Man's envy is at its most intense where all are almost equal; his calls for redistribution are loudest when there is virtually nothing to redistribute.
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 SchoeckTo claim "humanitarian motives" when the motive is envy and its supposed appeasement, is a favorite rhetorical device of politicians today, and has been for at least a hundred and fifty years.
Helmut Schoeck