Envy consists in seeing things never in themselves, but only in their relations. If you desire glory, you may envy read more

Envy consists in seeing things never in themselves, but only in their relations. If you desire glory, you may envy Napoleon, but Napoleon envied Caesar, Caesar envied Alexander, and Alexander, I daresay, envied Hercules, who never existed.

We make ourselves fools to disport ourselves
And spend our flatteries to drink those men
Upon whose read more

We make ourselves fools to disport ourselves
And spend our flatteries to drink those men
Upon whose age we void it up again
With poisonous spite and envy.

The general's disdained
By him one step below, he by the next,
The next by him beneath; read more

The general's disdained
By him one step below, he by the next,
The next by him beneath; so every step,
Exampled by the first pace that is sick
Of his superior, grows to an envious fever
Of pale and bloodless emulation:
And 'tis this fever that keeps Troy on foot,
Not her own sinews.

Such men as he be never at heart's ease
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves,
And read more

Such men as he be never at heart's ease
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves,
And therefore are they very dangerous.

If I smile at the strong perfumes of the silly Rufillus must I be
regarded as envious and ill-natured?
read more

If I smile at the strong perfumes of the silly Rufillus must I be
regarded as envious and ill-natured?
[Lat., Ego si risi quod ineptus
Pastillos Rufillus olet, Gargonius hircum, lividus et mordax
videar?]

Envy's a sharper spur than pay:
No author ever spar'd a brother;
Wits are gamecocks to one read more

Envy's a sharper spur than pay:
No author ever spar'd a brother;
Wits are gamecocks to one another.

Envy feeds on the living. It ceases when they are dead.
[Lat., Pascitur in vivis livor; post fata quiescit.]

Envy feeds on the living. It ceases when they are dead.
[Lat., Pascitur in vivis livor; post fata quiescit.]

I envy people who drink. At least they have something to blame everything on.

I envy people who drink. At least they have something to blame everything on.

Man will do many things to get himself loved; he will do all things to get himself envied.

Man will do many things to get himself loved; he will do all things to get himself envied.