As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends, / I must not look to have; but, in their stead, / Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath, / Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not" (5.3.25-28).
William ShakespeareRead
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself And falls on the other side
Interpretation
What this quote means
Ambition can lead one to reach beyond their limits, often resulting in failure.
This quote from Shakespeare reflects on the nature of unchecked ambition. It suggests that when individuals aspire to achieve more than what is reasonable or possible, they risk overextending themselves, which can lead to their downfall. The metaphor of 'vaulting' implies a leap that goes beyond control, illustrating that ambition must be balanced with wisdom to avoid adverse outcomes.
Themes
AmbitionLimitsFailureWisdomCaution
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about setting realistic goals, one could say: 'Remember, vaulting ambition can lead us to overreach and face failure.'
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes βLove bears it out even to the edge of doom.
William ShakespeareRead
Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
William ShakespeareRead
Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
William ShakespeareRead
Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
William ShakespeareRead
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
William ShakespeareRead
Similar quotes
YouΒ΄re not perceiving what's out there. You're perceiving whatever your brain tells you.
David EaglemanRead
We were taught to believe that the Great Spirit sees and hears everything, and that he never forgets; that hereafter he will give every man a spirit-home according to his deserts: if he has been a good man, he will have a good home; if he has been a bad man, he will have a bad home. This I believe, and all my people believe the same.
Chief JosephRead
The first act of violence that patriarchy demands of males is not violence toward women. Instead patriarchy demands of all males that they engage in acts of psychic self-mutilation, that they kill off the emotional parts of themselves. If an individual is not successful in emotionally crippling himself, he can count on patriarchal men to enact rituals of power that will assault his self-esteem.
Bell HooksRead
The older I get the more I'm convinced that it's the purpose of politicians and journalists to say the world is very simple, whereas it's the purpose of historians to say, 'No! It's very complicated.' _x000D_ _x000D_ The job of the historian is to help give people a sense of existence in time, without which we are really not fully human.
David CannadineRead
Heaven does without doing through its purity, Earth does without doing through its calmness.
ZhuangziRead
I heartily accept the motto, "That government is best which governs least"; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe β "That government is best which governs not at all"; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have. Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient.
Henry David ThoreauRead