5 Things The Wolf Of Wall Street Celebrates (And Condemns) About America

4. Success

There's no greater feeling than that of success. For those who've tasted it, you savor it and for those who haven't, you work hard to taste it again and again. Therein lies our problem. Success can become an addiction and since money is the greatest sign of success in America, the Wolf can't help himself.

"Money is the oxygen of capitalism and I wanna breathe more than any other human being alive." "You want to know what money sounds like? Visit a trading floor on Wall Street... I was hooked within seconds."

When his back was against the wall, he couldn't stop even when he was at the top and had a chance to get out while he was ahead, when he didn't need to work another day in his life. The Wolf had his health, his wife, his kids, and - most importantly - his money. The only problem was leaving behind his addiction and it wasn't something he could go to rehab for. Success felt too good. It's not only a part of human nature: it's a part of American history. From the Declaration of Independence to Manifest Destiny to capitalism, we celebrate underdog success stories because they're cultural cornerstones of what makes America America. But what happens when you've tasted success? You taste higher levels of success, but once you reach the ceiling, do you stop? Nope. That's just not American. You keep going and you start overflowing...