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I don't understand how dream differs from ambition in the following quote:

I don't feel like summing up my ambition as just a dream, but I do have an ambition. The ambition to restore my clan and to kill a certain man without fail.

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    Micheal, if you don't want this question closed, I'd suggest that you make an edit, and add the definitions of dream and ambition (paste them from an online dictionary, just so we all know that you've at least looked them up), and then explain a little more about why you're still confused, and having trouble differentiating them.
    – J.R.
    Oct 24, 2012 at 19:43
  • I agree with J.R. Also, any distinction between the two should address "I have a dream.." MLK, which he did not "idly pursue."
    – ab2
    Sep 5, 2015 at 17:33

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Ambition usually refers to somebody having a desire — a much stronger feeling than a dream. A dream is something that we can idly pursue, without taking any steps to achieve it.

  • I have the ambition to become a doctor.
  • I have a dream that one day all people will have enough to eat.
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  • In fact, the usual phrasing is "My ambition is to...", which makes the difference especially apparent.
    – Marthaª
    Oct 24, 2012 at 20:59

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