Talking to a stair builder changed how I look at glue joints

Had a long conversation with this older fella from Ohio who does curved staircases by hand, no CNC. He said something like "glue is just insurance, the fit is the real joint" and it hit different. I've been doing straight runs for 12 years and always treated wood glue like the main thing holding stuff together. He showed me a tight hand planed joint and told me if the fit is good enough, the glue is just there so the wood stays put over time. Now I spend 20 extra minutes on every mitre and cope instead of relying on the squeeze out. Has anyone else had a talk with a specialty guy that made you go back and do basic stuff slower?