Ambition is the mainspring to many noble deeds and to high achievement.  Show me a man from whose eyes has gone the light of ambition and from whose breast the desire to excel has departed, and I will show you a man who is content with the commonplace and whose life is to be measured in terms of the vanishing point. We all need more ambition, and we need to arouse it’s spark, if possible, in [...]

Purpose kindles the flame of ambition on the alter of the heart and inspires the soul to all worthy endeavor.  A presiding purpose conserves energy.  An aimless man is guilty of the worst kind of waste. … A presiding purpose not only conserves energy, but it inspires to action.  Purpose is power, motive power.  It is like a lever in mechanics.  It is like the pressure of steam in an engine.  [...]

Our attitude makes such a difference as to how we carry out our ambitions, and unless we watch our attitude, we can destroy the high ideal of our ambition.  What a difference the right or the wrong attitude makes.  A proper attitude leads to success and an improper attitude leads the other way.  These attitudes can be easily detected by others and they know pretty well what we have in mind. On the [...]

It is a crime to discourage any honorable ambition germinated in another’s heart, and perhaps a greater offense to allow it to be destroyed. –Douglas Meador, Amarillo Daily News, Amarillo, TX, Feb. 28, 1943

Ambition is that quality which causes a man to reach onward and upward for something bigger and better.  Some have said it is simply the disposition to restlessness but such a definition does not fit.  Many men are restless and have no ambition at all.  Ambition is more than merely restlessness.  It is a force which, while it may cause restlessness, leads on to definite and concentrated effort [...]