The Adventures of Augie March Ambition Quotes

Grandma Lausch teaches Augie and Simon that they won't succeed in life unless they really want to succeed. She'd make a good motivational speaker. Or a lifestyle blogger.

Having tried to spark Augie's ambition by appealing to what he could accomplish, Grandma Lausch now appeals to his pride and shame. Augie's not one for dependency on others, so this approach is wise on her part.

Despite his paralysis, or perhaps because of it, Einhorn strives to accomplish all that he can. Like Drake, he doesn't set limits on himself—not in terms of his ambitions. He started from the bottom, now he's here.

Einhorn, a lustful man himself, criticizes Simon for being ambitious about the wrong thing, making romance too high a priority. The important word in Einhorn's statement is "too."

Manny Padilla's offhand remark stays with Augie and becomes something of a principle of his choices and behavior. It's probably not the principle of an ambitious individual, though it does sound like it could be part of a rap or something.

Have you realized yet that Augie is one contradictory dude? He seeks a triumphant life, but purposefully avoids challenges over which he could be triumphant. Maybe if he had a debate with himself, he'd have realized his own inconsistencies.

Do you have any hope that Augie will someday find this "special business" of his—something he can commit to and sacrifice for? He later speaks of settling down, but by the end of the novel he's no closer to it than he is here.

Say what you want about Thea's ambitions regarding the eagle, at least she has an ambition. Augie's just along for the ride—Thea is driving. Hmm. Perhaps Augie's ambition is just to be along for the ride as well.

Augie is finally thinking about what he wants. Will it be enough? We're not sure. He's still vague. He outlines what he doesn't want—to be any model of manhood, whatever that means—but what this something his own is Augie hasn't worked out.