“Ambition is not a vice of little people.”Jean de La Bruyère · Caracterele · 1688 · Des les Grands, 12
Ambition is not a flaw, but a driving force that manifests differently in small and great people.
La Bruyère rejects the idea that ambition is only a weakness of the worthless. On the contrary, ambition can be a driving force in great people too. The difference is that little people display it crudely, while great people channel it nobly. For example, a corrupt politician and a visionary reformer can be equally ambitious, but with different effects.
Why it matters Today, this idea helps us not to judge ambition itself, but the way it is used, whether in career or personal life.