With more than 4,000 responses from Big Law midlevel associates to sift through, we had to paraphrase most of the insight we received to put together our annual report. But we felt the most thoughtful, surprising and emblematic responses deserved to be seen by all, so we put together a list of quotable midlevels who refused to go silent on the most important issues to them.

What most surprised you about working at your current firm?

“I used to think that I was the most money-hungry person out there, but working at Kirkland has made me realize that, as much as I love money, there are A LOT of people that apparently love it more than I do.” —Kirkland & Ellis