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* This is the aesop of Grace Lin's ''Where the Mountain Meets the Moon''. Minli's mother is only able to be happy once she learns to be content with her impoverished, isolated life, and the fortunes of Minli's family only improve after she gives up on trying to make them better...
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* This is the aesop of Grace Lin's ''Where the Mountain Meets the Moon''.''Literature/WhereTheMountainMeetsTheMoon''. Minli's mother is only able to be happy once she learns to be content with her impoverished, isolated life, and the fortunes of Minli's family only improve after she gives up on trying to make them better...
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* ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'': Beron is obsessed with growing his power base, plotting to expand his lands at the expense of the other courts.
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* ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'': Bastian goes From Nobody to Nightmare all by the fulfillment of his own wishes; while there are some evil Fantasticans like Xayide who manipulate him, the fact is that he wished them into being in order to defeat them with the ultimate goal of being loved and feared by everyone. Bastian is the purest example of how a small, helpless yet good-natured little boy can slowly yet inevitably turn into a cruel, heartless little tyrant by gaining unlimited power.
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* ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'': Bastian goes From Nobody to Nightmare FromNobodyToNightmare all by the fulfillment of his own wishes; while there are some evil Fantasticans like Xayide who manipulate him, the fact is that he wished them into being in order to defeat them with the ultimate goal of being loved and feared by everyone. Bastian is the purest example of how a small, helpless yet good-natured little boy can slowly yet inevitably turn into a cruel, heartless little tyrant by gaining unlimited power.
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* Discussed in ''Literature/{{Scoundrels}}'', a ''Franchise/StarWars'' novel, when Lando Calrissian realises that Dayja, the Imperial agent who has been manipulating and using the CaperCrew as part of his own mission, is extremely and "frighteningly" [[YoungConqueror young for the job]]. Lando notes that this makes him far more dangerous because rising that high so young means Dayja is incredibly ambitious.
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* Discussed in ''Literature/StarWarsScoundrels'', when Lando Calrissian realises that Dayja, the Imperial agent who has been manipulating and using the CaperCrew as part of his own mission, is extremely and "frighteningly" [[YoungConqueror young for the job]]. Lando notes that this makes him far more dangerous because rising that high so young means Dayja is incredibly ambitious.
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* Discussed in ''Literature/{{Scoundrels}}'', a ''Franchise/StarWars'' novel, when Lando Calrissian realises that Dayja, the Imperial agent who has been manipulating and using the CaperCrew as part of his own mission, is extremely and "frighteningly" [[YoungConqueror young for the job]]. Lando notes that this makes him far more dangerous because rising that high so young means Dayja is incredibly ambitious.
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Can't even say the majority when there are so many villains and unsavory characters from other Houses. There are arguments about all those named characters
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* The "darkest" of the four houses in ''Literature/HarryPotter'', Slytherin, has ambition and cunning as its main valued qualities. WordOfGod has consistently gone out to point out that Slytherin is not just the "evil house", but it falls a little flat when for the first 5 books everyone who is or was part of Slytherin is a bully, jerk, or outright villain. Apparently Merlin studied there, and the sixth book has Slughorn who's alright, so it's entirely possible to go through Slytherin and end up fine, but most, if not all, evil wizards studied there. Basically ambition is not a guarantee of villainy, but it is a prerequisite for it.
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* The "darkest" of the four houses in ''Literature/HarryPotter'', Slytherin, has ambition and cunning as its main valued qualities. WordOfGod has consistently gone out to point out that Slytherin is not just the "evil house", but it falls a little flat when for the first 5 books everyone who is or was part of Slytherin is a bully, jerk, or outright villain. Apparently Merlin studied there, and the sixth book has Slughorn who's alright, so it's entirely possible to go through Slytherin and end up fine, but most, if not all, an awful lot of evil wizards studied there. Basically ambition is not a guarantee of villainy, but it is a prerequisite for it.
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** By the end of the series, it becomes clear, through secondary characters, that good and evil exist in all houses. It's just that ambition is a trait that can lead to villainy if not properly handled and limited, which explains why many shady individuals hail from Slytherin. Also visionary criminals are more likely to become famous rather than petty and insignificant ones.
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** By the end of the series, it becomes clear, through secondary characters, that good and evil exist in all houses. houses [[note]] Peter Pettigrew, Quirinus Quirrell, Gilderoy Lockhart, Zacharias Smith, Romilda Vane are all examples of evil non-Slytherins.[[/note]] It's just that ambition is a trait that can lead to villainy if not properly handled and limited, which explains why many shady individuals hail from Slytherin. Also visionary criminals are more likely to become famous rather than petty and insignificant ones.
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* In ''Literature/TheSchoolForGoodAndEvil'', this (along with NiceIsNotGood) is why the two protagonists get sent to what they consider the "wrong" half of the title school. Sophie is outwardly gracious, but her whole purpose in her good deeds was to get power and attention for herself as a princess, so she ends up in Evil, and Agatha, despite being a cranky loner, is [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold more caring than she appears]] and not ambitious at all, and ends up in Good.
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* ''Literature/TheGreatZooOfChina'': Hu Tang is determined to vault over the bodies of the witnesses to the Presidency of China using the dragon zoo.
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* In Creator/MatthewReilly's ''Literature/TheGreatZooOfChina'': Hu Tang is determined to vault over the bodies of the witnesses to the Presidency of China using the dragon zoo.
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* ''Literature/TheGreatZooOfChina'': Hu Tang is determined to vault over the bodies of the witnesses to the Presidency of China using the dragon zoo.
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* OlderThanFeudalism; In the 1st-century Latin epic ''Literature/TheThebaid'', Eteocles and Polynices renounce their father, kill each other and destroy huge swaths of their home in their attempts to take the throne of Thebes. Thebes isn't even a rich, beautiful, or even decent city, so their hatred for each other is based on nothing more than a desire for control.
* Ebenezer Scrooge, in ''Literature/AChristmasCarol''. He became, well, TheScrooge after allowing himself to be consumed with ambition and greed. At one point his younger self even lampshades the trope, and what he sees as its unfairness:
* Ebenezer Scrooge, in ''Literature/AChristmasCarol''. He became, well, TheScrooge after allowing himself to be consumed with ambition and greed. At one point his younger self even lampshades the trope, and what he sees as its unfairness:
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* OlderThanFeudalism; In the 1st-century Latin epic ''Literature/TheThebaid'', ''Literature/TheThebaid'': Eteocles and Polynices renounce their father, kill each other and destroy huge swaths of their home in their attempts to take the throne of Thebes. Thebes isn't even a rich, beautiful, or even decent city, so their hatred for each other is based on nothing more than a desire for control.
* ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'': EbenezerScrooge, in ''Literature/AChristmasCarol''. He became, well, TheScrooge Scrooge became a miser and ruthless moneylender after allowing himself to be consumed with ambition and greed. At one point his younger self even lampshades the trope, and what he sees as its unfairness:
* ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'': Ebenezer
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* ''Literature/TheLordOfBembibre'': When Lord Alonso wants to marry his daughter to the Count of Lemos, Beatriz replies she will never marry a backstabbing, scheming upstart who switched allegiances during the last civil war to profit from both sides. When her father excuses the Count's actions by stating war is an awful affair where people are forced into sadistic choices, Beatriz replies that is true...if you are a power-hungry asshole who is driven by ambition and greed. But if you are driven by honor and decency, your path is hard but clear.
