Quotes About Ambition

Unnumbered suppliants crowd Preferment's gate Athirst for wealth, and burning to be great; Delusive Fortune hears th' incessant call, They mount, they shine, evaporate, and fall.

Whoever thou art that, not content with a moderate condition, imaginest happiness in royal magnificence, and dreamest that command or riches can feed the appetite of novelty with perpetual gratifications, survey the Pyramids, and confess thy folly!

Our desires increase with our possessions.

A man is very apt to complain of the ingratitude of those who have risen far above him.

Tis plain, that she who, for a kingdom now,Would sacrifice her love, and break her vow,Not out of love, but interest, acts alone,And would, ev'n in my arms, lie thinking of a throne.Dryden'sConquest of Granada.

His wish still continued, but his hope grew less.

Self-confidence if the first requisite to great unertakings. - On Alexander Pope

It were to be wished that they who devote their lives to study would at once believe nothing too great for their attainment, and consider nothing as too little for their regard

He discovered a great ambition to excel, which roused him to counteract his indolence. He was uncommonly inquisitive; and his memory was so tenacious, that he never forgot any thing that he either heard or read. Mr. Hector remembers having recited to him eighteen verses, which, after a little pause, he repeated verbatim, varying only one epithet, by which he improved the line.

It is the fate of those who toil at the lower employments of life, to be rather driven by the fear of evil, than attracted by the prospect of good;

Which was, that as soon as Miss Emily was marriageable, she would endeavour, either by fair means, or foul, to get her into her hands: And if she did, but for one week, she should the next come out the wife of a man she had in view, who would think half the fortune more than sufficient for himself, and make over the other half to her; and then she should come into her right, which she deems to be half of the fortune of which her husband died possessed.

There is far too much croaking among young men.

He is full of purpose, but void of the quality of mind which accomplishes purpose.

I shall attack Chemistry, like a Shark.

The devil frequently fills our thoughts with great schemes, so that instead of putting our hands to what work we can do to serve our Lord, we may rest satisfied with wishing to perform impossibilities.

Siempre odié lo que define la vida en ese lugar: el arribismo, el afán de figurar, el odio, la tacañería congénita. la envidia

I would not think to touch the sky with two arms

I had my whole life planned.. I knew exactly where it was taking me..

I'm allowed to have new dreams.

Total commitment, I said. You know, the idea of discovering something that, for all intents and purposes, goes against your abilities, and yet still deciding to do it anyway. That takes guts, you know?

Why does she have wings?' So she can fly.

It's a big deal when you finally get the chance to do the one thing you want to do -need to do- more than anything. It can kind of scare the crap out of you.

You have to admit, it's kind of impressive.... Total commitment. You know, the idea of discovering something that, for all intents and purposes, goes against your abilities, and yet still deciding to do it anyway. That takes guts, you know?

That sucks, though, Wes said finally, his voice low. You're just setting yourself up to fail, because you'll never get everything perfect. Says who? He just looked at me. The world, he said, gesturing all around us, as if this party, this deck encompassed it all. The universe. There's just no way. And why would you want everything to be perfect, anyway? I don't want everything to be perfect, I said. Just me, I thought. Somehow. I just want—