Does ambition make sense?
“Am I a bad person? Tell me. Am I?”
“Am I a bad person? Tell me. Am I?”
During the Summer Olympics in Paris, you certainly heard this slogan. It comes from Nike's advertising campaign "Winning isn't for everyone". In this 1:30min video, tight shots on tried faces, sometimes grimacing and deformed by high-level athletes follow one another. In the background of Opus 125 of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, a voice states a list of adjectives that designates these faces:
“I’m single-minded. I’m obsessive. I’m selfish. I’m deceptive. I don’t respect you. I have an obsession with power. Am I a bad person?”
There is a noticeable gap: these adjectives do not align with the common perception of an athlete.
In the collective imagination, an athlete symbolizes high values such as respect, camaraderie, humility, and moderation. Yet here, we encounter a striking contradiction: the elite athlete is consumed by an obsession with victory, driven by an extraordinary and sometimes excessive ambition. This ambition is the essential engine that powers performance. Without it, the athlete cannot exist at the highest level.
Ambition, when viewed in a positive light, embodies the desire to achieve greatness, to strive for accomplishments that resonate with pride and honor.
The associated lexicon evokes notions of valor, desire, and even conflict—suggesting a competitive battlefield of ambitions. In this framework, to be ambitious is to view any obstacle as an adversary. Conversely, the negative connotation of ambition relates to an insatiable pursuit of dominance and recognition. And so, we arrive at the essence of the great athlete.
Their ambition is not arbitrary but rooted in a logical progression toward a goal, justified by rigorous training and continuous improvement.
This ambition manifests as a series of ideas, a sequence that finds meaning through its objective. Just as advertisements present varied faces of ambition, so too does the athlete’s drive take multiple forms. Ambition, both as a character trait and a compelling desire, seeks fulfillment.
While all athletes possess ambition, only the greatest—those who etch their names into history—are the most relentless in their pursuit, willing to make any sacrifice to win. Others are content with a tempered form of ambition.
But what does this truly mean? For some, winning the Football World Cup is an ambitious yet attainable dream. For others, the pinnacle might be winning a local derby—a career-defining achievement. This scale of ambition may seem meaningless to those outside the realm of professional sports. It lacks resonance when it does not present itself as an obvious, shared goal.
Hence, ambition is revered by some and rejected by others. Its value varies depending on the context and the observer.
Ambition, therefore, makes sense only when tied to a specific goal, first validated internally and perhaps later by others. But is ambition always meaningful? Can its significance wane over time? If so, what becomes of it?
Does ambition adapt and seek a new path, or does it falter and dissolve, leading to its eventual demise?
“Just do it”
Ambition is a defining trait of those who strive for what is currently beyond reach. It represents a commitment to a future reality that one aspires to realize.
Consider, for example, the desire to become wealthy or start a business. These goals are underpinned by ambition: their fulfillment is not guaranteed and demands a process of steady advancement. Establishing a business and nurturing its success requires comprehensive knowledge of areas like finance, marketing, and business operations. Such endeavors are ambitious because they are theoretically achievable but presently inaccessible.
In The Odyssey, Ulysses embodies this relentless ambition with his unwavering determination to return to Ithaca, his home. Nothing could deter him from this objective. His ambition culminated in success only after a long and arduous journey marked by trials that tested his values and integrity. His quest illustrates that the meaning of ambition is tied to uncertainty: the greater the odds against success, the more ambitious the goal appears.
But was Ulysses’ ambition justified? Despite the allure of living with the nymph Calypso, he remained loyal to his original goal. Most would have abandoned their homeland for such a life, but not Ulysses.
This example reveals that while ambition may be singular in essence, it takes on varied meanings. These meanings are deeply personal. For instance, the goal of running a marathon could hold significance for me because:
“I want to prove to myself that I am capable.”
“As an athlete, I thrive on setting ambitious challenges.”
“Preparing for an IronMan requires intermediate steps, and the marathon is my first major milestone.”
