Envy assails the noblest: the winds howl around the highest peaks.

The saying links two images: envy “attacking” the best people, and storms battering the highest mountains. Its point is that prominence attracts hostility. Those who rise above others—through talent, virtue, beauty, or success—become more visible targets for resentment and criticism, just as exposed peaks catch the strongest winds. The metaphor also implies a kind of backhanded validation: being envied can be evidence of having achieved something notable. At the same time, it cautions that excellence carries social costs, and that the eminent must expect and endure opposition as part of their position.