A Buddhist practitioner must first be able to see through the vanity of money, fame, etc. To “see through” is to know these things fade like the cloud and smoke, and that none are worth pursuing. Of course, even if we have this understanding today, we may not be able to give them up right away. The Buddha did not expect us to do so either; even if he did, we would not be able to comply. Nonetheless, the inability to forgo these things does not imply samsara is not suffering, nor does it suggest we cannot give them up in the future.

- Quote from The Four Seals of Dhama, "The Importance of Practice "