The saying "the cherry on top" is only a good metaphor if the person listening or reading actually likes cherries on top of their ice cream.

Don't waste time thinking about what could have been when you could be thinking about what could be.

If life was a piece of cake, it wouldn't be worth eating!

It is not wrong to strive to be better than a fellow human being. Nor is it wrong to desire to be better or even to feel like oneself is better than a fellow human being. What is wrong is to gloat in one's own virtue. Therefore, gloating in one's own virtue is not virtuous.

In order to maintain a friendship, do not avoid confrontation, but rather, embrace it.

What if there were no hypothetical situations?

To help someone who is down on their luck is admirable. To help an adversary who is down on their luck is divine.