“We must avoid at all costs competitive comparisons of each other's deeds…To be judgmental is to point out something that is wrong in someone else’s life, making the person feel put down, excluded, and marginalized...Being judgmental is fueled by self-righteousness, the misguided inner motivation to make our own life look better by comparing it to the lives of others.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Galatians 5:13-15, David Kinnaman & Gabe Lyons)
“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man... It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition is gone, pride is gone…When we are humble, we compare ourselves not to others but to God alone, before whom no one can be proud. This is why the saints are so humble. Saints keep repenting because they keep comparing themselves to the infinite holiness of God. The holier we become, the more sinful we feel.” (C. S. Lewis, Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou)
"…envy makes me focus on some external aspect of another’s life, as well as some perceived inadequacy in my own life, drawing a comparison in an imagined competition. It distracts me from the true challenges and opportunities given uniquely to me, by setting my sights on this delusion of competition. Envy blocks out gratitude and joy for my own gifts and those of others, and prevents me from growing and learning from them. It can cripple both the envious and the object of envy, because envy is “neutralized” by diminishing the object of envy." (Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin)
“I would like to add a word of caution in the face of what I would call “the temptation of comparison”… We seem to be drawn to…comparisons because we always come out looking good, or at least better than the other, when making these comparisons. One further and fascinating attribute of “human nature.” This, in turn, appeals to our vanity and self-regard. We are very much preoccupied with how others perceive us; our self-image as projected outwardly is of great concern to us. We would be mortified – and then either angered or depressed—if we thought that others thought poorly of us. We have a deeply-felt need to be able “to hold our head high” when compared to our neighbor. If only we were as concerned about how God may see us!” (Father Stephen Kostoff)
“You can have your eyes on your own situation and become absorbed in self-pity, or you can get your eyes on yourself and be puffed with pride or demoralized by insecurity. With your eyes on yourself, you are constantly comparing your life with someone else’s. You will never stay balanced while fighting the comparison battle…It is so difficult for us, even when we wish to give God the glory, to keep from that comparison of ourselves with others, which St Paul tells us is “not wise.” (Charles Swindoll, George Edward Jelf)