On reflection, nothing can make it tempting to want to finish first in a race.
Franz Kafka
New English translation prepared for this collection from the German original.
Ambition
A quote by Franz Kafka
From the source
Contemplation (Betrachtung), “Zum Nachdenken für Herrenreiter” (Reflections for Gentlemen Riders), page 70.
German text: Betrachtung, Ernst Rowohlt Verlag, 1913 title page; printed November 1912.
The opening of a satirical reflection on the consequences of winning a horse race.
Original German
Nichts, wenn man es überlegt, kann dazu verlocken, in einem Wettrennen der erste sein zu wollen.