"Flailing and thrashing, Buttercup wept and tossed and paced and wept some more, and there have been three great cases of jealousy since David of Galilee was first afflicted with the emotion when he could no longer stand the fact that his neighbor Saul's cactus outshone his own. (Originally, jealousy pertained solely to plants, other people's cactus or ginkgoes, or, later, when there was grass, grass, which is why, even to this day, we say that someone is green with jealousy.) Buttercup's case rated a close fourth on the all-time list. It was a very long and very green night."

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Source: William Goldman (2013). “The Princess Bride: An Illustrated Edition of S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure”, p.53, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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William Goldman

Screenwriter, Novelist

William Goldman was a celebrated American author and screenwriter known for his sharp wit and impactful works like 'The Princess Bride' and 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'.

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