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.'
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