-->'''Beatriz:''' ''"Is that count not the same who, after having obtained from the noble Queen Doña María the town of Monforte in Galicia, abandoned her banners to join those of the Infante Don Juan?"''\\
'''Don Alonso:''' ''"The same. And what do you have to say about him?"''\\
'''Beatriz:''' ''"That it is impossible for my father to give me as husband a man whom I could neither love nor even respect."''\\
'''Don Alonso:''' ''"My daughter, in times of civil strife, it is not easy to walk without falling, because the road is full of obstacles and pitfalls."''\\
'''Beatriz:''' ''"Yes, the path of ambition is strewn with difficulties and stumbling blocks, but the path of honour and chivalry is as smooth and gentle as a meadow. The Count of Lemos is certainly powerful, but although I know of many who fear and hate him, I have not yet heard of one who loves and esteems him."''
-->'''Beatriz:''' ''"Is that count not the same who, after having obtained from the noble Queen Doña María the town of Monforte in Galicia, abandoned her banners to join those of the Infante Don Juan?"''\\
'''Don Alonso:''' ''"The same. And what do you have to say about him?"''\\
'''Beatriz:''' ''"That it is impossible for my father to give me as husband a man whom I could neither love nor even respect."''\\
'''Don Alonso:''' ''"My daughter, in times of civil strife, it is not easy to walk without falling, because the road is full of obstacles and pitfalls."''\\
'''Beatriz:''' ''"Yes, the path of ambition is strewn with difficulties and stumbling blocks, but the path of honour and chivalry is as smooth and gentle as a meadow. The Count of Lemos is certainly powerful, but although I know of many who fear and hate him, I have not yet heard of one who loves and esteems him."''
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AmbitionIsEvil in {{Literature}}.
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AmbitionIsEvil in {{Literature}}.
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* ''Literature/ForestOfAThousandLanterns'': Xifeng's ambition to become Empress drives her to become a VillainProtagonist.
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* In ''Literature/The39Clues'', nearly everyone besides Amy and Dan Cahill displays this at some point, given that the reward for combining all 39 Clues is [[spoiler: a master serum that gives its drinker the powers of all four Cahill family branches]]. Of special note are the members of the Lucian family branch, who prize power above all else. Surprise -- the Lucians in the Clue hunt are generally shown to be more willing to inflict serious and potentially fatal harm upon their competitors than anyone else.
* The ''Literature/AgeOfFire'' series:
** The Copper isn't [[AntiVillain evil per se]], but is by far the most morally ambiguous character in the series, is driven by a desire to prove himself ([[FreudianExcuse due to being cast out by his own family]]), and after becoming Tyr sets in motion plans to establish draconic dominance of the world.
** Pretty much every villain in the series is driven by ambition: the Wrymmaster wants to TakeOverTheWorld and [[FinalSolution wipe out all non-humans]]; Thane Hammar and King Fangbreaker want to carve out empires for themselves; almost all the members of the Lavadome Imperial Line are political schemers who'll backstab anyone for power; the Red Queen seems to want to TakeOverTheWorld for its own sake; and [[spoiler: Rayg]] wants to [[ImmortalitySeeker extend his life]] long enough to unlock the secrets of the Lavadome, and is willing to decimate and enslave dragonkind to do it.
* Black Hat Otokoto in ''Literature/AkataWitch'' went very, very wrong because he aspired for material wealth.
* Zigzagged in ''Literature/AllTomorrows'', which doesn't profess ambition as a whole as evil but more specifically [[VisionaryVillain living for abstract goals about the future and grand narratives about the past]], rather than enjoying the present, often being responsible for atrocities.
* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' this is used to foreshadow SixthRangerTraitor David's turn to the dark side.
* The title character in the ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' series is motivated almost entirely by monetary gain in the first book, but as he makes the [[HeelFaceTurn transition]] from AntiVillain to a more conventional protagonist over the course of the series. Then his interest in wealth takes a back seat to concerns about his family, [[TrueCompanions friends]], and preventing TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
* Inverted in ''Literature/AtlasShrugged'', where ambition is pretty much what makes the heroes good. But also played straight! James Taggart, Wesley Mouch, Dr. Robert Stradler and others are descend to horrific levels of evil (e.g. letting an entire trainload of people die simply to avoid being blamed for delaying said train) due to ambition. The difference is Dagny, Reardon, Galt, etc. can actually do the jobs they have ambitions to hold.
* Played straight in the ''Literature/BelisariusSeries'' with Narses, who is an AntiVillain obsessed with ambition for power and even more, ambition to prove himself the best [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] of them all. Downplayed with Theodora and Justinian, whose ambition does not make them evil but does make them proud, curmudgeonly, and sometimes paranoid.
* OlderThanFeudalism; In the 1st-century Latin epic ''Literature/TheThebaid'', Eteocles and Polynices renounce their father, kill each other and destroy huge swaths of their home in their attempts to take the throne of Thebes. Thebes isn't even a rich, beautiful, or even decent city, so their hatred for each other is based on nothing more than a desire for control.
* Ebenezer Scrooge, in ''Literature/AChristmasCarol''. He became, well, TheScrooge after allowing himself to be consumed with ambition and greed. At one point his younger self even lampshades the trope, and what he sees as its unfairness:
-->"This is the even-handed dealing of the world. There is nothing on which it is so hard as poverty; and there is nothing it professes to condemn with such severity as the pursuit of wealth!"
* This is a recurring theme in Creator/AgathaChristie's mystery novels. One of her favorite types of villain (and/or victim) was a character from humble origins who had clawed his or her way to the top.
* In ''Literature/CodexAlera'' [[GreenEyedMonster Invidia]] Aquitaine is born to a mid-rank Citizen family. Despite her power and proficiency in magic use, as a woman she can never attain true political power. So, she settled on being the First Lady of Alera, wife of the First Lord. When her first arranged marriage fails, she moves on to Attis Aquitaine, a powerful High Lord, and his plans to take over the country in a coup and become First Lord himself. After some complications, she moves onto [[spoiler:sides with the Vord, a Zerg-like force bent on the total eradication of all non-Vord life. In exchange for her help, she will be given domain over the Alerans who have surrendered to the Vord for safe keeping]].
* Creator/RobertEHoward's ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'':
** In the story "Literature/AWitchShallBeBorn", Salome rejected the study of [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow things man wasn't meant to know]] for using BlackMagic for power.
--->''"He said I was but an earthly sprite, knowing naught of the deeper gulfs of cosmic sorcery. Well, this world contains all I desire--power, and pomp, and glittering pageantry, handsome men and soft women for my paramours and my slaves.''
** In both ''The Hour of the Dragon'' and "The Phoenix on the Sword", more than one conspirator wanted the throne. (At least two wanted the same throne, which gets awkward.)
