The Hallmark of The Second-Rater

"Miss Taggart, do you know the hallmark of the seond-rater? It's resentment of another man's achievement. Those touch mediocrities who sit trembling lest someone's work prove greater than their own -- they have no inkling of the lonelineess that comes when you reach the top."

~Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand

This quote reminded me of the difference between the suitors and Odysseus. The suitors resent Odysseus' great power and immense wealth that is maintained in his absence out of respect. Seeing this, they attempt to steal it, thinking that to be great, all it takes is to have the crown placed upon your head. They are weak men who know that they are not great, and so try, instead of becoming great, to eliminate all greatness, as we see in their attempts to kill Telemachus.