--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: any mean, ambitious man,...counts his…" description: "\"“any mean, ambitious man,...counts his losses more than his gains.”\" — Philippa Gregory" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/philippa-gregory-674_ambition_any-mean-ambitious-man-counts-his-losses_2489926.png" --- # any mean, ambitious man,...counts his losses more than his… ![“any mean, ambitious man,...counts his losses more than his gains.” quote by Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/philippa-gregory-674_ambition_any-mean-ambitious-man-counts-his-losses_2489926.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/philippa-gregory-674_ambition_any-mean-ambitious-man-counts-his-losses_2489926.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/philippa-gregory-674_ambition_any-mean-ambitious-man-counts-his-losses_2489926.png) > ““any mean, ambitious man,...counts his losses more than his gains.”” [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ambitious people often focus on avoiding loss rather than celebrating gains, leading to risk‑averse behavior. **In simple terms:** Ambition can make people fear loss more than enjoy success. Key Takeaway Balance risk and reward. Themes ambition risk psychology Mood cautious analytical Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - business decisions - personal goals - investment strategies Key Concepts loss aversion gain focus Questions to Reflect On - What losses are you over‑valuing? - How can you celebrate small wins? 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I open my eyes. ‘You will get my fortune,’ I remark. ‘When I marry you, everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/say-yes-he-whispers-marry-me-i-hesitate-i-open-my-eyes-you-will-get/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“But I warn you that a woman who seeks great power and wealth has to pay a great price, Perhaps you will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/but-i-warn-you-that-a-woman-who-seeks-great-power-and-wealth-has-to/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“I raised my hand to wave in case he looked back; but he did not. He rode straight backed, looking forward. He rode like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-raised-my-hand-to-wave-in-case-he-looked-back-but-he-did-not-he/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“When you are still and thoughtful you are as lovely as the statues they are carving in Italy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/when-you-are-still-and-thoughtful-you-are-as-lovely-as-the-statues/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [Edward lives as if there is no tomorrow, Richard as if he wants no tomorrow, and George as though someone should give it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/edward-lives-as-if-there-is-no-tomorrow-richard-as-if-he-wants-no/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [You can smile when your heart is breaking because you're a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/you-can-smile-when-your-heart-is-breaking-because-you-re-a-woman/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [En Ma Fin Est Ma Commencement - In my end is my beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/en-ma-fin-est-ma-commencement-in-my-end-is-my-beginning/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“We fell asleep wrapped in each other as if we could not bear to part, even in sleep we could not bear to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/we-fell-asleep-wrapped-in-each-other-as-if-we-could-not-bear-to-part/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“One little boy, and he a bastard,' Anne said thoughtfully. 'One little girl of six, one elderly Queen and a King in the prime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/one-little-boy-and-he-a-bastard-anne-said-thoughtfully-one-little/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“We have been married little more than a year and already there is a terrible silence around some subjects. We never speak of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/we-have-been-married-little-more-than-a-year-and-already-there-is-a/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“It doesn’t matter if you call it magic or determination. It doesn’t matter if you make a spell or a plot. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/it-doesn-t-matter-if-you-call-it-magic-or-determination-it-doesn-t/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“You are my heart. Even if you are a broken heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/you-are-my-heart-even-if-you-are-a-broken-heart/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“I have overturned the order. Nothing will ever be the same for any woman in this country again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-have-overturned-the-order-nothing-will-ever-be-the-same-for-any/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“I will make my own future, not predict it. I don’t need a charm to tell me what I hope will happen. I throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-will-make-my-own-future-not-predict-it-i-don-t-need-a-charm-to-tell/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) [Explore all 408 Philippa Gregory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) ## More Ambition quotes > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/) [Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/) [Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/) > [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/) [Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/) [Browse all 4,601 Ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“any mean, ambitious man,...counts his losses more than his gains.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philippa Gregory" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/any-mean-ambitious-man-counts-his-losses-more-than-his-gains/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambition" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/any-mean-ambitious-man-counts-his-losses-more-than-his-gains/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/philippa-gregory-674_ambition_any-mean-ambitious-man-counts-his-losses_2489926.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/philippa-gregory-674_ambition_any-mean-ambitious-man-counts-his-losses_2489926.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/philippa-gregory-674_ambition_any-mean-ambitious-man-counts-his-losses_2489926.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“any mean, ambitious man,...counts his losses more than his gains.” — Philippa Gregory", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Philippa Gregory", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“any mean, ambitious man,...counts his losses...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/any-mean-ambitious-man-counts-his-losses-more-than-his-gains/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/any-mean-ambitious-man-counts-his-losses-more-than-his-gains/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```