Understanding 'so much as'

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Here are the passages containing the problematic phrase 'so much as'.

1. "Not all thoughts can be realized and not all desires are fulfilled. The reason for this is not the content of a person's thoughts so much as their quality."

Content is not the reason. Is quality also not the reason or is it the reason?

2. "It is not the model itself that has meaning so much as what it can help you to achieve."

What does the 'so much as what it can help you to achieve' mean? Does it mean 'what it can help you to achieve' doesn't have a meaning too or does it have meaning?

Thank you so so much!

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@englishdodo,

1.Quality, not content, is the main reason for non fulfilment.
2.The model contributes less to meaning than it does to achievement.

The phrase 'so much as' implies a comparison

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@fresco,

Thank you very much for your clear explanation.
If I may, why do dictionary entries of 'so much as' explain it as emphasis?
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/so-much-as

Oh! is it the wrong entry? Should I have looked for 'not so much as' instead of 'so much as'?

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@englishdodo,

Comparisons can be taken to extremes in which the lesser action or item is in fact zero or a non-event. I suggest this is where the confusion lies. The context is the key.

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Understanding 'so much as'

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