There is not a passion so strongly rooted in the human heart as envy.

Envy sits deeper than most feelings and almost never announces itself by name. It comes out as criticism of someone’s methods, as concern about whether they deserved it, as a sudden loss of interest in a friend’s good news. Nobody admits to it, including to themselves, because it is the least flattering thing you can feel. That concealment is what makes it powerful rather than the feeling itself.

When somebody’s success leaves you flat, say the word to yourself privately and see what happens. Named, it usually shrinks to something manageable and informative: it tells you what you want. Unnamed, it goes on quietly shaping how you treat people.