On envy
Envy and disappointment are mysterious, self-sufficient phenomena that do not require their apparent causes — people envy those in miserable circumstances, and one can be disappointed without ever having had any expectation.
Envy is something else. It exists beyond circumstances and genetics. Genuine envy resides in the soul. It is a metaphysical attribute, one that makes possible — and even commonplace — the otherwise puzzling fact that someone may envy, for example, a person who enjoys neither social nor financial recognition, nor any outward prosperity.
On reflection, it is an almost beautiful phenomenon. The envious person pays no attention to results, success, or victory; he knows that the best does not always or necessarily win. He perceives and recognises the best, values excellence for its own sake, and cannot bear to see it in someone else. He hates it.
The envious person — the last romantic!