A telling quote about Sam, besides the "island of cannibals" one. Is actually one Sam published himself:
"Successful people create companies. More successful people create countries. The most successful people create religions"
This definition of success is founded on power and control. It's one of the worst definitions you could choose.
There are nobler definitions, like "Successful people have many friends and family" or "Successful people are useful to their compatriots"
Sam's published definition (to be clear, he was quoting someone else and then published it) tells you everything you need to know about his priorities.