Other people in our department rose quickly and now have international reputations. But I couldn't treat people like they did and look myself in the mirror every day.
One other thing that greatly helped me in my PhD was the mutual support of fellow candidates. On my own I would probably have had a breakdown in my final year as the intensity of writing up alone must be intolerable. That is why I was shocked to read the comment above where a supervisor pitted candidates against each other: that is criminal in my view.