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Vision vs. Ambition: What's the Difference?

Edited by Sumera Saeed || By Sawaira Riaz || Updated on September 27, 2023
Vision is the ability to think about the future with imagination or wisdom, while ambition is a strong desire to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.

Key Differences

Vision pertains to one’s ability to conceptualize future plans or goals with imagination, insight, or wisdom. It involves creating a mental picture of what one hopes to achieve or where one sees themselves in the future. In contrast, ambition is the eager or strong desire to achieve something, such as a specific goal or a certain status. It’s the driving force that propels individuals to pursue their goals with determination and diligence. These concepts are interrelated; vision helps in defining the pathway, and ambition acts as the fuel driving individuals toward their envisioned future.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
Vision is inherently imaginative and forward-looking, requiring an individual to think beyond the present and existing circumstances. It is more about having a perspective or foreseeing what can be achieved in the long run. On the other hand, ambition is more about the passion, the yearning to achieve and the willingness to strive hard to reach goals. It does not necessarily entail having a broader perspective of the future but is more concerned with the achievement of specific objectives, and it manifests in the relentless pursuit of those goals.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
The concept of vision can also relate to one’s ability to perceive, think about, or plan the future with clarity and wisdom. It is not bound by the constraints of what currently exists and allows one to imagine possibilities that are not immediately apparent. Conversely, ambition is about having the motivation and the resolve to work toward one’s goals. It is often associated with a sense of purpose and a willingness to overcome obstacles and challenges in the pursuit of one’s objectives. It’s the driving force that moves one to action to fulfill their vision.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
In summary, vision and ambition are integral components in the pursuit of goals. Vision is the foresight or projection of what one aims to achieve in the future, the ability to see beyond the present and imagine what could be. Ambition, conversely, is the earnest desire and determination to achieve goals, the motivating force that drives individuals to overcome challenges and attain their dreams. While vision lays out the roadmap for the future, ambition fuels the journey towards realizing that envisioned future.
Harlon Moss
Sep 27, 2023

Comparison Chart

Definition

Conceptualization of future plans or goals
Eager or strong desire to achieve something
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
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Nature

Imaginative, Forward-looking
Determined, Passionate
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023

Focus

Long-term perspective, Future possibilities
Achievement of specific goals
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023

Role

Provides direction, clarity
Acts as the driving force, motivator
Aimie Carlson
Sep 27, 2023

Dependency

Can exist without ambition
Often requires a vision to be directed properly
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023

Vision and Ambition Definitions

Vision

The faculty or state of being able to see.
The patient’s vision improved after the surgery.
Janet White
Sep 27, 2023
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Ambition

The desire for personal advancement or preferment.
His ambition motivated him to work late hours.
Harlon Moss
Sep 27, 2023

Vision

The mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case.
The architect had a vision of creating an eco-friendly building.
Harlon Moss
Sep 27, 2023

Ambition

A strong desire to do or achieve something.
Her ambition led her to start her own business.
Aimie Carlson
Sep 27, 2023

Vision

A clear concept or idea.
The entrepreneur had a vision of making the technology accessible to everyone.
Sara Rehman
Sep 27, 2023

Ambition

The desire to be successful, wealthy, or powerful.
Driven by ambition, she sought to gain influence in the political arena.
Janet White
Sep 27, 2023
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Vision

The faculty of sight; eyesight
Poor vision.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

An earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction and the willingness to strive for it.
His ambition to become a doctor was driven by a desire to help others.
Harlon Moss
Sep 27, 2023

Vision

Something that is or has been seen.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

A goal or objective desired.
Becoming a published author was her greatest ambition.
Aimie Carlson
Sep 27, 2023

Vision

Unusual competence in discernment or perception; intelligent foresight
A leader of vision.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

An eager or strong desire to achieve something, such as fame or power.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

The manner in which one sees or conceives of something.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

The object or goal desired
Her ambition is the presidency.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

A mental image produced by the imagination.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

Desire for exertion or activity; energy
Had no ambition to go dancing.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

The mystical experience of seeing something that is not in fact present to the eye or is supernatural.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

Eager or inordinate desire for some object that confers distinction, as preferment, honor, superiority, political power, or fame; desire to distinguish one's self from other people.
My son, John, wants to be a firefighter very much. He has a lot of ambition.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

A person or thing of extraordinary beauty.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

(countable) An object of an ardent desire.
My ambition is to own a helicopter.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

To see in a vision.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

A desire, as in (sense 1), for another person to achieve these things.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

To picture in the mind; envision.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

(uncountable) A personal quality similar to motivation, not necessarily tied to a single goal.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

(uncountable) The sense or ability of sight.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

(obsolete) The act of going about to solicit or obtain an office, or any other object of desire; canvassing.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

(countable) Something seen; an object perceived visually.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

To seek after ambitiously or eagerly; to covet.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

(countable) Something imaginary one thinks one sees.
He tried drinking from the pool of water, but realized it was only a vision.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

The act of going about to solicit or obtain an office, or any other object of desire; canvassing.
[I] used no ambition to commend my deeds.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

