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Plutarch. For those who walk in the sun, a shadow necessarily follows; for those who walk in glory, envy accompanies.

The beauty of glory is quickly destroyed by envy as if by a disease.

(961) Anacharsis. Anacharsis the Scythian, when asked, For what reason are men always grieved? said, because not only do their own evils grieve them, but also the good fortunes of others.

Aristot. Envy, he says, is the antagonist of the fortunate.

Democrit. Rivalry for good things benefits the one who emulates, without harming the one who is emulated.

The laws would not prevent each person from living according to his own authority, if one did not harm another. For envy produces the beginning of sedition.

The same said that envy is a wound of the truth

Cleitarchus. Just as iron is eaten away by rust, so are the envious devoured by their own character.

Socrates. Many honor the dead with tombs, whom they previously pained with envy while they lived.

The same said that envy is the saw of the soul.

Leucipp. For jealousy, once it has fallen upon the soul, is hard to remove

Cleoboul. Cleobulus of Lindos, when asked by someone, Against whom must one be most on guard? said, Against the envy of friends, and the plotting of enemies.

Bion. Bion the sophist, seeing a very envious man looking downcast, said, Either a great misfortune has befallen this man, or a great good fortune has befallen another.

Agathon. There would be no envy among men in life, If we were all created equal. Theophrast.. Theophrastus said, that wicked men, do not take so much pleasure

in their own good things, as in the evils of others.

Plato. He was good; and in a good man no envy concerning anything ever arises.

Aristonym. Envy, like a base demagogue, opposes noble deeds.

Thucydides. Envy is directed toward the living who are rivals; but that which is not in our way, is honored with uncontested goodwill.

Anaximen. For how could those who, through envy, do not praise things well said or done, be of service by their deeds?

Cato. He said that those who use their fortune reasonably and moderately are least envied. For they do not envy us, but our circumstances.

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Πλουτάρχου. Τοῖς μέν διά τοῦ ἡλίου πορευομένοις ἕπεται κατ᾿ ἀνάγκην σκιά· τοῖς δέ διά τῆς δόξης βαδίζουσιν ἀκολουθεῖ φθόνος.

Τό τῆς δόξης κάλλος ὥσπερ ὑπό νόσου τοῦ φθόνου ταχύ καταφθείρεται.

(961) Ἀνάχαρσις. Ἀνάχαρσις ὁ Σκύθης ἐρωτηθείς, ∆ιά τίνα αἰτίαν ἄνθρωποι λυποῦνται πάντοτε; ἔφη, ὅτι οὐ μόνον αὐτούς τά ἴδια κακά λυπεῖ, ἀλλά καί τά ἀλλότρια ἀγαθά.

Ἀριστοτ. Φθόνος, φησίν, ἀνταγωνιστής ἐστι τῶν εὐτυχόντων.

∆ημοκρίτ. Ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔρις ὠφελεῖ τόν ζηλοῦντα, μή βλάπτουσα τόν ζηλούμενον.

Οὐκ ἄν ἐκώλυον οἱ νόμοι ζῇν ἕκαστον κατ᾿ ἰδίαν ἐξουσίαν, εἰ μή ἕτερος ἕτερον ἐλυμαίνετο. Φθόνος γάρ στάσιος ἀρχήν ἀπεργάζεται.

Ὁ αὐτός τόν φθόνον εἶπεν ἕλκος εἶναι τῆς ἀληθείας

Κλειτάρχου. Ὥσπερ ὑπό τοῦ ἰοῦ τόν σίδηρον, οὕτω τούς φθονερούς ὑπό τοῦ ἰδίου ἤθους κατεσθίεσθαι.

Σωκράτης. Πολλοί θανόντας ἀμείβουσι τοῖς τάφοις, οὕς τῷ φθόνῳ πρότερον ἤλγυναν ζῶντας.

Ὁ αὐτός τόν φθόνον ἔφη τῆς ψυχῆς εἶναι πρίονα.

Λευκίπ. Ζηλοτυπία γάρ ἅπαξ ἐμπεσοῦσα ψυχῇ, δυσέκλειπτον ἐστί

Κλεόβουλ. Κλεόβουλος ὁ Λίνδιος, ἐρωτηθείς ὑπό τινος, Τίνα δεῖ μάλιστα φυλάττεσθαι; εἶπεν, Τῶν μέν φίλων τόν φθόνον, τῶν δέ ἐχθρῶν τήν ἐπιβουλήν.

Βίωνος. Βίων ὁ σοφιστής, ἰδών τινα φθονερόν σφόδρα κεκυφότα, εἶπεν, Ἤ τούτῳ μέγα κακόν συμβέβηκεν, ἤ ἄλλῳ μέγα ἀγαθόν.

Ἀγάθωνος. Οὐκ ἦν ἄν ἀνθρώποισιν ἐν βίῳ φθόνος, Εἰ πάντες ἦμεν ἐξ ἴσου πεφυκότες. Θεοφράστ.. Θεόφραστος εἶπε, τούς μοχθηρούς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὐχ οὔτως ἥδεσθαι

ἐπί τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀγαθοῖς, ὡς ἐπί τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις κακοῖς.

Πλάτων. Ἀγαθός ἦν· ἀγαθῷ δέ οὐδείς περί οὐδενός οὐδέποτε γίνεται φθόνος.

Ἀριστονύμ. Ὁ φθόνος, ὥσπερ φαῦλος δημαγωγός, ταῖς καλαῖς ἀντιπολιτεύεται πράξεσιν.

Θουκιδίδου. Φθόνος τοῖς ζῶσι πρός τό ἀντίπαλον· τό δέ μή ἐμποδών, ἀνανταγωνίστῳ εὐνοίᾳ τετίμηται.

Ἀναξιμέν. Ὅσοι γάρ τά καλῶς ῥηθέντα ἤ πραχθέντα διά φθόνον οὐκ ἐπαινοῦσι, πῶς οὗτοι ἄν τοῖς ἔργοις ὠφελήσειαν;

Κάτωνος. Ἥκιστα φθονεῖσθαι ἔλεγε τούς τῇ τύχῃ χρωμένους ἐπιεικῶς καί μετρίως. Οὐ γάρ ἡμῖν, ἀλλά τοῖς περί ἡμᾶς φθονοῦσιν.