This sequence (from Iron Man #106) reveals another time Tony considers quitting the hero gig. Profoundly discouraged after Midas has taken over his company, Tony genuinely longs to eff off to the country with Whitney Frost. But what drags him back? His guilt and his sense of responsibility. This is not a character who's chosen the hero life to aggrandize himself. This is a character who's chosen the hero life because he feels it's the only right thing to do. And his own personal desires? Well, they're immaterial.