Pettiness can hold us back from personal growth and happiness. By focusing on trivial matters, we prevent ourselves from living a fulfilling life. In this article, we’ve compiled 60 quotes and sayings on pettiness to inspire and guide you towards overcoming this toxic mindset. Don’t forget to check out our collections of inspirational quotes and life-changing sayings for more uplifting guidance.
- “Small minds discuss people, average minds discuss events, great minds discuss ideas.” – Eleanor Roosevelt, Former First Lady of the United States
- “The greater the man, the less is he opinionative, he depends upon events and circumstances.” – Napoleon Bonaparte, French military leader
- “Pettiness is the enemy of greatness.” – Rick Warren, American pastor and author
- “How much time he saves who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks.” – Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor
- “A wise man does not chatter with one whose mind is sick.” – Sophocles, Ancient Greek playwright
- “To belittle is to be little.” – Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet and writer
- “The petty man is eager to make boasts, yet desires that others should believe in him.” – Confucius, Chinese philosopher
- “The test of good manners is to be patient with bad ones.” – Solomon Ibn Gabirol, Jewish philosopher and poet
- “The only way to live above the pettiness of human nature is to live above it.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet
- “Do not give in too much to feelings. A overly sensitive heart is an unhappy possession on this shaky earth.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and philosopher
- “The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.” – Frances Willard, American educator and social reformer
- “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” – Mahatma Gandhi, Indian independence activist
- “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher and poet
- “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt, Former First Lady of the United States
- “The best way to escape from a problem is to solve it.” – Alan Saporta, American musician
- “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle, Ancient Greek philosopher
- “A man’s own good breeding is the best security against other people’s ill manners.” – Lord Chesterfield, British statesman and writer
- “The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.” – Socrates, Ancient Greek philosopher
- “He who throws mud loses ground.” – Unknown
- “If you have no will to change it, you have no right to criticize it.” – Mark Twain, American writer and humorist
- “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke, Irish statesman and philosopher
- “Small minds cannot comprehend big spirits. To be great, you have to be willing to be mocked, hated, and misunderstood. Stay strong.” – Robert T. Kiyosaki, American businessman and author
- “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States
- “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King Jr., American civil rights leader
- “Pettiness is a small mind obsessed with small things.” – Unknown
- “The smaller the mind, the greater the conceit.” – Aesop, Ancient Greek fabulist
- “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” – Albert Camus, French philosopher and author
- “Beware the tyranny of the weak. They just suck you dry.” – Philip K. Dick, American author
- “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” – Mark Twain, American writer and humorist
- “The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.” – Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher
- “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” – Mark Twain, American writer and humorist
- “You cannot expect to live a positive life if you hang with negative people.” – Joel Osteen, American pastor and author
- “An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools.” – Ernest Hemingway, American author and journalist
- “People with small minds talk about other people. People with average minds talk about events. People with great minds talk about ideas.” – Unknown
- “The weak are more likely to make the strong weak than the strong are likely to make the weak strong.” – Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer
- “Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” – Demosthenes, Ancient Greek statesman and orator
- “To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.” – Thomas Paine, English-American political activist and philosopher
- “The greater a man is in power above others, the more he ought to excel them in virtue. None ought to govern who is not better than the governed.” – Publilius Syrus, Roman writer
- “You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them.” – Malcolm Forbes, American publisher and businessman
- “Do not speak badly of yourself. For the warrior within hears your words and is lessened by them.” – David Gemmell, British author
- “You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.” – Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur and motivational speaker
- “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.” – Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States
- “I don’t have time to hate people who hate me because I’m too busy loving people who love me.” – Unknown
- “Treat everyone with politeness and kindness, not because they are nice, but because you are.” – Roy T. Bennett, American author and motivational speaker
- “Those who spend their time looking for the faults in others usually make no time to correct their own.” – Art Jonak, American entrepreneur
- “The noblest way to rise above pettiness is to ignore it.” – Unknown
- “The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” – Walter Bagehot, English journalist and essayist
- “The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.” – Mark Twain, American writer and humorist
- “Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” – Dalai Lama, Tibetan spiritual leader
- “A person’s true character is revealed by what he does when no one is watching.” – Unknown
- “The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.” – Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States
- “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” – Peter Drucker, Austrian-American management consultant
- “I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is: Try to please everybody.” – Herbert Bayard Swope, American journalist
- “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher and poet
- “You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.” – John Wooden, American basketball coach
- “Life is too short to waste your time on people who don’t respect, appreciate, and value you.” – Roy T. Bennett, American author and motivational speaker
- “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.” – Samuel Johnson, English writer and lexicographer
- “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Mahatma Gandhi, Indian independence activist
- “The best revenge is massive success.” – Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor
- “You cannot control others’ actions, but you can control your reactions. Choose to rise above pettiness.” – Unknown
Pettiness can be a major obstacle to personal growth, happiness, and success. It can keep us stuck in a negative mindset and prevent us from achieving our goals. The quotes and sayings compiled in this article serve as a reminder that we should strive to rise above petty thoughts and actions, focus on the bigger picture, and cultivate a growth-oriented mindset. By embracing these powerful messages, we can create a more fulfilling and purposeful life. Remember, as the French philosopher Voltaire once said, “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” So, let us ask ourselves the right questions and strive for greatness.