* In ''Literature/TheCrownerJohnMysteries'', the FatalFlaw of Sir Richard de Revelle, the Sheriff of Devon, is overweening ambition. His belief that he is entitled to (and destined for) greater things leads him to join rebellions against King Richard, only to have to hurriedly backpedal (and find some way to cover his tracks) when the rebellions fail.
* ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'':
** Many of the heretics are obsessed with their unfulfilled worldly ambitions and tortured by how ignorant they are of their Earthly legacy.
** While some driven by ambition end up in Heaven, they are relegated to the second-lowest sphere because their ambition hindered their relationship with God. Among others, Dante meets [[UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire Emperor Justinian I]] here.
* Notably inverted in the philosophy of the [[ChurchMilitant Derethi]] religion of ''Literature/{{Elantris}}'', which holds that ambition is a ''virtue'', at least so long as one doesn't put one's personal ambitions ahead of the goals of the Derethi church. The rest of the world would likely see this trope as played straight, however, considering the general [[ReligionOfEvil reputation]] of the Derethi.
* Ambition is personified in ''Literature/TheFaerieQueene'' Book II as the queen of the nether-world. She helps men grow in power and wealth by leading them to tear down their fellows. Despite her beauty and status, our hero Sir Guyon refuses to take her hand in marriage because everything good in her has been ruined by her rivalry and envy with others who strive for greatness.
* The major recurring theme of Creator/KenFollett's books, like ''Literature/ThePillarsOfTheEarth'' and ''Literature/WorldWithoutEnd'', is that people will put their own ambitions over what is morally right and what is best for everyone. All of the villains are consumed by the desire to rise above their current station and will do horrible things in the attempt. Further, the morally ambivalent characters will repeatedly make decisions based solely on what is best for their advancement. Even the heroes are sometimes accused of being too arrogant or ambitious, though unlike others they do so in the pursuit of more noble goals.
* ''Literature/GodsOfJadeAndShadow'': The PhysicalGod Vucub-Kamé [[CainAndAbel mutilated]] and [[TheUsurper usurped]] his older brother Hun-Kamé as supreme ruler of TheUnderworld in order to usher in a new era of [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly mortal worship]] and widespread HumanSacrifice in his name.
-->'''Hun-Kamé:''' He desires power, more power than he's ever tasted, more than we were ever meant to have. Incense is not enough for him. He'll burn the land, the forests, swallow the smoke that rises from it.
* [[BigBad Caine Soren]] from ''Literature/{{GONE}}'' is so ambitiously evil it borders sociopathic.
-->'''Caine:''' Drake is a sick creep. I'm...ambitious.\\
'''Diana:''' That's one way of putting it. Power-hungry. Domineering. A bully.
* The "darkest" of the four houses in ''Literature/HarryPotter'', Slytherin, has ambition and cunning as its main valued qualities. WordOfGod has consistently gone out to point out that Slytherin is not just the "evil house", but it falls a little flat when for the first 5 books everyone who is or was part of Slytherin is a bully, jerk, or outright villain. Apparently Merlin studied there, and the sixth book has Slughorn who's alright, so it's entirely possible to go through Slytherin and end up fine, but most, if not all, evil wizards studied there. Basically ambition is not a guarantee of villainy, but it is a prerequisite for it.
** In Chapter 17 of Sorcerer's Stone, we get a character's ambition mentioned ''in the same breath'' as his hatred and greed.
** Also, Percy's ambition and devotion to the Ministry (despite being a Gryffindor) set him at odds with the rest of his family.
** As revealed in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows,'' this could be how Dumbledore viewed himself. In his youth, he worked with another wizard to find artifacts of great power, ostensibly to help his family but as much for himself. It took a tragedy to bring him back to earth, and ever since he kept himself away from positions of power such as Minister for Magic.
** By the end of the series, it becomes clear, through secondary characters, that good and evil exist in all houses. It's just that ambition is a trait that can lead to villainy if not properly handled and limited, which explains why many shady individuals hail from Slytherin. Also visionary criminals are more likely to become famous rather than petty and insignificant ones.
* Averted several times in the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' novels. The titular character herself spends much of the first book being ambitious about future rank. ''Storm from the Shadows'' plays it straight in regards to most Solarian League Naval personnel, with Battle Fleet having centuries of naval service in each family with characters with ambition to be like their last 10 forefathers and be important Battle fleet Admirals. Because of their ambition and pride, they also get the IdiotBall and see nothing wrong with having had no major battles in 300 years nor a tiny R&D budget with no major upgrades in the last century.
** Several other major characters also resent this trope. Honor fights several times what she feels is favorable treatment to suit her ambition. Her rank is usually thrust upon her after arguing she not only deserves it but is obligated to take it to better serve TheEmpire.
** Luis Roszak is sort of a borderline case; he's generally presented as a positive character, but it's clear that he can be absolutely ruthless in the service of his ambition.
** Turns out the Solarian League assumes everyone else has their same ambitions but just isn't capable because they aren't the Solarian League. This leads to rather poor military intelligence estimates, and once reality hits that people are capable of hurting them, their assumption of ambition means they are going to have to do horrible things to put people in their place...
* Oh so very many villains, and characters who may not be overtly villainous but certainly do a lot for Horus' cause, in the ''Literature/HorusHeresy'' novels are guided by ambition in one form or another; these range from the vox officer on the ''Eisenstein'' (who wants to command his own ship one day and betrays them to Typhon), to Horus himself.
* Subverted in Robert Asprin's ''Literature/MythAdventures''. The characters frequently use their FunctionalMagic to make money and usually each book ends with them even richer than when they started.
** In ''Class Dis-mythed'', a secondary character directly argues (in an impromptu lecture) that the most effective way to help others is to focus first on one's own personal security and financial success. While overlooking the obvious rebuttals, this isn't presented as a strawman argument, and quite possibly represents the author's current views. The important thing to remember is that it says "focus ''first'' on your own personal security and financial success", not "focus ''only'' on". A lot of villains forget that part.
* The communist-killing Nazi terrorists in ''Literature/{{Icebreaker}}'' could have been dealt with sooner if the KGB agent that was sent to investigate them hadn't been so ambitious. He allies himself with them, and plans to use the allegiance to lure Literature/JamesBond into a trap, so that with him captured and delivered to his peers, he could further his own career.
* ''Literature/InDeath'': This trope has occurred a number of times. ''Immortality in Death'' has Jake T. Casto, a cop who specializes in illegal drugs, make the fact that he wants to be promoted to captain very plain. Which would be fine, except that he is a DirtyCop who has dealt in drugs, money, and murder. ''Witness in Death'' has this one traffic cop try to snatch an operation to arrest a suspect out of Eve's hands and winds up getting Trueheart and maybe the suspect shot. Commander Whitney makes it clear that that cop will be punished heavily for that. ''Betrayal in Death'' has [=FBI=] Agent Jacoby use a murder committed by Sylvester Yost in an attempt to take over Eve's investigation, and he snatched Eve's operation to nab Yost out of her hands, causing Yost to run for it. Oh, and Jacoby got hit in the heart by Yost's syringe when he tried to arrest him later on. ''Treachery in Death'' reveals that Renee Obermann wants to be promoted to captain and eventually commander. Unfortunately, she is a DirtyCop dealing in drugs, money, and murder. Lieutenant Eve Dallas, on her part, has no interest in being promoted to captain.
