"Ambition is not a vice of little people"

Michel de Montaigne’s assertion that “Ambition is not a vice of little people” invites a nuanced reflection on the nature of ambition and the character of those who possess it. Ambition, often seen as a driving force for achievement, can elicit both admiration and suspicion. Sometimes, society regards ambition as a virtue, a vital ingredient of greatness, while at other times, it treats ambition as a flaw, implying overreaching pride or ruthless self-interest.

Montaigne challenges the notion that ambition is inherently blameworthy or restricted to those of lesser stature, whether morally, socially, or intellectually. Rather than associating ambition with pettiness, as some might, he suggests that true ambition arises from a certain largeness of spirit. Those who dare to strive for more, to seek improvement, or to dream beyond their station rarely do so out of a base sense of inadequacy or petty malice. Instead, ambition characterizes those with expansive vision, courage, and a willingness to imagine different possibilities for themselves and the world around them.

Conversely, “little people”, as Montaigne frames them, might lack ambition not out of virtue but out of timidity, complacency, or narrowness of perspective. Their world remains circumscribed by fear of failure, satisfaction with mediocrity, or lack of imagination. Ambition, therefore, is the impulse that propels people beyond their limitations. It is a mark of individuals who are not content to be confined by circumstance or by convention.

This perspective transforms ambition from a trait to be feared or denigrated into one to be appreciated when guided by wisdom and virtue. It becomes a quality essential to progress and self-actualization, distinguishing those who aspire and achieve from those content with the status quo. In Montaigne’s view, ambition does not diminish but rather elevates those who possess it.