“If a poor person envies a rich person, he is no better than the rich person.”

Tolstoy argues here that the spiritual and moral state of an individual is defined by their internal desires and values rather than their material status. It suggests that envy is simply a different form of the same materialism that characterizes the greedy, making both parties equally trapped in a cycle of comparison and external validation. In today’s culture of social media "lifestyle envy," this wisdom is a vital reminder to focus on internal character rather than external acquisitions. People resonate with this because it challenges the "virtue signaling" of those who critique wealth while secretly desiring it for themselves. Tolstoy, who famously tried to live in poverty while remaining a wealthy landowner, was acutely aware of the hypocrisy that could exist in both the high and low social classes. To apply this, one must work on cultivating a mindset of gratitude and self-sufficiency, focusing on their own growth rather than the status of others. This mindset shift allows for a much more liberated and authentic path to success that is not dependent on envy.