* ''Literature/TheLegendOfDrizzt'': Totally inverted by Obould Many-Arrows. He starts out as a typical if somewhat smarter and stronger than average orc warlord. Unlike most orcs, he [[VisionaryVillain had a dream beyond simple slaughter and mayhem]]. Obould wanted to make a kingdom for his people, one that would be recognized by the rest of the world. Obould's ambition more or less forces the orcs to become more civilized.
* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. Ambition itself is not evil, but the [[ArtifactOfDoom One Ring]] will inevitably [[TheDarkSide twist any ambition or aspiration into an evil parody of its original form]].
** Well, it ''tries'' to. When The Ring tries to corrupt Samwise by exploiting his desire to be a gardener it shows him that he could turn all of Middle Earth into a garden for him to tend. Sam shrugs it off by noting he'd need an army of gardeners to handle that much work, and what would be the point of gardening if you didn't do it yourself?
** Indeed, this is why the One Ring is kept in the hands of hobbits. A ruler like Aragorn or Galadriel might have the ambition of restoring their kingdom into an immortal empire, and a wizard like Gandalf or Saruman might have the ambition of vanquishing evil across the world, desires that are so amazing in scale, so tempting, and so altruistic at first glance that they're hard to turn down and easy to corrupt. On the other hand, hobbits are so bucolic and easygoing that their big ambition is probably no more impressive than "I could use a bigger pantry", leaving the Ring nothing to work with.
** There's also Tom Bombadil who is so devoid of ambition that the ring has no effect whatsoever on him, not even its standard invisibility. He settled down into his ideal lifestyle thousands of years previous and he ain't changing now. This also made him useless as a ring-bearer or guardian, despite him being possibly the most powerful individual in the world; it's so meaningless to him that Gandalf thinks he'd just lose the damn thing and never think about it again.
* ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'':
** Kallor wants power, no matter what the price.
--->''"The High King is cursed to fail, but never to fall. The High King is but… what? Oh, the physical manifestation of ambition. Walking proof of its inevitable price. Fine. Fuck you, too."''
** Errastas, the Elder God of mischief, sees a chance to take advantage of K'rul's newly created magic in ''Literature/TheKharkanasTrilogy'' and he takes it, even if that means [[spoiler: killing off Hood's wife]] and screwing over [[spoiler: Draconus]] himself. Later, in the main series, he then makes [[spoiler: a bid for world domination]], all consequences be damned. The Errant doesn't do small goals.
* ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'': Bastian goes From Nobody to Nightmare all by the fulfillment of his own wishes; while there are some evil Fantasticans like Xayide who manipulate him, the fact is that he wished them into being in order to defeat them with the ultimate goal of being loved and feared by everyone. Bastian is the purest example of how a small, helpless yet good-natured little boy can slowly yet inevitably turn into a cruel, heartless little tyrant by gaining unlimited power.
* The main character in ''Literature/NightmareAlley'' (who is very much a VillainProtagonist) is a morally bankrupt and highly ambitious individual who will do absolutely anything to gain money and power, to the point where it's practically ''all'' he cares about. He is only brought down when he manages to cross paths with a woman who is even ''more'' ambitious and manipulative than he is.
-->''"I'm on the make. Nothing matters in this goddamned lunatic asylum of a world but dough. When you get that you're the boss. If you don't have it you're the end man on the daisy chain. I'm going to get it if I have to bust every bone in my head doing it. I'm going to milk it out of those chumps and take them for the gold in their teeth before I'm through."''
* ''Literature/ParadiseLost'': Milton's Satan said it best: "To reign is worth ambition though in hell;/ Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven."
* ''Literature/{{Patternist}}'': The BigBad of ''Patternmaster'' is a man who intends to inherit control of the titular global {{Psychic|Powers}} network and is willing to kill or mind-control anyone he sees as a contender... like his brother Teray, who explicitly ''doesn't'' want the Pattern. [[spoiler:Even the current Patternmaster, who murdered his way into the office and thinks it was entirely worthwhile, believes Teray to be a better candidate.]]
* Many of Creator/PGWodehouse's plots involve a happy, aimless man being pestered by an ambitious woman to improve himself. [[Literature/JeevesAndWooster Jeeves's]] first mission is to rescue Bertie from his fiancee Florence Craye, who is trying to boost him up in the brain department by making him read 'Types of Ethical Theory'. Later, it's his aunt Agatha who is always pressuring Bertie to get a job. Lord Emsworth has similar problems with his sister Constance.
** Also a partial subversion. Bertram Wooster (and his lack of ambition) isn't set up as a real role model. Really, mostly ambition is evil only when someone is trying to make Wooster evil. However, many of his friends have ambition.
* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] all over the place in A.L. Phillips's ''Literature/TheQuestOfTheUnaligned''. For starters, we have the contrast between Tonzimmiel (an extreme meritocracy where everyone is seeking their own advancement, even to the detriment of others) and Caederan (a traditional society where advancing beyond your birth station is next to impossible and attempting to do so is considered extremely evil). Oddly enough, neither society is presented as being exactly right or wrong, rather each is wrong where the other is right and right where the other is wrong. In addition, the arch-villain [[spoiler: became the villain by seeking to gain magic when he wasn't born with any, as the attempt to do so exposed him to TheDarkSide]]. But on the other hand, the [[spoiler: deuteragonist Laeshana wanted nearly the same thing, and she was granted WhiteMagic instead]]. Considering that this book was written by a student of sociology, this is not surprising.
* In ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'', Simon Heap's ambition to become [=ExtraOrdinary=] Apprentice causes his FaceHeelTurn at the beginning of ''Flyte'' since it was Septimus who got the job.
* A semi-sympathetic example in the backstory of the lawyer, Benjamin Arcinas of ''Literature/SmallerAndSmallerCircles''. He grew up in a poor family of nine children, hustled his way through law school, persevered enough to pass the bar after three tries, and slowly worked his way up the Philippine civil service. He isn't quite evil, however, but is more of a selfish, arrogant PunchClockVillain and ObstructiveBureaucrat. [[spoiler:At least, until [[HeelFaceTurn his change of heart.]]]]
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' features one borderline and one straight example. The minor character Bronn follows a RagsToRiches arc, starting as a lowborn mercenary who, though the strength of his sword arm and some calculated risks, rises to a noble's retainer, then a knight, and then a lord. He's ruthless, unscrupulous, and quick to sell out his employers when given a better offer, but so far doesn't seem to be actively malevolent. Petyr Baelish was born a minor lordling with only a stretch of rocky coast and a handful of peasants, but his knack with finance and his overpowering ambition transformed him into a wealthy power-player with a political vice-grip on the continent (do note though, that simple ambition [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend isn't his]] [[{{Yandere}} only motivation]]). Not only does he have a habit of murdering and betraying people left and right, [[ItsAllAboutMe his entirely self-serving scheming]] was one of the key factors that lead to the new civil war. Which, as far as we know, was intentional on his part, thus making him directly and indirectly responsible for most of the bad things that happened in the series, including about half of Westeros being devastated by said civil war and most likely facing famine in the near future.
