Quotes for the Journey: Comparison Comparison, more than reality, makes people happy or wretched. Thomas Fuller

Why compare yourself with others?  No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you.      -unattributed     Many of our feelings of satisfaction or dissatisfaction have their roots in how we compare ourselves to others.  When we compare ourselves to those who have more, we feel bad.  When we compare ourselves to those who have less, we feel grateful.  Even though the truth is we have exactly the same life either way, our feelings about our life can vary tremendously based on who we compare ourselves with.  Compare yourself with those examples that are meaningful but that make you feel comfortable with who you are and what you have.      -David Niven     Instead of comparing our lot with that of those who are more fortunate than we are, we should compare it with the lot of the great majority of our fellow humans.  It then appears that we are among the privileged.       -Helen Keller     Resist the temptation to compare yourself to others in a negative fashion. . . . If you are in the midst of making such comparisons--stop!  It is human nature to do some comparing, and when we are in a good spot and feeling pretty good about ourselves, it can even be positive, as it may inspire us to emulate someone else.  But when we are wrestling with self-acceptance, comparing ourselves to others is one of the worst things we can do.  It is tantamount to scolding a child who falls off his or her bike for lacking the skills of a professional bicyclist.  We wouldn't think of doing that, but when we compare ourselves to others, with us on the bottom and virtually everyone else above us and better than us, we are hurting ourselves just as heartlessly.       -Gary Egeberg

When we compare our own skills or abilities to those of other people, we're doing ourselves a great disservice.  We're often setting a standard for ourselves that is far too high, depending on the area of comparison.  My brother may be much stronger than I, and I could give up athletics in discouragement because I'll never do as well in some things as he does.  On the other hand, I can run much faster and longer than he can, so why do I spend so much time focusing on the comparison that puts me in a bad light?       -Tom Walsh

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.      -Max Ehrmann

When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.     -Lao Tzu

Recently my fingers have developed a prejudice against comparatives.  They all follow this pattern:  a squirrel is smaller than a tree; a bird is more musical than a tree.  Each of us is the strongest one in his or her own skin.  Characteristics should take off their hats to one another, instead of spitting in each other's faces.     -Berthold Brecht

Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.  It is because we are different that each of us is special.     -Brian Dyson

I cannot say this too strongly: Do not compare yourselves to others.  Be true to who you are, and continue to learn with all your might.       -Daisaku Ikeda, Discussions on Youth

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