I'm not really sure why this has become a debate of "one or the other". I think you need all the traits mentioned here by "both sides" to truly be successful in this way of life.

I keep hearing people who seem to interpret Tallien's words as "I don't care about all the other stuff, you gotta EARN". He just debated Kingworm's point that money is not important.

In my opinion, everything mentioned here is important and I would not get into the debate of which is more important since I strive to achieve all of them all the time.

My philosophy can be expressed by quoting or paraphrasing things already said here by different people: If you don't earn, you are dead weight; if you're not respectful, you'll get a bullet in the head by a higher ranked; if you're not trustworthy, you'll end up in a body bag because you're just gonna be a headache and make your bosses always have to be attentive to your moves; and yes, of course Family is the bond that keeps us ahead of the feds and regular crooks.