
2. “Instead of indulging in social comparisons, start comparing what you are today with what you were yesterday and the day before. This way, you’ll find positivity within and around you, which will inspire you to radiate it.”
― Dr Prem Jagyasi
3. “Focus on your journey, not the destination.” – Greg Anderson
4. “I don’t care what you think about me. I don’t think about you at all.” – Coco Chanel
5. “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” – E.E. Cummings
6. “When I was a child my mother said to me, ‘If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general. If you become a monk, you’ll be the pope.’ Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.” – Picasso
7. “Judgment traps you within the limitations of your comparisons. It inhibits freedom.”
– Willie Stargell
8. “People like to shy away from comparisons. Personally, I think that’s a mistake. Comparisons can be good. People like to compartmentalize things within their own heads, and helping them do that can actually be a positive thing for the brand you’re trying to build.”
– Scooter Braun
9. “A wise man looks upon men as he does on horses; all their comparisons of title, wealth, and place, he consider but as harness.” – Robert Cecil
10. “Your story is unique and so so different and not worthy of comparison.”
– Anonymous
11. “I have never believed in comparisons, whether they are about different eras, players or coaches.” – Sachin Tendulkar
12. “The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind the scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” – Steve Furtick
13. “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.”
– Tim Hiller
14. “Personality begins where comparison ends.” – Karl Lagerfeld
15. “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.” – Lao Tzu
16. “Dear you, don’t compare yourself to anyone. Your Unique Self is empowered, powerful, and unstoppable! Your uniqueness is what makes you incomparable! Don’t underestimate the beauty of just being you.” – Stephanie Lahart
17. “We’re only envious of those already doing what we were made to do. Envy is a giant, flashing arrow pointing us toward our destiny.” – Glennon Doyle Melton
18. “You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing.”- Oprah
19. “Stay true to yourself.”- Selena Gomez
20. “Be yourself, don’t take anything from anyone, and never let them take you alive.” – Gerard Way
21. “Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.” – Judy Garland
22. “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” – Oscar Wilde
“One’s real life is often the life that one does not lead.” – Oscar Wilde
23. “I feel that the simplicity of life is just being yourself.” – Bobby Brown
24. “Try not to get lost in comparing yourself to others. Discover your gifts and let them shine!” – Jennie Finch
25. “Don’t compare your weaknesses to someone else’s strengths.” – Anonymous
26. “Comparison with myself brings improvement, comparison with others brings discontent.” – Betty Jamie Chung
27. “Stop thinking you’re doing it all wrong. Your path doesn’t look like anybody else’s because it can’t, it shouldn’t, and it won’t.”― Eleanor Brownn
28. “Comparison can turn friends into adversaries.”― Frank Sonnenberg
29. “Comparison is waste of energy. Every individual is unique with unique talents. Find your passion and live your best life.”― Lailah Gifty Akita
30. “You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy.” – Unknown
31. “We get too bogged down by comparisons and competition. On the road to excellence, you are your own benchmark. You have to be your strongest critic.”
– Anupam Kher
32. “Winners compare their achievements with their goals, while losers compare their achievements with those of other people.”
– Nido Qubei
33. “The problem with comparison is that you always feel either better than someone else or worthless compared to someone else.” – Dillon Burroughs
34. “A wise man looks upon men as he does on horses; all their comparisons of title, wealth, and place, he consider but as harness.” – Robert Cecil
35. “There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness.” – Alexandre Dumas
36. “Comparison is the most dangerous acquaintance love can make.” – Soren Kierkegaard
37. “Comparison of statements made at different periods frequently enable us to give maximal and minimal dates to the appearance of a cultural element or to assign the time limits to a movement of population.” – Edward Sapir
38. “Comparisons deplete the actuality of the things compared.” – William S. Wilson
39. “Comparisons make you feel superior or inferior, neither serve a useful purpose.” – Jane Travis
40. “Comparison will strip you of power, of grace, and influence. Each person is unique. How then, can you possibly compare unique to unique? You can’t. And when you try, you annihilate your brilliance.” – Amy Larson
41. “Do not compare yourself to anybody!” – Israelmore Ayivor
42. “It is very easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements in comparison with what we owe others.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
43. “If comparison is the thief of joy, then our culture is being robbed blind.” – Jon Forema
44. “There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying.” – Francis Bacon
Why do we compare ourselves to others?
According to Psychology Today, “People constantly evaluate themselves, and others, in domains like attractiveness, wealth, intelligence, and success. According to some studies, as much as 10 percent of our thoughts involve comparisons of some kind.”
Is comparing ourselves to others bad?
The interesting case here is that no matter how well you are doing by your standards there will always be somebody doing better ‘theoretically’ in life. If we place too much importance on the comparison, we can lose sight of what goals and aspirations we have and we are truly content with. There will always be someone happier, wealthier, smarter and funnier.
Closing Thoughts
Comparing ourselves to others can be crippling if not viewed constructively. Allowing yourself to develop at your own pace with your own goals can allow you to find a healthier and more sustainable path towards achieving your life goals.
We hope these inspiring quotes helped you change your perspective on the comparison. If you are compared to someone else, see it as a compliment but not a be-all-end-all.
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