Michael A. Lockwood

“Luther reflects on how joy is a gift of God that eludes those who try to grasp it for themselves. He concludes that joy comes from being satisfied with God’s Word and work, and receiving his gifts with thanksgiving and contentment. The restless, anxious yearning and striving of the sinful nature cannot lead to joy, since the sinful nature is always coveting what it does not possess. It does not thank God for the things it has or stop to enjoy them, but vexes itself with many troubles as it tries to heap up more—more riches, more glory, more honor, more fame. It cheats itself of the blessings it has in the present by uselessly troubling itself about a future it cannot control. Instead of appreciating what it has, it is constantly seeking after things it cannot attain, or, even if it does attain them, that it does not enjoy, since it soon despises them and seeks after something else. As wealth increases, so does greed. The more honor or power someone receives, the more she covets.82 Luther gives the following examples. A man is alone and craves a wife, but when he finds one he quickly becomes bored with her. People with healthy eyes rarely stop to take pleasure in them or to reflect on what a good gift of God they are. Yet if they lost them, they would give great treasure to get them back. Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great toiled mightily for power, but when they achieved it were not satisfied, but perished striving for more.”
― Michael A. Lockwood, The Unholy Trinity: Martin Luther Against the Idol of Me, Myself and I

“She writes that “Pride and self-hate go inseparably together; they are two expressions of the one process.”144 Horney suggests that neurosis develops when people are confronted with their anxieties about life and their own sense of inadequacy, yet instead of facing this fear head on, or building up self-confidence through real achievements or genuine character development, they enlist their imagination to produce a fantasy about themselves.”
― Michael A. Lockwood, The Unholy Trinity: Martin Luther Against the Idol of Me, Myself and I