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The modest man has everything to gain, and the arrogant man everything to lose; for modesty has always to deal with generosity, and arrogance with envy.

— Antoine de Rivarol Attributed Treasury of Thought (1881)

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Jealousy

More quotes by Antoine de Rivarol

The absolute ruler may be a Nero, but he is sometimes a Titus or a Marcus Aurelius; the people is often Nero, but never Marcus Aurelius.

God is the highest measure of our incapacity; the universe, space itself, are not so inaccessible.

Of Man, His Intellectual Faculties, and His Main Ideas (1797)

The being that only feels does not yet think, and the being that thinks feels always.

Of Man, His Intellectual Faculties, and His Main Ideas (1797)

The man who speaks is the man who thinks out loud.

De l'universalité de la langue française (1784)

It is prose which gives sway to a language, because it is quite usual; poetry is only a luxury object.

De l'universalité de la langue française (1784)

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If a poor person envies a rich person, he is no better than the rich person.

Leo Tolstoy

In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy.

Ivan Illich Tools for Conviviality (1973)

The laws would not prevent each man from living according to his inclination, unless individuals harmed each other; for envy creates the beginning of strife.

Democritus Freeman (1948)

It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered.

Aeschylus Oresteia (-458)

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Antoine de Rivarol (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.