What Ambition Owes the World

Ambition is not inherently noble or ignoble; it is a force that takes its character from its shape. The same drive that builds something useful can just as easily build something merely large.

The question that gives ambition its ethics is not "how much can I achieve?" but "who does this make better, and at whose expense?" That question is uncomfortable precisely because it has no flattering answer.

Want a great deal, by all means. Just make sure the wanting is pointed somewhere worth arriving.