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I, Prince Frederick of the Plaid Kingdom, am a loser. From what I've read in books, people seem to think that if you're a member of royalty, you must feel blessed. But if literally everyone you've been allowed to associate with, and are constantly compared to, is also of royalty and is better in every way than you... it feels more like a curse.
Prince Frederick, Cursed Princess Club

"No matter how good you are at something, there's always about a million people better than you."
Homer Simpson, The Simpsons

Goku: I can't believe it! That hurt even more than Piccolo's punches!
Mr. Popo: Yes. You beat him and so you assumed you were the toughest in the world. But learn this now. No matter how strong you are, there will always be someone stronger who comes along.

"No matter how big you get, no matter who you can push around, there's always someone better out there who makes you feel like squat."
The Absorbing Man, She-Hulk

"There's always someone greater."
Gouketsu, One-Punch Man

"If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself."
— "Desiderata"

Perhaps High Priest is fitting. My life, always in the hands of greater powers.

Oh, you think darkness is your ally? But you merely adopted the dark. I was born in it! Molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but blinding. The shadows betray you because they belong to ME!

"There's always someone out there who's a little faster than you are, and sooner or later they're gonna catch up."
Darius, Need for Speed: Carbon

"Honestly, I can't beat dad at StarCraft."
D.Va, Overwatch

"You warning me? Me? I'm Harold. I'm the one person you don't 'warn', Michael, because you and I are a match. And we tread very softly with each other, because we both play each other's game too well. I know this game, you're playing. I know it very well, and I play it very well. You play it very well too, but you know what? I'm the only one who's better at it than you are. I can beat you at it, so don't push me. I'm warning you."

Learned an important lesson that day. No matter how good you think you are, there's always somebody quicker, faster, and a helluva lot smarter than you just around the corner. That little lesson's kept me alive more than once since then.
Admiral Anderson, Mass Effect 3, "Citadel"

There will always be someone better than you.

Asuka: You always gotta one-up me, eh?
Shinji: Says the woman who's fluent in three languages, has two Ph.D.s, and does guest lectures at MIT and Harvard and other places on a regular basis.

Giles: With all respect, Kara, please don’t flaunt your extra powers around that much. We know what you can do, in theory.
Buffy: Giles. I’m all right with this, okay? I know Kara can do more than I can. I’m not about to become Inferiority Complex Girl, okay?
Supergirl: Sorry, I wasn’t trying to put anyone down by comparison.

[walking across a gallery of portraits of several football icons]
Diego Simeone: Look, you're great, Antoine. Your hair deserves to be up there with the legends. But do you?
Antoine Griezmann: Why not? I'm just as good as Ronaldo and Messi!
Diego Simeone: At what?
Antoine Griezmann: I won the World Cup!
Diego Simeone: [slaps him] Mbappé won the World Cup!

"No matter how good you are, there is always someone better. This isn't a rule or regulation, it's a piece of advice that might save your life one day. Even if you are one of the best hand-to-hand combatants the Institute has ever seen."
Antigone to her mentee, Dido, The Victors Project

Patrick Mahomes: Oh come on, we're all MVP's here.
Russell Wilson: Uhh...
Patrick Mahomes: You want mine? I'm about to get another one.
Tom Brady: Russ here is this generation's Drew Brees. Great player, but someone's always better.
Drew Brees: Hey Russ, I made us jackets! [Holds a jacket that says "2nd Best"]

"There's something Batman told me a long time ago and it stuck with me. No matter how good a fighter you are, there’s always someone better out there."

It can often be a surprise when one first discovers that, no matter how skillful one is or adept at one's craft, it is almost certain that, somewhere, there are others who are of equal or even exceeding skill. Whether this competition is welcomed, or whether it shall lead to antagonism, it is almost always educational.
— Flavor text for the Third Level in Deadly Rooms of Death, Journey to Rooted Hold

"Remember, there's always something cleverer than yourself."
Merlin, Excalibur

"Listen to me, my son, and listen to me well. The strongest man in the world is only meat after all. To surpass him, you must merely become the strongest butcher."
Jantris, Dead Man, Kill Six Billion Demons

Real Life

"At various points over the years, I have been guilty of comparing myself to others... I think that's a constant struggle for most people. If you're constantly running comparison math in your head, though, you will NEVER be happy. There is ALWAYS someone who has more than you."

"Don't think so much of your own Cunning, as to forget other Men's: A cunning Man is overmatch'd by a cunning Man and a Half."
Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack (1754)

"Billy [Crystal] used to say that every time he'd tell a story, I'd insist on topping it... It used to drive him wild. I remember tuning in to Late Night with David Letterman, and there was Billy griping about me. "I could never top Alan King," he was saying, "One time, I thought I had him. Since he comes from a whole other generation, I started telling a story about marijuana, and he listened, not saying a word. Finally, I'm through, and Alan gets out of the makeup chair, walks to the door, turns around, and says, 'I only smoked pot once. It was with Lana Turner and Buddy Rich in Norfolk, Virgina.' I threw my makeup kit at him.'"
Alan King, Name Dropping

Hmm, Dennis’s teacher takes him aside after class, as if to gently correct him privately, but makes sure to do it while the other children are still in earshot, so that they can snicker at his ignorance! I’d say the menace has become the menaced...
The Comics Curmudgeon on Dennis the Menace

It seems like there's no way to stop a character who's essentially an Evil Zack.
Stuart Millard on Saved by the Bell ("Wicked Stepbrother"), So Excited, So Scared

"What I could do with a football, he can do with an orange."
Michel Platini on Diego Maradona

Chris: Not to get ahead of myself here, but this is a show ABOUT SUPERMAN where Green Arrow puts together the Justice League to take down Lex Luthor and doesn’t even bother to tell Clark Kent because he knows he’s too ineffectual to help them accomplish anything. It’s like they did a show about Robin Hood, but Little John was the one who was really good at archery and took down the Sheriff of Nottingham, and also he used to bang Maid Marian.
David: Yeah, just about, and Clark can’t take her to private islands, just the Arctic.
Chris Sims and David Uzumeri on Smallville ("Justice")

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