A Case Study in Ruthless Ambition

For a picture of ruthless ambition, you could look no further than Richard Owen, the gifted scientist who coined the term dinosaur in 1841. Owen wrote ...

Empty Success

Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.

"A Christmas Story": Disappointment

In A Christmas Story, young Ralphie wants a Red Ryder BB gun, but his parents' only response is, "You'll shoot your eye out!" All the ...

"Emperor's Club": Ambition Without Contribution Is Insignificant

In the movie Emperor's Club Kevin Cline portrays an instructor of Western civilization in a prestigious private school. It is the first day of class, ...

"The Two Towers": Desire to Live Courageously

In the film Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Sauron's dark forces begin to overcome peaceful Middle Earth. The hope for Middle Earth lies in the ...

Brad Pitt on the American Dream

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, celebrity Brad Pitt reflected on his lead role in the movie Fight Club, which is about a man who has the ...

"Superman": Destiny

In one scene of the movie Superman, Clark Kent is upset after a football game in which he was reduced to being a manager. He possesses supernatural powers ...

Frank Sinatra's Insecurity

Frank Sinatra's daughter, Tina Sinatra, recalls her father's unceasing drive to succeed and make money, even when his health was at risk:

His health ...

The Giver's Big Hands

A young boy went to the local store with his mother. The shop owner, a kindly man, passed him a large jar of suckers and invited him to help himself to ...

"Mr. Holland's Opus": Leaving a Legacy

Mr. Holland's Opus is a movie about a frustrated composer in Portland, Oregon, who takes a job as a high school band teacher in the 1960s. Although ...