Literary notes about envy (AI summary)
In literature, the word "envy" often appears as a multifaceted emotion that can range from a respectful admiration tinged with rivalry to a self-destructive force that fuels hatred and discontent. Philosophers and essayists have depicted envy as arising from comparisons among individuals, sometimes even being balanced by respect and esteem [1], while others illustrate it as a corrosive influence that undermines personal relationships or social order [2]. In narrative works, envy frequently drives character motivations—whether expressed in light-hearted banter [3, 4] or as an impulse linked to tragic consequences [5, 6]—revealing its significant impact on both personal identity and societal dynamics. This literary treatment underscores the complexity of envy as both an inevitable human passion and a source of both creative competition and profound misery [7, 8].
- Sometimes even envy and hatred arise from the comparison; but in the greatest part of men, it rests at respect and esteem.
— from A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume - Necessary, however, is the evil; necessary are the envy and the distrust and the back-biting among the virtues.
— from Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - Ah Kit, my dear fellow, gentleman in my profession have such painful duties to perform sometimes, that you needn’t envy us—you needn’t indeed!’
— from The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens - All the men in her circle seemed to admire her and envy me.
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë - Overcome with envy, he slew his own brother, a citizen of the eternal city, and a sojourner on earth.
— from The City of God, Volume II by Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustine - I envy such a man till I am green in the face.
— from Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Envy is natural to man; and still, it is at once a vice and a source of misery.[1]
— from The Essays of Arthur Schopenhauer; Counsels and Maxims by Arthur Schopenhauer - The discovery of envy, which is less forgiving than hatred, less explosive, much profounder and much more extensive, is incomparably more difficult.
— from Criminal Psychology: A Manual for Judges, Practitioners, and Students by Hans Gross
