"I have no respect for the passion of equality, which seems to me merely idealizing envy"

In this quote, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. is expressing his ridicule for the idea of equality. He thinks that the enthusiasm for equality is rooted in envy, rather than a genuine desire for fairness and justice. He indicates that those who advocate for equality are motivated by a desire to bring others down to their own level, instead of to raise everybody up. He recommends that this passion for equality is misguided and does not result in real progress. He thinks that real development is attained through hard work and commitment, not by trying to bring everybody down to the very same level. He thinks that real development is accomplished through benefit and effort, not through envy and a desire to bring others down.