ProverbWisdom
English origin
English originBetter be envied than pitied.
Meaning: Living with others' jealousy over your success beats enduring their sympathy for your failure.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Dutch
French: Mieux vaut faire envie que pitié (literally: Better be envied than pitied)
Spanish: Más vale envidia que lástima (literally: Envy is worth more than pity)
German: Lieber beneidet als bemitleidet (literally: Rather envied than pitied)
Italian: È meglio invidia che pietà (literally: Better be envied than pitied)
Dutch: Beter benijd dan beklaagd (literally: Better envied than pitied)
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- Envers et contre tous In defiance of universal opposition.
- À l'envi Vying with one another; each trying to outdo the rest.
- Jeter l'éponge To give up and concede.
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