** Tyrion comes to the conclusion that it's Littlefinger's limitless ambition that makes him one of the most dangerous men in the Royal Court, whilst everyone else thinks of him as pretty harmless. Varys makes a similar statement in the TV series.
** [[ThePatriarch Tywin Lannister]] is a form of this. Tywin helped rule as Hand of the King for twenty years to [[TheCaligula King Aerys]], and his time as Hand of the King is widely regarded as peaceful and prosperous. But when Aerys named Tywin's eldest son and heir to the Kingsguard, making him ineligible to inherit Casterly Rock, Tywin resigned, and eventually turned on Aerys. His forces sacked King's Landing, while Cersei ended up married to Robert Baratheon. Tywin's driving ambition, as stated in both the books and TV series, is "legacy" -- he speaks of establishing a dynasty that lasts a thousand years and does some very ruthless things to accomplish his goals.
** Averted when it comes to Daenerys: her driving motivation is to seize the throne she believes is rightfully hers, and side-effects of some of her actions in service to this ambition include death and suffering, but [[CrapsackWorld no more so than many other characters' actions,]] and she's one of the better people in the setting.
* ''Literature/StarTrekTheEugenicsWars'': One of the main causes of the Eugenics Wars was that super ability breeds superior ambition. Even the scientists who created them were seen as guilty of this, willing to not only create a new breed of humanity but [[spoiler: create a strain of strep-A that would kill everyone else in the world to make way for their superhumans]].
* Morgan Sloat in ''Literature/TheTalisman'' is differentiated from his friends and partners by his ambition.
* ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}'': The protagonist has this opinion of [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]], considering him a supremely talented man who squanders his gifts on personal ambition and conquest rather than use them in service to his country. In the end, [[spoiler:Napoleon's wife betrays him, having realized that he'll never stop trying to claim more land and simply rule his empire]].
* In ''Literature/TheThinRedLine'' the amoral Dale is motivated by his desire to become a sergeant (this aspect of his character is absent from the 1998 film).
* In ''Literature/TheThornBirds'', Father Ralph deBricassart befriends wealthy widow Mary Carson even though he dislikes her in the hopes that her wealth and influence can help advance his career. When she dies, she does make a huge donation on his behalf and even though by now he's fallen in love with Meggie Cleary, the prospect of advancement is too tempting for him and he leaves her -- and continues to leave her in order to continue rising in the ranks of the church. By the end of the book, he admits that deep down, he always knew that he was the father of Meggie's son Dane, but taunts himself by referring to himself as "Cardinal deBricassart", because he is also forced to admit that rising in the church ranks was more important to him than being with the woman he loved and building a life with her.
* In ''Literature/VampireAcademy'', [[spoiler:Victor Dashkov intends to take the throne. He doesn't care who he hurts in the process, having no problem torturing his "niece" Lissa mentally and physically]].
* ''Literature/WarriorCats'' takes great care to mention "[[BigBad Tigerstar's]] ambition" everywhere it can. Every villain so far has been ambitious (except [[spoiler:Ashfur]]). Brambleclaw is ambitious too, but he was able to mostly ignore TheDarkSide.
** Subverted in Bluestar's Prophecy when Bluestar is chosen as deputy. Sunstar mentions that she is ambitious, but only because she wants to serve her clan.
* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', Elaida isn't outright evil in the first place (though definitely [[GoodIsNotNice not nice]]), but her ambition ([[spoiler: and a bit of help from the [[EvilWitch Black Ajah]]]]) cause her to screw up everything and go well inside evil territory to keep her power. Also, ambition is the reason [[spoiler: Sheriam, and possibly many others, joined the Black Ajah]].
* This is the aesop of Grace Lin's ''Where the Mountain Meets the Moon''. Minli's mother is only able to be happy once she learns to be content with her impoverished, isolated life, and the fortunes of Minli's family only improve after she gives up on trying to make them better...
* All Tom Weathers, from the ''Literature/WildCards'' series, really wants to do is use his [[SuperpowerLottery immense power]] to make the world a better place. Using his ''personal'' definition of "better", of course: a purely Communist state run along traditional lines... including thought police and the elimination of dissidents. As he puts it, "You can't make an omellette without breaking some eggs", and if the "eggs" in question just happen to be a village full of innocent men, women, and children, all of whom must be killed by their own government so that they can blame another country and start a war, then so be it.
* Creator/JohnSteinbeck's ''Winter of Our Discontent'' has a main character from a formerly wealthy family who goes to extreme lengths to reclaim his former wealth and status.
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* The ''Literature/AgeOfFire'' series:
** The Copper isn't [[AntiVillain evil per se]], but is by far the most morally ambiguous character in the series, is driven by a desire to prove himself ([[FreudianExcuse due to being cast out by his own family]]), and after becoming Tyr sets in motion plans to establish draconic dominance of the world.
** Pretty much every villain in the series is driven by ambition: the Wrymmaster wants to TakeOverTheWorld and [[FinalSolution wipe out all non-humans]]; Thane Hammar and King Fangbreaker want to carve out empires for themselves; almost all the members of the Lavadome Imperial Line are political schemers who'll backstab anyone for power; the Red Queen seems to want to TakeOverTheWorld for its own sake; and [[spoiler: Rayg]] wants to [[ImmortalitySeeker extend his life]] long enough to unlock the secrets of the Lavadome, and is willing to decimate and enslave dragonkind to do it.
* Black Hat Otokoto in ''Literature/AkataWitch'' went very, very wrong because he aspired for material wealth.
* Zigzagged in ''Literature/AllTomorrows'', which doesn't profess ambition as a whole as evil but more specifically [[VisionaryVillain living for abstract goals about the future and grand narratives about the past]], rather than enjoying the present, often being responsible for atrocities.
* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' this is used to foreshadow SixthRangerTraitor David's turn to the dark side.
* The title character in the ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' series is motivated almost entirely by monetary gain in the first book, but as he makes the [[HeelFaceTurn transition]] from AntiVillain to a more conventional protagonist over the course of the series. Then his interest in wealth takes a back seat to concerns about his family, [[TrueCompanions friends]], and preventing TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
* Inverted in ''Literature/AtlasShrugged'', where ambition is pretty much what makes the heroes good. But also played straight! James Taggart, Wesley Mouch, Dr. Robert Stradler and others are descend to horrific levels of evil (e.g. letting an entire trainload of people die simply to avoid being blamed for delaying said train) due to ambition. The difference is Dagny, Reardon, Galt, etc. can actually do the jobs they have ambitions to hold.
* Played straight in the ''Literature/BelisariusSeries'' with Narses, who is an AntiVillain obsessed with ambition for power and even more, ambition to prove himself the best [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] of them all. Downplayed with Theodora and Justinian, whose ambition does not make them evil but does make them proud, curmudgeonly, and sometimes paranoid.
