Overwhelming and astounding inequality,especially when it has an element of the unattainable, arouses far less envy than minimal inequality, which inevitably causes the envious to think: I might have been in his place.
Helmut SchoeckChristianity provided man for the first time with supernatural beings who, he knew, could neither envy nor ridicule him.
Helmut SchoeckThe envious man thinks that if his neighbor breaks a leg, he will be able to walk better himself
Helmut SchoeckWe envy those whose possessions or achievements are a reflection on our own. They are our neighbors and equals. It is they, above all who make plain the nature of our failure.
Helmut Schoeck