"There are some who denounce ambition as wholly bad and to be avoided
by all; but I think we ought to make a distinction between true and
false ambition. The desire of superiority is an honorable motive, if
it leads to honorable exertion. I will mention Napoleon as an
illustration of false ambition, which is selfish in itself, and has
brought misery and ruin, to prosperous nations. Again, there are
some who are ambitious to dress better than their neighbors, and
their principal thoughts are centred upon the tie of their cravat, or
the cut of their coat, if young men; or upon the richness and style
of their dresses, if they belong to the other sex. Beau Brummel is a
noted instance of this kind of ambition. It is said that fully half
of his time was devoted to his toilet, and the other half to
displaying it in the streets, or in society. Now this is a very low
form of ambition, and it is wrong to indulge it, because it is a
waste of time which could be much better employed."
Harry now proceeded to describe what he regarded as a true and
praiseworthy ambition. He defined it as a desire to excel in what
would be of service to the human race, and he instanced his old
Franklin, who, induced by an honorable ambition, worked his way up to
a high civil station, as well as a commanding position in the
scientific world. He mentioned Columbus as ambitious to extend the
limits of geographical knowledge, and made a brief reference to the
difficulties and discouragements over which he triumphed on the way
to success.
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