As I implied above, I do think there is a point of no return, though. I didn't always feel that way, but you can only be accused of "tilting at windmills" so often before you re-evaluate. I don't think I have gotten properly intimidated by a piece of code since year 2 of my career. I had never encountered a knot I could not untangle (and harbored a feeling that Alexander the Great was a coward for using his sword). But now I have encountered knots so tangled that the most pessimistic estimates for a rewrite (but only with all new people) would be faster, and I can now sympathize with Alexander.

There are only so many people you get to teach in your lifetime, and only so many projects. If you only take the easy ones you never grow and you will reach fewer people. But if you take every hard luck case you also won't get far either.

A working relationship can be broken the way a married couple can be wrong for each other. Sometimes divorce is the correct course of action.

It's not enough to be right, you have to be productive too. And sometimes you only get both if you move toward people who are closer to agreeing with you.