The truth is really an ambition which is beyond us.

Ustinov’s line treats “truth” not as a possession but as a horizon: something people may sincerely pursue yet never fully secure. Calling truth “an ambition” frames it as a human project—driven by desire, pride, and moral aspiration—rather than a settled fact we can simply hold. The phrase “beyond us” suggests limits in perception, language, memory, and self-interest: even when we aim at honesty, our accounts are partial, shaped by perspective and circumstance. The remark also carries a satirical edge typical of Ustinov, implying that certainty about “the truth” can be a form of overreach. The quote thus cautions against dogmatism while still valuing the striving for truth as a noble, if unattainable, goal.