What is the best advice your mother ever gave you?

My mom raised 17 children, and yet never lectured and gave advice sparingly.  One of the  nuggets she did share was this.

"If you want to understand what someone values, start by taking a close look at what they have."

As an adult:

It helps me understand others (names changed):
 - Jim is an i-banker with a lot of money and a garage full of cars, but few real friends
 - Joe is a VC who also has a garage full of cars, but he takes care of his mother and sister financially, is intellectually curious, and has a wide group of down-to-earth friends
 - Gerald has never been amazing at making money.  He lives modestly, but he has a huge group of friends, a wonderful marriage, and great relationship with his kids
 - Sue just got promoted for the 3rd time in 2 years.  She's an amazing upward manager, but hasn't completed a project, and her reports can't stand her.

It helps me understand companies:
 - Zynga has a lot of users, but a large percentage of them are tired of being spammed and feel exploited
 - Quora has a relatively small base of users, but their users seem to really value the service, use it a lot, care about what they contribute, and even about each other

It keeps me honest with myself:
 - I'm working far more than I'm seeing my family.  Am I collecting things I don't value at the expense of things I do?

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Vince Monical on Quora:

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