Ambition Quote by Marilynne Robinson
“The loss of seriousness seems to me to be, in effect, a loss of hope. I think that the thing that made people rise to real ambition, real gravity was the sense of posterity, for example - a word that I can remember hearing quite often when I was a child and I never hear anymore. People actually wanted to make the world good for people in generations that they would never see. It makes people think in very large terms to try to liberate women, for example, or to try to eliminate slavery.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Loss of Seriousness,” The New Yorker, 2015
Losing seriousness erodes hope; without a sense of posterity, ambition and moral action fade.
In simple terms: Without seriousness, hope and big‑scale purpose disappear.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate a sense of lasting impact.
Themes
hope
purpose
generational thinking
Mood
hopeful
serious
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- activism
- education
- community projects
- legacy planning
Key Concepts
Philosophy
ethics
humanism
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you reconnect with a sense of posterity?
- What causes can you support that aim beyond your lifetime?
A Different Perspective
Modern life often prioritizes immediacy over long‑term vision.
