Proud to Be or Proud of Being – What’s the Difference?

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Proud to Be or Proud of Being – What’s the Difference?

https://grammarhow.com/proud-to-be-or-proud-of-being/

You can say either “Proud to Be” or “Proud of Being”, because both are correct. But they mean slightly different things. “Proud to Be” is about what a person is, while “Proud of Being” indicates a momentary, or temporary, situation that causes pride.

Proud To Be or Proud Of Being

Take a look at the examples below:

I’m proud to be a successful artist.

I’m proud of being selected as one of the honorees this year.

“Proud to Be” is about the individual and the things they have accomplished that have become part of their life’s journey in the long run. Sentence one reflects that: a successful artist (meaning a lifetime achievement) should be “Proud to Be” famous, or rich, or accomplished.

“Proud of Being” relates to a temporary state of pride, but it’s not related to what someone is as a person or their lifetime accomplishments. It’s, in fact, about something very nice, that will only last for a while.

Sentence two shows that: the subject is an honoree for this year, and this year only. Therefore, the correct expression‎ here is “Proud of Being”.

Proud to Be

To say we’re “Proud to Be” means we realize how privileged we are to have become something. It talks about who a person is, what their position in life is too. It’s about an established fact about that individual, that is unlikely to change over time.

Let’s look at some examples that reflect that long term sense present in the expression‎ “Proud to Be”:

I’m proud to teach this discipline. It’s the work of a lifetime.

I’m proud to be a doctor, because I worked hard to get here.

Dora is proud to be an ICU nurse.

He is proud to be a firefighter.

Vinnie is so proud to be a father.

All the things that make people proud in those sentences aren’t transitory. They won’t change, regardless of what happens. If Dora, for example, decided to change careers, she could still be very “Proud do Be” an ICU nurse.

Proud of Being

To be “Proud of Being” indicates a transitory, temporary honor. It’s obviously a very important accomplishment – reason enough to be “Proud of Being”, absolutely. But it’s something that can change or have an expiration date of sorts.

Take a look at the examples below, that show the idea behind “Proud of Being”:

I am proud of being a surgeon in this hospital.

She is proud of being an engineer for our company.

They’re proud of being a part of this project.

I’m very proud of being here, thank you for the invitation.

She is proud of being a student at such a prestigious college.

To say “Proud of Being” doesn’t take away, at all, from the fact the individual should be very proud about their accomplishments. It only means that this position they now proudly occupy, might change over time.

For example, the surgeon could decide to work for another hospital, the student could transfer to a different institution, and so on.

Which Is Used the Most?

Which one of those two forms is used more often? Are people more “Proud to Be” or “Proud of Being”? Take a look at the graph from Google Ngram Viewer below, and find out.

Proud To Be or Proud Of Being usage

“Proud to Be” is the expression‎ that appears more often, according to the graph. “Proud of Being” isn’t even close. We don’t know why this is the case, but the difference is considerable, we can’t deny.

If you were to guess, why do you think “Proud to Be” is used more frequently than “Proud of Being”?

Final Thoughts

When talking about something you are, or have become and won’t change easily, use “Proud to Be”. If sharing something that’s happening now or soon, that’s a momentary honor, go for “Proud of Being”. Either way, always be proud of your accomplishments and never shy away from sharing them.