I will re-iterate that anyone who generalizes like this will be making a mistake. Individual attitude and commitment to the profession will make more difference than hours, who trained you, or who paid for it.
As for me....I was military but I have paid for some of my own ratings since I left. I don't feel the military training was given for free as I was tasked to take risks that nearly killed me. I do not feel personnally enriched for paying for ratings.
I have seen blind disregard and blind obedience to the rules/regs both in the service and out. In both cases I see that as a mistake. We are paid to think!
I learned a great deal in uniform from very good training. I flew nearly as many hours (in a war zone last year as a civvie) as I did in 10 years of military service. Both quantity and quality of hours, in isolation, will fail to make you a well-rounded pilot.
To repeat what I said above: every flight is an opportunity to learn from the a/c, copilot/captain, environment, customer, and so on. If you keep learning you are, and will continue to be, a great pilot. If you don't then you are not.