Ambition is the desire for personal achievement. It provides the motivation and determination necessary to achieve a particular end or condition. Ambitious people are characterised by their strong desire for attainment, power, or superiority. Ambition can also be defined as the object/subject of this endeavour.
Throughout history, examples can be found of people who were extremely ambitious, for better and for worse. The notorious Greek Herostratus had the ambition to become famous by destroying the Temple of Artemis.
The Irish poet Oscar Wilde said that "Ambition is the last refuge of failure."