Liz Herring was a driven debater. At school, she carted around a metal box of index cards so she could swot up on topics between classes. A debate teammate told the New York Times: “She wanted to be the best. She wanted it more than I did. She wanted it more than anybody did.”
Herring grew up to be Elizabeth Warren, US senator and would-be president, fuelled by a “lust for success”, according to Barbara Kellerman. “Lust really separates most ordinary leaders . . . from the exceptional ones,” the Harvard Kennedy School leadership professor told me last week.
Presidential candidates and nominees are frequently lustful. Even apparently mild-mannered Joe Biden lusts for success, while Prof Kellerman believes Donald Trump is principally driven by desire for money.