If we all play alike then we would be exchanging money back and forth (minus the rakes) and we would all come out losers at the end. I understand that it is all about maximizing your profit and trying to minimize your loss in order to make a profit and become a winning player. If a player makes an incorrect play then you profit from his bad play, however if a player makes a bad play and gets lucky then you lose that profit. After months of playing poker, I've noticed that if you do want to become a winning player, you must not only make correct/proper plays but you must be able to steal pots. Am I getting out of line here or should I just strictly stick to ABC poker?

Well...that depends on what level you're playing at. You're absolutely right when it comes to mid- and high-stakes games, but simple ABC poker is a definite winner at the low stakes. What do you play?

It's all about adapting to your opponents. In some poker niches you certainly must steal pots to win. That becomes the case when you aren't getting payed off enough when you value bet. A steal then becomes a "correct/proper play". I wouldn't say it is necessary to steal to win in every game, though in every game stealing at the right time will certainly improve your win-rate.

I think most people would consider stealing the blinds and c-betting missed flops to be ABC poker.

I usually play low limit online ($.50/1 to $2/4) or regular live limit ($4/8 to $6/12) I just remember a poker pro saying that you have to win pots without going to showdowns to make profits.