* OlderThanFeudalism; In the 1st-century Latin epic ''Literature/TheThebaid'', Eteocles and Polynices renounce their father, kill each other and destroy huge swaths of their home in their attempts to take the throne of Thebes. Thebes isn't even a rich, beautiful, or even decent city, so their hatred for each other is based on nothing more than a desire for control.
* Ebenezer Scrooge, in ''Literature/AChristmasCarol''. He became, well, TheScrooge after allowing himself to be consumed with ambition and greed. At one point his younger self even lampshades the trope, and what he sees as its unfairness:
-->"This is the even-handed dealing of the world. There is nothing on which it is so hard as poverty; and there is nothing it professes to condemn with such severity as the pursuit of wealth!"
* This is a recurring theme in Creator/AgathaChristie's mystery novels. One of her favorite types of villain (and/or victim) was a character from humble origins who had clawed his or her way to the top.
* In ''Literature/CodexAlera'' [[GreenEyedMonster Invidia]] Aquitaine is born to a mid-rank Citizen family. Despite her power and proficiency in magic use, as a woman she can never attain true political power. So, she settled on being the First Lady of Alera, wife of the First Lord. When her first arranged marriage fails, she moves on to Attis Aquitaine, a powerful High Lord, and his plans to take over the country in a coup and become First Lord himself. After some complications, she moves onto [[spoiler:sides with the Vord, a Zerg-like force bent on the total eradication of all non-Vord life. In exchange for her help, she will be given domain over the Alerans who have surrendered to the Vord for safe keeping]].
* Creator/RobertEHoward's ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'':
** In the story "Literature/AWitchShallBeBorn", Salome rejected the study of [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow things man wasn't meant to know]] for using BlackMagic for power.
--->''"He said I was but an earthly sprite, knowing naught of the deeper gulfs of cosmic sorcery. Well, this world contains all I desire--power, and pomp, and glittering pageantry, handsome men and soft women for my paramours and my slaves.''
** In both ''The Hour of the Dragon'' and "The Phoenix on the Sword", more than one conspirator wanted the throne. (At least two wanted the same throne, which gets awkward.)
* In ''Literature/TheCrownerJohnMysteries'', the FatalFlaw of Sir Richard de Revelle, the Sheriff of Devon, is overweening ambition. His belief that he is entitled to (and destined for) greater things leads him to join rebellions against King Richard, only to have to hurriedly backpedal (and find some way to cover his tracks) when the rebellions fail.
* ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'':
** Many of the heretics are obsessed with their unfulfilled worldly ambitions and tortured by how ignorant they are of their Earthly legacy.
** While some driven by ambition end up in Heaven, they are relegated to the second-lowest sphere because their ambition hindered their relationship with God. Among others, Dante meets [[UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire Emperor Justinian I]] here.
* Notably inverted in the philosophy of the [[ChurchMilitant Derethi]] religion of ''Literature/{{Elantris}}'', which holds that ambition is a ''virtue'', at least so long as one doesn't put one's personal ambitions ahead of the goals of the Derethi church. The rest of the world would likely see this trope as played straight, however, considering the general [[ReligionOfEvil reputation]] of the Derethi.
* Ambition is personified in ''Literature/TheFaerieQueene'' Book II as the queen of the nether-world. She helps men grow in power and wealth by leading them to tear down their fellows. Despite her beauty and status, our hero Sir Guyon refuses to take her hand in marriage because everything good in her has been ruined by her rivalry and envy with others who strive for greatness.
* The major recurring theme of Creator/KenFollett's books, like ''Literature/ThePillarsOfTheEarth'' and ''Literature/WorldWithoutEnd'', is that people will put their own ambitions over what is morally right and what is best for everyone. All of the villains are consumed by the desire to rise above their current station and will do horrible things in the attempt. Further, the morally ambivalent characters will repeatedly make decisions based solely on what is best for their advancement. Even the heroes are sometimes accused of being too arrogant or ambitious, though unlike others they do so in the pursuit of more noble goals.
* ''Literature/GodsOfJadeAndShadow'': The PhysicalGod Vucub-Kamé [[CainAndAbel mutilated]] and [[TheUsurper usurped]] his older brother Hun-Kamé as supreme ruler of TheUnderworld in order to usher in a new era of [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly mortal worship]] and widespread HumanSacrifice in his name.
-->'''Hun-Kamé:''' He desires power, more power than he's ever tasted, more than we were ever meant to have. Incense is not enough for him. He'll burn the land, the forests, swallow the smoke that rises from it.
* [[BigBad Caine Soren]] from ''Literature/{{GONE}}'' is so ambitiously evil it borders sociopathic.
-->'''Caine:''' Drake is a sick creep. I'm...ambitious.\\
'''Diana:''' That's one way of putting it. Power-hungry. Domineering. A bully.
* The "darkest" of the four houses in ''Literature/HarryPotter'', Slytherin, has ambition and cunning as its main valued qualities. WordOfGod has consistently gone out to point out that Slytherin is not just the "evil house", but it falls a little flat when for the first 5 books everyone who is or was part of Slytherin is a bully, jerk, or outright villain. Apparently Merlin studied there, and the sixth book has Slughorn who's alright, so it's entirely possible to go through Slytherin and end up fine, but most, if not all, evil wizards studied there. Basically ambition is not a guarantee of villainy, but it is a prerequisite for it.
** In Chapter 17 of Sorcerer's Stone, we get a character's ambition mentioned ''in the same breath'' as his hatred and greed.
** Also, Percy's ambition and devotion to the Ministry (despite being a Gryffindor) set him at odds with the rest of his family.
** As revealed in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows,'' this could be how Dumbledore viewed himself. In his youth, he worked with another wizard to find artifacts of great power, ostensibly to help his family but as much for himself. It took a tragedy to bring him back to earth, and ever since he kept himself away from positions of power such as Minister for Magic.
** By the end of the series, it becomes clear, through secondary characters, that good and evil exist in all houses. It's just that ambition is a trait that can lead to villainy if not properly handled and limited, which explains why many shady individuals hail from Slytherin. Also visionary criminals are more likely to become famous rather than petty and insignificant ones.
* Averted several times in the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' novels. The titular character herself spends much of the first book being ambitious about future rank. ''Storm from the Shadows'' plays it straight in regards to most Solarian League Naval personnel, with Battle Fleet having centuries of naval service in each family with characters with ambition to be like their last 10 forefathers and be important Battle fleet Admirals. Because of their ambition and pride, they also get the IdiotBall and see nothing wrong with having had no major battles in 300 years nor a tiny R&D budget with no major upgrades in the last century.
** Several other major characters also resent this trope. Honor fights several times what she feels is favorable treatment to suit her ambition. Her rank is usually thrust upon her after arguing she not only deserves it but is obligated to take it to better serve TheEmpire.
** Luis Roszak is sort of a borderline case; he's generally presented as a positive character, but it's clear that he can be absolutely ruthless in the service of his ambition.
