C.S. Lewis on Ambition

I have, of late, been reading God in the Dock by C.S. Lewis. It was given to me at Christmas by my future brother-in-law Sam, who used to have this blog called Adagio County. (Insert failed attempt at guilting him into reblogging.)

I've been absolutely fascinated by the depth with which Lewis thought (and the depth that his audience listened with). Not to be insular, but were people smarter back then? I don't think it's a matter of smarter (actually funny enough, Lewis talks about that ... "If [lower state of mental development] means that people ten thousand years ago didn't know a good many things that we know now, of course, I agree. But if it means that there has been any advance in intelligence in that time, I believe there is no evidence for any such thing") I think it's a matter of being so catered to that our appetite for deep things has been ruined.

So, Lewis is asked in the course of an interview in front of an audience whether it is wrong for a Christian to be ambitious and strive for personal success. Here is part of his response:

Ambition! We must be careful what we mean by it. If it means the desire to get ahead of other people--which is what I think it does mean--then it is bad. If it means simply wanting to do a thing well, then it is good. It isn't wrong for an actor to want to act his part as well as it can possibly be acted, but the wish to have his name in bigger type than the other actors is a bad one.

And I'll let that stand.