Helms quoted David Brooks' New York Times column 'The Moral Bucket List' to describe a philosophy of personal growth he deeply believed in. He reinforced the idea with Hemingway's words — 'True nobility lies in being superior to your former self' — and even Matthew McConaughey's Oscar speech about his hero being himself in 10 years. While the media mocked McConaughey as a narcissist, Helms defended it as a beautiful idea: defining who you want to become and then chasing after that person.