Original artwork, not a still
Lectures on the English Poets · 1818
The love of fame, as it enters at times into his mind, is only another name for the love of excellence; or it is the ambition to attain the highest excellence, sanctioned by the highest authority — that of time.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The speaker argues that a person's desire for fame can really be a longing for excellence. Seen this way, ambition aims at the highest achievement, and the ultimate judge is time, whose approval outlasts flattery. Fame becomes a mark of lasting worth rather than vanity.
Context reviewed
