Comparison of a random Quote with other literary writings
Quote:
Do not be impatient for impatience is of the flesh; envy is of the soul”
The above quote implies staying away both from impatience and envy.
The above quote is a didactic quote giving us a moral lesson, we will explore some literary writings related to this quote having a didactic lesson.
Impatience is associated with worldly desires, whereas the soul is something profound and the bad attribute of envy is associated with the soul.
Envy is an attribute having deep negative effects, therefore it is said in the above quote that “envy is of the soul” , which means it has great effects.
Most of the time we are in a hurry to achieve our materialistic desires, and this hurry can be harmful in many ways for us.
Due to impatience about our materialistic desires, we focus more on our desires, and in this way neglect the precious gem of priority.
Prioritizing is a mandatory thing in life, but impatience for our desires’ fulfillment can be a hurdle in the way of prioritizing.
Envy is something deeper, it is a complex emotion characterized by feelings of hatred, discontent, or jealousy towards someone else’s possessions, qualities, or success.
As envy is associated with the soul, and can harm our soul due to ill feelings for others.
It can lead to negative emotions and can be harmful to one’s well-being if not managed constructively.
It is said that envy is such an illness where the culprit himself is the victim.
Unable to be satisfied, satisfaction is the beautiful attribute of the heart, and the person who envies deprives himself of satisfaction.
Now we will look into literary writings, which convey related themes as in the above saying.
If by Rudyard Kipling
This poem is also a didactic poem, and it suggests readers keep calm, patience, and moral integrity during difficult or unpleasant situations.
Here the lesson imparted is patience.
Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Ulysses is also a didactic poem where the author depicts a character with an energetic spirit who despite his old age wants to explore more.
He has the spirit to work hard and not sit idly.
In the above quote the author has suggested that envy should be avoided to save your soul, both the poem and the quote talk of didactic lessons about the inner self or soul.
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
The poem is not directly about patience or envy, rather this poem explores choices in life. In this regard, it could be said to make the best choices and to avoid the bad choices of envy and impatience.
Not to take the road of envy and impatience, but rather to choose the road of good habits.
The author in this poem selects the road less travelled. We can extract the figurative meaning from it that the author selected the path of good people having good qualities because not all or we can say more people are calm. There is a great scarcity of tolerance.
Desiderata by Max Ehrmann
This prose poem offers guidance on leading a balanced and virtuous life, with advice on avoiding envy and being patient with oneself.
Desiderata encourages readers to strive for inner peace and contentment amidst the complexities of life.
It is also related to the quote because it talks of inner contentment which is possible when you are free from envy.
Moreover, comparison can also lead to dissatisfaction and the poem suggests avoiding comparing yourself to others.
It advises individuals to avoid comparing themselves to others and to nurture a sense of quietude and harmony.
To sum up we can say that all the above educate us to save our souls from harm by avoiding envy and being patient, for “Envy eats nothing but its own heart.”
Read “IF” by Rudyard Kipling here.