From "The American Ruling Class", a movie:
It's like this. Imagine a big sea saw and one end is on the ground, because it has a basket half full of rocks in it. The other end is up in the air, because it has a basket one-quarter full of sand. And some of us got teaspoons and we are trying to fill it. And of course most people are kinda scoffing at us. They say, "Don't you see it's leaking just as quick as you are putting it in? People like you been trying for centuries, but it's never going to change." And we say, "You might be right, but we think we get more people with teaspoons all the time and one of these days that whole seasaw is going to go zooop, and people will say 'Gee, how did it happen so suddenly?' Us and all our little teaspoons, over the centuries."
Makes you think. In life, are the two mutually exclusive? Does pursing one not beget the other? Politics for others gets you recognition for the self; and starting a company forces you to give jobs to others... for example.