"We continue to recognize the greater ability of some to earn more than others. But we do assert that the ambition of the individual to obtain for him a proper security is an ambition to be preferred to the appetite for great wealth and great power."

Ambition

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Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Ambition as articulated by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Ambition provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

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About Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving US president and the only one to have served more than two terms. His first two terms centered on combating the Great Depression, while his third and fourth focused on US involvement in World War II. A member of the Democratic Party, Roosevelt served in the New York State Senate from 1911 to 1913 and as the 44th governor of New York from 1929 to 1932.

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More by Franklin D. Roosevelt

"It is a enduring truth that a visionary sees the unseen possibilities in the heart of common struggles — an essential principle for the reflective life."

— Franklin D. Roosevelt
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"I think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm."

— Franklin D. Roosevelt
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"The point in history at which we stand is full of promise and danger. The world will either move forward toward unity and widely shared prosperity - or it will move apart."

— Franklin D. Roosevelt
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"Favor comes because for a brief moment in the great space of human change and progress some general human purpose finds in him a satisfactory embodiment."

— Franklin D. Roosevelt
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More about Ambition

"Because you want to have competition to drive down the price. You want innovation. You have the ability to get people to agree that it's worth having a public plan. You could get private insurers to cover this population, but you couldn't without giving the population leverage in the marketplace."

— Maria Cantwell
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"Drive thy Business, or it will drive thee."

— Benjamin Franklin
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"My deal is have a flat, simple tax. And - Americans want - Americans I hope - aspire to be - be wealthy. I hope they aspire to have a better quality of life. And we have this class warfare that's going on now. And I don't agree with that. I'm interested in people getting to work."

— Rick Perry
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"There are many mediocre entertainers who don't aspire to much more than fame and glory. It's very easy to have them as your role models because there aren't as many greats. Go back, discover the greats, and take it from there."

— Carmen Ejogo
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