Being hardworking is not enough. You should also work in a right direction and in right environment. Right culture helps you choose right direction and right environment. Right culture also helps you to make right changes in your political environment.<p>For example, if your culture allows lies and corruption from elected politicians, you are likely to create suboptimal environment around you.<p>My friends in Russia make that silly choice - they support lying corrupt politicians in favor of pleasing their nationalistic feelings.<p>Guess what - they lowered their income ~2x just by that.