However, ambition's significance is also relative.
What seems meaningful and ambitious to one person may appear absurd to another. Yet, the ambition of one individual can inspire others. My pursuit of running a marathon, no matter how irrational it may seem, could motivate others to take up sports and challenge themselves.
Ulysses exemplifies the archetype of the hero, a figure revered for his ambition and feats.
Just as we previously considered the high-level athlete, the hero has a unique ability to spark ambition in others. As Spiderman was famously told, "With great power comes great responsibility," which suggests an ambition proportionate to such power. The admiration for these larger-than-life figures who elevate ambition to a supreme value helps others cultivate their own aspirations.
Ultimately, the meaning we derive from ambition is profoundly subjective.
Ambition, then, is the driving force behind action, and in this sense, it is inherently meaningful.
However, ambition also has a darker, more destructive side, as highlighted by Nike’s advertising.
One must be prepared to face the full scope of ambition, embracing its challenges and excesses. Failing to align one’s actions with the demands of ambitious goals can disrupt the delicate balance of ambition, risking its significance and undermining its purpose.
Loss of meaning and destruction
Ambition represents the mindset of an individual who seeks to move toward, or is already advancing toward, a goal that was initially out of reach.
It is the force of will that drives one to attain a higher state of being or existence.
By its nature, ambition reshapes the mind it inhabits, consciously or unconsciously instructing it to evolve in alignment with the elevated reality it envisions. This process initiates action and necessitates a break from a previous state of existence, making ambition inherently transformative and, at times, destructive.
Ambition is destructive in the literal sense because it demands change.
For instance, the pursuit of wealth and entrepreneurship may lead one to associate more closely with successful, like-minded individuals, often at the expense of prior social ties that no longer align with the ambitions at play.
This transformation can cause ambition to lose its meaning, not only for the ambitious individual but also for those around them.
When the sacrifices demanded by ambition become too great, the individual may become disconnected from their original purpose. At this crossroads, they face two options: withdraw or recalibrate their ambitions to align with a more sustainable reality, a process that can be seen as a shift in meaning.
Ambition is also figuratively destructive because it frees the mind from the chains of limiting beliefs—unfounded biases and subconscious judgments that cloud perception.
To be ambitious is to strive for something greater, something powerful enough to dedicate one’s life to achieving.
Ambition is the force that rises from the soul and declares, “I want to live. I want to make my mark, and no one will stand in my way.” It is the spirit encapsulated in the defiant words of Balzac’s Rastignac in Father Goriot: “Now, it’s between you and me, Paris.” Rastignac is the quintessential ambitious figure, driven to break through any barrier. His thirst for power and recognition pushes him to sacrifice parts of his integrity to infiltrate Parisian high society. For him, this pursuit is meaningful—it becomes his raison d’être.
“Ambition had become for him a final passion that made up for everything.” — Father Goriot.
Yet ambition, when it turns obsessive, becomes uncontrollable and loses all sense of purpose.
It no longer seeks to justify itself. Such is the case in Albert Camus’ play Caligula, where the Roman emperor is driven by an unattainable desire for the impossible, for an absolute truth. Following the death of his sister, Caligula descends into madness, consumed by melancholy and an insatiable drive to unmask humanity’s lies and reveal the truth, regardless of the cost.
This ambition propels him to tyranny, devoid of empathy, leading to destruction and his inevitable demise.
His fate is sealed from the outset—ambition, relentless and impossible, ultimately claims him.
Today, ambition is regarded as a highly valued mindset.
In our "project-oriented society" (Boltanski and Thévenot, 1991), ambition is celebrated as the driving force behind innovation and progress.
The visionaries of the past, such as Steve Jobs, continue to inspire today’s pioneers like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who forge their own paths and redefine what is possible.
Ambition, as we know, demands courage—courage to challenge conventional thinking and societal norms, to push beyond personal limitations, and ultimately to take decisive action in pursuit of one goal:
To work relentlessly each day toward becoming the best version of oneself.
Antoine