** Turns out the Solarian League assumes everyone else has their same ambitions but just isn't capable because they aren't the Solarian League. This leads to rather poor military intelligence estimates, and once reality hits that people are capable of hurting them, their assumption of ambition means they are going to have to do horrible things to put people in their place...
* Oh so very many villains, and characters who may not be overtly villainous but certainly do a lot for Horus' cause, in the ''Literature/HorusHeresy'' novels are guided by ambition in one form or another; these range from the vox officer on the ''Eisenstein'' (who wants to command his own ship one day and betrays them to Typhon), to Horus himself.
* Subverted in Robert Asprin's ''Literature/MythAdventures''. The characters frequently use their FunctionalMagic to make money and usually each book ends with them even richer than when they started.
** In ''Class Dis-mythed'', a secondary character directly argues (in an impromptu lecture) that the most effective way to help others is to focus first on one's own personal security and financial success. While overlooking the obvious rebuttals, this isn't presented as a strawman argument, and quite possibly represents the author's current views. The important thing to remember is that it says "focus ''first'' on your own personal security and financial success", not "focus ''only'' on". A lot of villains forget that part.
* The communist-killing Nazi terrorists in ''Literature/{{Icebreaker}}'' could have been dealt with sooner if the KGB agent that was sent to investigate them hadn't been so ambitious. He allies himself with them, and plans to use the allegiance to lure Literature/JamesBond into a trap, so that with him captured and delivered to his peers, he could further his own career.
* ''Literature/InDeath'': This trope has occurred a number of times. ''Immortality in Death'' has Jake T. Casto, a cop who specializes in illegal drugs, make the fact that he wants to be promoted to captain very plain. Which would be fine, except that he is a DirtyCop who has dealt in drugs, money, and murder. ''Witness in Death'' has this one traffic cop try to snatch an operation to arrest a suspect out of Eve's hands and winds up getting Trueheart and maybe the suspect shot. Commander Whitney makes it clear that that cop will be punished heavily for that. ''Betrayal in Death'' has [=FBI=] Agent Jacoby use a murder committed by Sylvester Yost in an attempt to take over Eve's investigation, and he snatched Eve's operation to nab Yost out of her hands, causing Yost to run for it. Oh, and Jacoby got hit in the heart by Yost's syringe when he tried to arrest him later on. ''Treachery in Death'' reveals that Renee Obermann wants to be promoted to captain and eventually commander. Unfortunately, she is a DirtyCop dealing in drugs, money, and murder. Lieutenant Eve Dallas, on her part, has no interest in being promoted to captain.
* ''Literature/TheLegendOfDrizzt'': Totally inverted by Obould Many-Arrows. He starts out as a typical if somewhat smarter and stronger than average orc warlord. Unlike most orcs, he [[VisionaryVillain had a dream beyond simple slaughter and mayhem]]. Obould wanted to make a kingdom for his people, one that would be recognized by the rest of the world. Obould's ambition more or less forces the orcs to become more civilized.
* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. Ambition itself is not evil, but the [[ArtifactOfDoom One Ring]] will inevitably [[TheDarkSide twist any ambition or aspiration into an evil parody of its original form]].
** Well, it ''tries'' to. When The Ring tries to corrupt Samwise by exploiting his desire to be a gardener it shows him that he could turn all of Middle Earth into a garden for him to tend. Sam shrugs it off by noting he'd need an army of gardeners to handle that much work, and what would be the point of gardening if you didn't do it yourself?
** Indeed, this is why the One Ring is kept in the hands of hobbits. A ruler like Aragorn or Galadriel might have the ambition of restoring their kingdom into an immortal empire, and a wizard like Gandalf or Saruman might have the ambition of vanquishing evil across the world, desires that are so amazing in scale, so tempting, and so altruistic at first glance that they're hard to turn down and easy to corrupt. On the other hand, hobbits are so bucolic and easygoing that their big ambition is probably no more impressive than "I could use a bigger pantry", leaving the Ring nothing to work with.
** There's also Tom Bombadil who is so devoid of ambition that the ring has no effect whatsoever on him, not even its standard invisibility. He settled down into his ideal lifestyle thousands of years previous and he ain't changing now. This also made him useless as a ring-bearer or guardian, despite him being possibly the most powerful individual in the world; it's so meaningless to him that Gandalf thinks he'd just lose the damn thing and never think about it again.
* ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'':
** Kallor wants power, no matter what the price.
--->''"The High King is cursed to fail, but never to fall. The High King is but… what? Oh, the physical manifestation of ambition. Walking proof of its inevitable price. Fine. Fuck you, too."''
** Errastas, the Elder God of mischief, sees a chance to take advantage of K'rul's newly created magic in ''Literature/TheKharkanasTrilogy'' and he takes it, even if that means [[spoiler: killing off Hood's wife]] and screwing over [[spoiler: Draconus]] himself. Later, in the main series, he then makes [[spoiler: a bid for world domination]], all consequences be damned. The Errant doesn't do small goals.
* ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'': Bastian goes From Nobody to Nightmare all by the fulfillment of his own wishes; while there are some evil Fantasticans like Xayide who manipulate him, the fact is that he wished them into being in order to defeat them with the ultimate goal of being loved and feared by everyone. Bastian is the purest example of how a small, helpless yet good-natured little boy can slowly yet inevitably turn into a cruel, heartless little tyrant by gaining unlimited power.
* The main character in ''Literature/NightmareAlley'' (who is very much a VillainProtagonist) is a morally bankrupt and highly ambitious individual who will do absolutely anything to gain money and power, to the point where it's practically ''all'' he cares about. He is only brought down when he manages to cross paths with a woman who is even ''more'' ambitious and manipulative than he is.
-->''"I'm on the make. Nothing matters in this goddamned lunatic asylum of a world but dough. When you get that you're the boss. If you don't have it you're the end man on the daisy chain. I'm going to get it if I have to bust every bone in my head doing it. I'm going to milk it out of those chumps and take them for the gold in their teeth before I'm through."''
* ''Literature/ParadiseLost'': Milton's Satan said it best: "To reign is worth ambition though in hell;/ Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven."
* ''Literature/{{Patternist}}'': The BigBad of ''Patternmaster'' is a man who intends to inherit control of the titular global {{Psychic|Powers}} network and is willing to kill or mind-control anyone he sees as a contender... like his brother Teray, who explicitly ''doesn't'' want the Pattern. [[spoiler:Even the current Patternmaster, who murdered his way into the office and thinks it was entirely worthwhile, believes Teray to be a better candidate.]]
* Many of Creator/PGWodehouse's plots involve a happy, aimless man being pestered by an ambitious woman to improve himself. [[Literature/JeevesAndWooster Jeeves's]] first mission is to rescue Bertie from his fiancee Florence Craye, who is trying to boost him up in the brain department by making him read 'Types of Ethical Theory'. Later, it's his aunt Agatha who is always pressuring Bertie to get a job. Lord Emsworth has similar problems with his sister Constance.
