Ambition Quote by Allen Tate
“According to its doctors, my one intransigent desire is to have been a Confederate general, and because I could not or would not become anything else, I set up for poet and beg an to invent fictions about the personal ambitions that my society has no use for.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Collected Poems of Allen Tate, 1992
The speaker laments being trapped by an impossible, romanticized ambition that society deems useless, turning to poetry to fabricate purpose.
In simple terms: Desire for a grand, unattainable role leads to creative self‑deception.
Key Takeaway
Embrace authentic aspirations over impossible fantasies.
Themes
identity
ambition
creativity
societal expectations
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- writing poetry
- career counseling
- personal reflection
- academic study of literature
Key Concepts
self‑deception
artistic expression
historical myth
Questions to Reflect On
- What drives you to imagine impossible roles?
- How can you channel ambition constructively?
A Different Perspective
The quote glorifies a destructive fantasy without acknowledging its personal cost.