Whenever I read people's thoughts on this I think of the saying/rap lyrics: "Money, power, respect. It's the key to life." Which has also been described as th

Whenever I read people's thoughts on this I think of the saying/rap lyrics: "Money, power, respect. It's the key to life." Which has also been described as the three main rewards that people value (sometimes in combination). (I often equate respect with fame in the examples below) e.g. College Professor: - low money - medium power - high respect HFT Trader: - high money - low power - low respect/fame Mid level government bureaucrat that manages the budget of an important project: - low money - high power - low respect Not everyone is driven by money (or at least, by money alone).