** Also a partial subversion. Bertram Wooster (and his lack of ambition) isn't set up as a real role model. Really, mostly ambition is evil only when someone is trying to make Wooster evil. However, many of his friends have ambition.
* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] all over the place in A.L. Phillips's ''Literature/TheQuestOfTheUnaligned''. For starters, we have the contrast between Tonzimmiel (an extreme meritocracy where everyone is seeking their own advancement, even to the detriment of others) and Caederan (a traditional society where advancing beyond your birth station is next to impossible and attempting to do so is considered extremely evil). Oddly enough, neither society is presented as being exactly right or wrong, rather each is wrong where the other is right and right where the other is wrong. In addition, the arch-villain [[spoiler: became the villain by seeking to gain magic when he wasn't born with any, as the attempt to do so exposed him to TheDarkSide]]. But on the other hand, the [[spoiler: deuteragonist Laeshana wanted nearly the same thing, and she was granted WhiteMagic instead]]. Considering that this book was written by a student of sociology, this is not surprising.
* In ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'', Simon Heap's ambition to become [=ExtraOrdinary=] Apprentice causes his FaceHeelTurn at the beginning of ''Flyte'' since it was Septimus who got the job.
* A semi-sympathetic example in the backstory of the lawyer, Benjamin Arcinas of ''Literature/SmallerAndSmallerCircles''. He grew up in a poor family of nine children, hustled his way through law school, persevered enough to pass the bar after three tries, and slowly worked his way up the Philippine civil service. He isn't quite evil, however, but is more of a selfish, arrogant PunchClockVillain and ObstructiveBureaucrat. [[spoiler:At least, until [[HeelFaceTurn his change of heart.]]]]
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' features one borderline and one straight example. The minor character Bronn follows a RagsToRiches arc, starting as a lowborn mercenary who, though the strength of his sword arm and some calculated risks, rises to a noble's retainer, then a knight, and then a lord. He's ruthless, unscrupulous, and quick to sell out his employers when given a better offer, but so far doesn't seem to be actively malevolent. Petyr Baelish was born a minor lordling with only a stretch of rocky coast and a handful of peasants, but his knack with finance and his overpowering ambition transformed him into a wealthy power-player with a political vice-grip on the continent (do note though, that simple ambition [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend isn't his]] [[{{Yandere}} only motivation]]). Not only does he have a habit of murdering and betraying people left and right, [[ItsAllAboutMe his entirely self-serving scheming]] was one of the key factors that lead to the new civil war. Which, as far as we know, was intentional on his part, thus making him directly and indirectly responsible for most of the bad things that happened in the series, including about half of Westeros being devastated by said civil war and most likely facing famine in the near future.
** Tyrion comes to the conclusion that it's Littlefinger's limitless ambition that makes him one of the most dangerous men in the Royal Court, whilst everyone else thinks of him as pretty harmless. Varys makes a similar statement in the TV series.
** [[ThePatriarch Tywin Lannister]] is a form of this. Tywin helped rule as Hand of the King for twenty years to [[TheCaligula King Aerys]], and his time as Hand of the King is widely regarded as peaceful and prosperous. But when Aerys named Tywin's eldest son and heir to the Kingsguard, making him ineligible to inherit Casterly Rock, Tywin resigned, and eventually turned on Aerys. His forces sacked King's Landing, while Cersei ended up married to Robert Baratheon. Tywin's driving ambition, as stated in both the books and TV series, is "legacy" -- he speaks of establishing a dynasty that lasts a thousand years and does some very ruthless things to accomplish his goals.
** Averted when it comes to Daenerys: her driving motivation is to seize the throne she believes is rightfully hers, and side-effects of some of her actions in service to this ambition include death and suffering, but [[CrapsackWorld no more so than many other characters' actions,]] and she's one of the better people in the setting.
* ''Literature/StarTrekTheEugenicsWars'': One of the main causes of the Eugenics Wars was that super ability breeds superior ambition. Even the scientists who created them were seen as guilty of this, willing to not only create a new breed of humanity but [[spoiler: create a strain of strep-A that would kill everyone else in the world to make way for their superhumans]].
* Morgan Sloat in ''Literature/TheTalisman'' is differentiated from his friends and partners by his ambition.
* ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}'': The protagonist has this opinion of [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]], considering him a supremely talented man who squanders his gifts on personal ambition and conquest rather than use them in service to his country. In the end, [[spoiler:Napoleon's wife betrays him, having realized that he'll never stop trying to claim more land and simply rule his empire]].
* In ''Literature/TheThinRedLine'' the amoral Dale is motivated by his desire to become a sergeant (this aspect of his character is absent from the 1998 film).
* In ''Literature/TheThornBirds'', Father Ralph deBricassart befriends wealthy widow Mary Carson even though he dislikes her in the hopes that her wealth and influence can help advance his career. When she dies, she does make a huge donation on his behalf and even though by now he's fallen in love with Meggie Cleary, the prospect of advancement is too tempting for him and he leaves her -- and continues to leave her in order to continue rising in the ranks of the church. By the end of the book, he admits that deep down, he always knew that he was the father of Meggie's son Dane, but taunts himself by referring to himself as "Cardinal deBricassart", because he is also forced to admit that rising in the church ranks was more important to him than being with the woman he loved and building a life with her.
* In ''Literature/VampireAcademy'', [[spoiler:Victor Dashkov intends to take the throne. He doesn't care who he hurts in the process, having no problem torturing his "niece" Lissa mentally and physically]].
* ''Literature/WarriorCats'' takes great care to mention "[[BigBad Tigerstar's]] ambition" everywhere it can. Every villain so far has been ambitious (except [[spoiler:Ashfur]]). Brambleclaw is ambitious too, but he was able to mostly ignore TheDarkSide.
** Subverted in Bluestar's Prophecy when Bluestar is chosen as deputy. Sunstar mentions that she is ambitious, but only because she wants to serve her clan.
* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', Elaida isn't outright evil in the first place (though definitely [[GoodIsNotNice not nice]]), but her ambition ([[spoiler: and a bit of help from the [[EvilWitch Black Ajah]]]]) cause her to screw up everything and go well inside evil territory to keep her power. Also, ambition is the reason [[spoiler: Sheriam, and possibly many others, joined the Black Ajah]].
* This is the aesop of Grace Lin's ''Where the Mountain Meets the Moon''. Minli's mother is only able to be happy once she learns to be content with her impoverished, isolated life, and the fortunes of Minli's family only improve after she gives up on trying to make them better...
* All Tom Weathers, from the ''Literature/WildCards'' series, really wants to do is use his [[SuperpowerLottery immense power]] to make the world a better place. Using his ''personal'' definition of "better", of course: a purely Communist state run along traditional lines... including thought police and the elimination of dissidents. As he puts it, "You can't make an omellette without breaking some eggs", and if the "eggs" in question just happen to be a village full of innocent men, women, and children, all of whom must be killed by their own government so that they can blame another country and start a war, then so be it.
* Creator/JohnSteinbeck's ''Winter of Our Discontent'' has a main character from a formerly wealthy family who goes to extreme lengths to reclaim his former wealth and status.
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