Definitions HQ

Envy (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠secret admiration. An admirer who feels that he cannot become happy by abandoning himself to it chooses to be envious of that which he admires.

Envy (n.) takes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the form of leveling, and whereas a passionate age accelerates, raises up and overthrows, a reflective apathetic age stifles and impedes, it levels.

Envy (n.) harms ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the poor man's soul as surely as arrogance harms the powerful's: both are rebellion against the Christian.

Envy (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠stupid: it strips a man of his greatness and he says “I have lost nothing” — it never suspects the enclosure where his true treasure is; only love can strip a man so he says “I own nothing at all.”

Envy (n.) makes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a martyr too — but the devil's: the envious man bears his malice instead of others' burdens.

Envy (n.) does ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not so much give a man up as let him go, early ready to help his destruction — then hastens home to rejoice with its more abominable kin, spitefulness, to their own detriment.

Envy (n.) reaches ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠far, but not from hell to Paradise.

Envy (n.) has ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠no hold on one still child enough to imagine himself in the princely carriage and innocent enough, on finding he isn't, to rejoice that someone else is.

Envy (n.) at ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠its basest claims against greatness that the great were never tested by the worst temptations and would have fallen too — honoring greatness by belittling it.

Envy (n.) can ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠be turned on oneself: to say aloud that a man can come to the aid of the Deity by freely appropriating all that comes to him should be enough to make him envious of himself.

Envy (n.) at ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠its most cowardly wants equality in mediocrity, fervour turned into sleepiness and unpaid enthusiasm into a business for plain profit.

Envy (n.) rehearses ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠death in fantasy, summons the one it envies, strips him of his glory and delights in his powerlessness, shoving the spade in to make one corpse look like another.

Envy (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in earthly riches themselves: the rich man's money is a kind of envy that took it from the poor, who may envy him in turn.

Envy (n.) can ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠call up uncleanness even in the pure, as love can foster the good even in the unclean.

Envy (n.) toward ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the latecomer is absurd when the wage is eternal salvation: the labourer who bore the heat of the day gets nothing more by my being shut out.

Envy (n.) makes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠sense on a highway, which does not care how it is travelled — envying the rich man's carriage; on the spiritual road there is no riding through affliction without affliction.