true happiness and blessedness...........

Everyone's true happiness and blessedness consists solely in the enjoyment of good, not in priding himself that he alone is enjoying that good to the exclusion of others.  He who counts himself more blessed because he alone enjoys wellbeing not shared by others, or because he is more blessed and fortunate that others, knows not what is true happiness and blessedness, and the joy he derives therefrom, if it be not mere childishness, has its only source in spite and malice.  For example, a man's true happiness and blessedness consists solely in wisdom and knowledge of truth, and not in that he is wiser than others, or that others are without true knowledge.  This adds nothing at all to his wisdom, that is, his true happiness.  So he who rejoices for this reason rejoices at another's misfortune, and is therefore spiteful and malicious, knowing neither true wisdom nor the peace of the true life.

-Baruch Spinoza,  Theological-Political Treatise, as translated by Samuel Shirley