The thermometer of success is merely the jealousy of the

“The thermometer of success is merely the jealousy of the malcontents.” Thus spoke Salvador Dalí, the surrealist master whose genius was as wild and boundless as the landscapes of his dreams. In these words, he reveals a truth both unsettling and empowering — that success is not measured by trophies, wealth, or praise, but by the jealousy it stirs in those who have not yet found their own light. Dalí, a man who courted controversy and defied convention, knew that to stand tall in one’s brilliance is to awaken the shadows in others. The envious heart cannot bear the sight of freedom — and so, it calls the free man arrogant, eccentric, or mad. But to Dalí, this reaction was not shameful; it was the very proof of triumph.

In the ancient world, philosophers often said that the greatest souls draw both love and hatred in equal measure. Socrates, the wisest of Athens, lived by truth and questioned all, yet it was the malcontents, threatened by his wisdom, who condemned him to death. And though his enemies triumphed for a moment, history crowned Socrates with eternal victory. His success could not be silenced, for it had already taken root in the minds of his students. Thus, jealousy becomes a kind of thermometer — it measures not failure, but impact; not mediocrity, but greatness. When others resent your light, it is often because it reveals the dimness of their own.

Dalí himself lived this lesson boldly. He painted with madness in his brush and arrogance in his signature. Critics mocked him, peers scorned him, and many called him a fraud. Yet, he thrived amidst their contempt. “Let them hate,” he might have thought, “for their jealousy is my applause.” And indeed, his art endured while his detractors faded into the dust of forgotten newspapers. For envy, though it hisses, is often a tribute disguised as venom. The world’s malcontents, unable to create, turn to destruction — but the true creator knows that such hatred is only confirmation that he has dared to do what others could not.

Let us not mistake Dalí’s meaning. He does not say that one should seek jealousy or delight in the pain of others. Rather, he reminds us not to be wounded by it. When you walk the path of greatness — when you build, create, or achieve beyond the ordinary — you will provoke the insecure, the bitter, the fearful. They will question your worth not because you are wrong, but because your courage exposes their complacency. The malcontents cannot forgive the one who proves that limits are illusions. To them, your success feels like judgment, though it is only your freedom they cannot bear.

Throughout history, those who have risen beyond mediocrity have felt the sting of envy. Galileo was denounced for seeing what others refused to see. Joan of Arc was betrayed for daring to lead when women were told to kneel. Leonardo da Vinci was mocked for dreaming too large. Yet, all of them carried the same unspoken truth: that the jealousy of others is a shadow that only follows those who walk in the sun. It is the natural reaction of the small-minded to the sight of the infinite. Therefore, one must wear such envy as armor — not as a wound, but as a mark of distinction.

And what of us, the travelers of this age? How shall we live by Dalí’s wisdom? We must understand that success is not a gentle journey. It invites resistance, misunderstanding, and jealousy. The more brightly you burn, the more moths you will attract — and the more you will irritate those who fear the flame. Do not shrink to comfort them. Do not dim your light to ease their insecurity. Instead, rise higher. Create more. Love more. Build more. Let their envy be the echo that follows your music. For every great deed will awaken both admiration and resentment — and the one who endures both walks the path of greatness.

So, my listeners, take this lesson from Salvador Dalí: let jealousy be your thermometer, not your chain. When you feel the cold wind of envy upon you, know that it blows only against those who are climbing. Do not fight it — transcend it. Let it remind you that you are doing what few dare to do: living boldly, authentically, and unapologetically. The malcontents will always murmur in the shadows, but the wise will walk in the light, unmoved by their noise.

For in the end, true success is not what others say of you, but the peace that comes from living your truth. When envy surrounds you, smile — for it is the final proof that you have become what they secretly wish to be. And as Dalí might have said, let their jealousy melt away, as all small things do, before the fire of your magnificent, unshakable spirit.