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Ambition Quotes

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Ambition Quotes

“It is all very well to talk about being the captain of your soul. It is hard, and only a few heroes, saints, and geniuses have been the captains of their souls for any extended period of their lives.”

Wells Has Beens Soul Hard Genius Hero Periods Ambition Saint Your Soul Captains

Book:A Preface to Morals

Source: A Preface to Morals

“Emulation, even in brutes, is sensitively "nervous." See the tremor of the thoroughbred racer before he starts. The dray-horse does not tremble, but he does not emulate. It is not his work to run a race. Says Marcus Antoninus, "It is all one to a stone whether it be thrown upward or downward." Yet the emulation of a man of genius is seldom with his contemporaries, that is, inwardly in his mind, although outwardly in his act it would seem so. The competitors with whom his secret ambition seems to vie are the dead.”

Men Mind Doe Seems Running Secret Race Genius Ambition Stones Horse Nervous Thrown Competitors Brutes Emulate Emulation Racers Thoroughbreds

Author:Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton

“Every young man is prone to be misled by the suggestions of his own ill-founded ambition which he mistakes for the promptings of asecret genius, and thence dreams of unrivaled greatness.”

Men Dream Young Mistake Youth Greatness Genius Ambition Ill Young Man Suggestions Misled

Book:Emerson in His Journals

Source: Emerson in His Journals

“Object to merit and distinction, and you're setting your face against quality, independence, originality, genius against all the richness and variety of life. When you hold back the successful, you penalize those who need help.”

Needs Helping Faces Quality Successful Objects Genius Ambition Independence Setting Settings Variety Merit Distinction Your Face Originality Richness Need Help

Book:The collected speeches of Margaret Thatcher

Source: The collected speeches of Margaret Thatcher

“From the union of power and money, from the union of power and secrecy, from the union of government and science, from the union of government and art, from the union of science and money, from the union of ambition and ignorance, from the union of genius and war, from the union of outer space and inner vacuity, the Mad Farmer walks quietly away.”

Art War Government Space Walks Ignorance Genius Ambition Mad Unions Farmers Secrecy Outer Space Vacuity

Book:The Mad Farmer Poems

Source: The Mad Farmer Poems

“Ambition beats genius 99% of the time”

Genius Ambition Beats

Author:Jay Leno

“An average person with average talents and ambition and average education, can outstrip the most brilliant genius in our society, if that person has clear, focused goals.”

“The best CEOs in our research display tremendous ambition for their company combined with the stoic will to do whatever it takes, no matter how brutal (within the bounds of the company's core values), to make the company great. Yet at the same time they display a remarkable humility about themselves, ascribing much of their own success to luck, discipline and preparation rather than personal genius.”

Matter Success Values Leadership Company Humility Genius Discipline Ambition Research Luck Bounds Core Preparation Remarkable Display Brutal Ceo Whatever It Takes Stoic Core Values

Author:James C. Collins

“Genius is often a short way of spelling hard work. Poverty, obscurity, struggle and ambition formed the foundation for many careers of transcendent achievement. Few marks are made in the world's history by eight-hour-day men.... Sir Joshua Reynolds had but one maxim for success: Work, work, work. Is not rigid and continuous training necessary for the making of strong athletes? Hard work is not fatal to real success. Vouloir c'est pouvoir.”