Something unreal or imaginary; a creation of fancy.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

An eager, and sometimes an inordinate, desire for preferment, honor, superiority, power, or the attainment of something.
Cromwell, I charge thee, fling a way ambition:By that sin fell the angels.
The pitiful ambition of possessing five or six thousand more acres.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

(countable) An ideal or a goal toward which one aspires.
He worked tirelessly toward his vision of world peace.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

To seek after ambitiously or eagerly; to covet.
Pausanias, ambitioning the sovereignty of Greece, bargains with Xerxes for his daughter in marriage.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

(countable) A religious or mystical experience of a supernatural appearance.
He had a vision of the Virgin Mary.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

A cherished desire;
His ambition is to own his own business
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

(countable) A person or thing of extraordinary beauty.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

A strong drive for success
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

(uncountable) Pre-recorded film or tape; footage.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Ambition

Have as one's ambition
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

(transitive) To imagine something as if it were to be true.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

(transitive) To present as in a vision.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

(transitive) To provide with a vision. en
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

The act of seeing external objects; actual sight.
Faith here is turned into vision there.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

The faculty of seeing; sight; one of the five senses, by which colors and the physical qualities of external objects are appreciated as a result of the stimulating action of light on the sensitive retina, an expansion of the optic nerve.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

That which is seen; an object of sight.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

Especially, that which is seen otherwise than by the ordinary sight, or the rational eye; a supernatural, prophetic, or imaginary sight; an apparition; a phantom; a specter; as, the visions of Isaiah.
The baseless fabric of this vision.
No dreams, but visions strange.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

Hence, something unreal or imaginary; a creation of fancy.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

To see in a vision; to dream.
For them no visioned terrors daunt,Their nights no fancied specters haunt.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

A vivid mental image;
He had a vision of his own death
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

The ability to see; the faculty of vision
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

The perceptual experience of seeing;
The runners emerged from the trees into his clear vision
He had a visual sensation of intense light
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

The formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses;
Popular imagination created a world of demons
Imagination reveals what the world could be
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

A religious or mystical experience of a supernatural appearance;
He had a vision of the Virgin Mary
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 22, 2023

Vision

The ability to think about or plan the future with foresight or imagination.
His vision for the company involves expanding to international markets.
Aimie Carlson
Sep 27, 2023

Vision

An experience of seeing someone or something in a dream or trance, or as a supernatural apparition.
She had a vision of a world where everyone lived in harmony.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023

FAQs

Is vision always related to future plans?

Predominantly yes, vision typically pertains to conceptualizing future plans or goals.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023

Does having a vision ensure success?

Not necessarily; having a vision is important, but realization also requires ambition, effort, and execution.
Harlon Moss
Sep 27, 2023

Can ambition exist without a specific vision?

Yes, one can have ambition, a strong desire to achieve, without a clear vision.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023

Can excessive ambition be harmful?

Yes, unchecked ambition can lead to unethical behavior and can have detrimental effects on well-being.
Janet White
Sep 27, 2023

Can vision change over time?

Absolutely, vision can evolve as individuals gain more insight and experience.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023

Is ambition solely related to career achievements?

No, ambition can relate to any area of life including personal development, hobbies, or relationships.
Sara Rehman
Sep 27, 2023

Can everyone have a vision?

Yes, everyone has the capability to formulate a vision, though the clarity and scope may vary.
Harlon Moss
Sep 27, 2023

Is ambition a personality trait?

It can be considered a trait as some individuals inherently possess higher levels of ambition.
Aimie Carlson
Sep 27, 2023

Is a vision always realistic?

Not always; visions can be aspirational and might not conform to current realities.
Harlon Moss
Sep 27, 2023

Is ambition always self-centered?

No, ambition can be driven by altruistic motives such as the desire to help others or make a positive impact.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023

Does a clear vision guarantee realization?

No, a clear vision needs to be coupled with determination, ambition, and action for realization.
Sara Rehman
Sep 27, 2023

Can ambition be developed?

Yes, ambition can be cultivated through developing motivation, setting goals, and fostering a growth mindset.
Harlon Moss
Sep 27, 2023

Do vision and ambition always go hand in hand?

While they often complement each other, it is possible to encounter one without the other.
Sara Rehman
Sep 27, 2023

Is vision important for leadership?

Absolutely, effective leaders often have a clear vision to guide and inspire their teams.
Harlon Moss
Sep 27, 2023

Can ambition lead to disappointment?

Yes, unfulfilled ambition can lead to disappointment, but it can also be a source of motivation.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
About Author
Written by
Sawaira Riaz
Sawaira is a dedicated content editor at difference.wiki, where she meticulously refines articles to ensure clarity and accuracy. With a keen eye for detail, she upholds the site's commitment to delivering insightful and precise content.
Edited by
Sumera Saeed
Sumera is an experienced content writer and editor with a niche in comparative analysis. At Diffeence Wiki, she crafts clear and unbiased comparisons to guide readers in making informed decisions. With a dedication to thorough research and quality, Sumera's work stands out in the digital realm. Off the clock, she enjoys reading and exploring diverse cultures.

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