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I'm looking for an idiom or expression for when people are counting other people's fortunes or money. Usually it's a gross over-exaggeration of reality stemming from envy.

Example: "He can probably afford 5 houses on whatever he's getting paid!"

Example 2: "Look at you. You must be getting all sorts of dates."

(Edit) I'm looking for something to use as a response to such assumptions directed at me or other people. If someone assumes I'm very fortunate at X (when I'm not) I want a response that grounds their assumption. It could be a quote or an idiom. I want something more eloquent than "Careful about counting other people's fortunes" or "People are always better at counting other people's fortunes than their own"

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  • How do you expect to use this expression? Can you give an example sentence, with _____ in place of the expression?
    – Drew
    Commented Dec 15, 2016 at 15:19
  • There are any number of metaphors, including those referencing Croesus or maybe Crassus. Do take a look at the tag info for single-word-requests and phrase-requests for help with this sort of question. Questions can always be brought off-hold once there is sufficient detail.
    – Andrew Leach ♦
    Commented Dec 15, 2016 at 15:28
  • I'm looking for something to use as a response to such assumptions directed at me or other people. If someone assumes I'm very fortunate at X (when I'm not) I want a response that grounds their assumption. It could be a quote or an idiom. I want something more eloquent than "Careful about counting other people's fortunes" or "People are always better at counting other people's fortunes than their own"
    – Paul
    Commented Dec 15, 2016 at 15:48
  • I've never heard the phrase "counting other people's fortunes" - is that native English or a translation of an idiom from another language?
    – John Feltz
    Commented Dec 15, 2016 at 15:50
  • I'm not a native speaker, so that may be coming across in the example. That's the best way I can put it at the moment.
    – Paul
    Commented Dec 15, 2016 at 16:59

1 Answer 1

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For "Careful about counting other people's fortunes", you should consider: The grass is always greener on the other side (of the fence).

dictionary.com:

the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
People are never satisfied with their own situation; they always think others have it better.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Wiktionary:

Proverb the grass is always greener on the other side

Other circumstances seem more desirable than one's own but in reality are often not.

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