On the record
God has planted in man a sense of ambition, and a satisfaction arising from the contemplation of his excelling his fellows in something deemed valuable amongst them.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “God has planted in man a sense of ambition, and a satisfaction arising from the contemplation of his excelling his…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke asserts that ambition is an inherent trait in humans, driving them to excel in valued pursuits.
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More from Edmund Burke
Jan 1, 1790
Though a king may abdicate for his own person, he cannot abdicate for the monarchy.
Jan 1, 1790
No experience has taught us that in any other course or method than that of an hereditary crown our liberties can be regularly perpetuated and preserved sacred as our hereditary right.
Jan 1, 1790
But an absurd theory on one side of a question forms no justification for alleging a false fact or promulgating mischievous maxims on the other.
Jan 1, 1790
The House of Lords, for instance, is not morally competent to dissolve the House of Commons,--no, nor even to dissolve itself, nor to abdicate, if it would, its portion in the legislature of the kingdom.
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