---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The tragedy is that so many have ambition…"
description: "\"The tragedy is that so many have ambition and so few have ability\" — William Feather"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/william-feather-2664_ability_the-tragedy-is-that-so-many-have-ambitio_1588853.png"
---

#  The tragedy is that so many have ambition and so few have…

![“The tragedy is that so many have ambition and so few have ability” quote by William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/william-feather-2664_ability_the-tragedy-is-that-so-many-have-ambitio_1588853.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/william-feather-2664_ability_the-tragedy-is-that-so-many-have-ambitio_1588853.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/william-feather-2664_ability_the-tragedy-is-that-so-many-have-ambitio_1588853.png)

> “The tragedy is that so many have ambition and so few have ability”

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Ambition is common, but true ability is rare, making success difficult.

**In simple terms:** Many want success, few can achieve it.

Key Takeaway

Develop skills to match your ambitions.

Themes

ambition ability success

Mood

reflective serious

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- career planning
- education
- personal growth

Key Concepts

human potential skill development

Questions to Reflect On

- What skills do you need to develop?
- How can you bridge ambition and ability?

A Different Perspective

Talent alone may not guarantee success without opportunity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/)

## Related quotes

> [Ambition is not a weakness unless it be disproportioned to the capacity. To have more ambition than ability is to be at once weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stillman-hillard/ambition-is-not-a-weakness-unless-it-be-disproportioned-to-the/)

[George Stillman Hillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stillman-hillard/)

> [Ability determines how much you are capable, motivation determines how much you are interested and committed, attitude determines your approach to endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/ability-determines-how-much-you-are-capable-motivation-determines-how/)

[Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/)

> [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/)

> [The difference between tragedy and comedy is the difference between experience and intuition. In the experience we strive against every condition of our animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/the-difference-between-tragedy-and-comedy-is-the-difference-between/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [In the West, it was believed that attitude and ambition saved you. In Africa, we had learned that no one was immune to capricious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/in-the-west-it-was-believed-that-attitude-and-ambition-saved-you-in/)

[Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/)

> [A man must not deny his manifest abilities, for that is to evade his obligations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/a-man-must-not-deny-his-manifest-abilities-for-that-is-to-evade-his/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Success in business hinges mostly on the ability to get the important things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/success-in-business-hinges-mostly-on-the-ability-to-get-the-important/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [The ability to understand and deliver comedy and tragedy is extremely rare in one composer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/signe-baumane/the-ability-to-understand-and-deliver-comedy-and-tragedy-is-extremely/)

[Signe Baumane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/signe-baumane/)

> [A creative writing workshop will contain students whose ambitions and abilities, whose conceptions of literature itself, are so diverse that what they have in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/a-creative-writing-workshop-will-contain-students-whose-ambitions-and/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [“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/)

> [My ambition is to win some trophies. That's why I am playing football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-giroud/my-ambition-is-to-win-some-trophies-that-s-why-i-am-playing-football/)

[Olivier Giroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-giroud/)

> [A lot of people have the ambition, but they never ask themselves, Do I really believe I can do this?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-burchard/a-lot-of-people-have-the-ambition-but-they-never-ask-themselves-do-i/)

[Brendon Burchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-burchard/)

> [America breeds ambition and while that can be a good thing, sometimes it's not. Ambition also breeds competition and that can be a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaka-khan/america-breeds-ambition-and-while-that-can-be-a-good-thing-sometimes/)

[Chaka Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaka-khan/)

## More by William Feather

> [Before it can be solved, a problem must be clearly defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/before-it-can-be-solved-a-problem-must-be-clearly-defined/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Deliver me from all evildoers that talk nothing but sickness and failure. Grant me the companionship of men who think success and men who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/deliver-me-from-all-evildoers-that-talk-nothing-but-sickness-and/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Unnecessary hustle is one of the American follies. We hustle at both work and play, and consequently enjoy neither to the utmost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/unnecessary-hustle-is-one-of-the-american-follies-we-hustle-at-both/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Business is like a wheelbarrow-it stands still until someone pushes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/business-is-like-a-wheelbarrow-it-stands-still-until-someone-pushes-it/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [A good man likes a hard boss. I don't mean a nagging boss or a grouchy boss. I mean a boss who insists on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/a-good-man-likes-a-hard-boss-i-don-t-mean-a-nagging-boss-or-a-grouchy/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Loneliness is something you can't walk away from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/loneliness-is-something-you-can-t-walk-away-from/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Success in business hinges mostly on the ability to get the important things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/success-in-business-hinges-mostly-on-the-ability-to-get-the-important/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [It's not the increasing competition; it's going back to real work that most of us complain about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/it-s-not-the-increasing-competition-it-s-going-back-to-real-work-that/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [A man must not deny his manifest abilities, for that is to evade his obligations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/a-man-must-not-deny-his-manifest-abilities-for-that-is-to-evade-his/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Always remember that there is a law of compensation which operates just as infallibly as gravitation, and that victory goes at last where it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/always-remember-that-there-is-a-law-of-compensation-which-operates/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [When ordering lunch, the big executives are just as indecisive as the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/when-ordering-lunch-the-big-executives-are-just-as-indecisive-as-the/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/success-seems-to-be-largely-a-matter-of-hanging-on-after-others-have/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Too many of us vote for our prejudices instead of our desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/too-many-of-us-vote-for-our-prejudices-instead-of-our-desires/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Indifference and inaction must always pay a penalty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/indifference-and-inaction-must-always-pay-a-penalty/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [He that succeeds makes an important thing of the immediate task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/he-that-succeeds-makes-an-important-thing-of-the-immediate-task/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

[Explore all 155 William Feather quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

## More Ability quotes

> [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/)

[Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/)

> [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/)

[Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/)

> [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/)

> [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/)

[Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/)

[Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/)

> [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/)

[Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/)

> [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/)

[Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/)

> [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/)

[Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/)

> [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/)

[Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/)

[Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The tragedy is that so many have ambition and so few have ability",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Feather"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/the-tragedy-is-that-so-many-have-ambition-and-so-few-have-ability/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ability"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/the-tragedy-is-that-so-many-have-ambition-and-so-few-have-ability/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/william-feather-2664_ability_the-tragedy-is-that-so-many-have-ambitio_1588853.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/william-feather-2664_ability_the-tragedy-is-that-so-many-have-ambitio_1588853.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/william-feather-2664_ability_the-tragedy-is-that-so-many-have-ambitio_1588853.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The tragedy is that so many have ambition and so few have ability” — William Feather",
                "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": "William Feather",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The tragedy is that so many...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/the-tragedy-is-that-so-many-have-ambition-and-so-few-have-ability/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/the-tragedy-is-that-so-many-have-ambition-and-so-few-have-ability/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
