Sans Anoraque,
Being a bit pedantic here, but you are more correct than your instructor when you say "Nothing is more important than angle of attack". If you get to depart successfully from a high density altitude airports you will notice you climb out at a more shallow angle. The angle of attack is the same, but the pitch attitude is less because the relative wind is coming from a different direction when at high DA. So pitch isn't everything, and thinking that way can be dangerous if in the mountains