Envy is the central fact of American life.
Interpretation
Envy shapes social dynamics and attitudes in American culture.
Gore Vidal's statement on envy highlights its pervasive influence in American life, suggesting that feelings of jealousy and desire for what others have are central to understanding social interactions and behaviors in the society. This notion reflects on how envy can drive competition, create divides, and shape individuals' perceptions of success and happiness within a collective culture.
In practice
During a keynote speech, I mentioned, 'As Gore Vidal said, envy is the central fact of American life, reminding us to be aware of how jealousy affects our interactions and aspirations.
We must declare ourselves, become known; allow the world to discover this subterranean life of ours which connects kings and farm boys, artists and clerks. Let them see that the important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
American writers want to be not good but great; and so are neither.
Writing fiction has become a priestly business in countries that have lost their faith.
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
For the average American, freedom of speech is simply the freedom to repeat what everyone else is saying and no more.
Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.
Is it easier for a man to live his life again as a fish, than to accept the wonder of being human? So alone, so frightened, so wanting for what we are afraid to give tongue to.
There is only the moment. The now. Only what you are experiencing at this second is real.
One fact stands out in bold relief in the history of man's attempts for betterment. That is that when compulsion is used, only resentment is aroused, and the end is not gained. Only through moral suasion and appeal to man's reason can a movement succeed.
In just the same way the thousands of successive positions of a runner are contracted into one sole symbolic attitude, which our eye perceives, which art reproduces, and which becomes for everyone the image of a man who runs.
When a young man, I read somewhere the following: God the Almighty said, 'All that is too complex is unnecessary, and it is simple that is needed.' So this has been my lifetime motto β I have been creating weapons to defend the borders of my fatherland, to be simple and reliable.
I distrust the incommunicable; it is the source of all violence
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