Quotes to Help You Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Image by Cathy Hogan

Whether you’re scrolling through “beach bodies” on instagram or seeing life announcements on Facebook that make you feel behind - the comparison game can be brutal. Particularly on social media.

Susan Fiske, Ph.D., a Princeton University psychologist coined the shorthand "envy up, scorn down" to summarise the two main ways we measure our worth against others. “Envy up” is when we feel lesser than others, and "scorn down" is when we view ourselves as better than others.

It’s normal to compare yourself to other people but both “envy up” and “scorn down” can turn toxic if we don’t properly acknowledge or explore the emotions.

I’ve brought together these quotes on comparison from various leaders, experts and teachers to help you squelch the comparathon.

1.    “Comparison with myself brings improvement, comparison with others brings discontent” — Betty Jamie Chung

2. “A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it, it just blooms” — Zen Shin

3.    “Don’t let your ice cream melt while you’re counting somebody else’s sprinkles” — Unknown

4.    “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

5.     “Other people’s lives seem better than yours because you’re comparing their director’s cuts with your behind the scenes.” — Evan Rauch

6.    “Being a successful person is not necessarily defined by what you have achieved, but by what you have overcome” — Fannie Flagg

7.    “Comparison is the thief of joy” — Theodore Roosevelt

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I am an integrative therapist on a mission to normalise conversations about mental health and to remove the stigma of seeing a therapist.

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