I agree that there is a measure of irony in his comments regarding Sammael, but the fact remains that he DID remove himself from the visible scene post release from the Bore, and that he HAS gone about his business in utter secrecy.

So whether he has been training channelers on a tropical island or ruling through a bunch of proxy kings or both, he has done so without any visible signs of this power, other than the vague allusions he has made to it in Forsaken meetings. And even there, he has done so grudgingly, only because of Moridin's direct question, when he simply replied: "My rule is secure."

So the conclusion is that either Demandred's reputation for glory seeking is inaccurate, or he has changed his ways after his 3000 year hibernation, or most likely, he still seeks ultimate glory as much as he did before, but only the final prize interests him, not the meaningless praise in the lead up to that prize.

Hence, he is perfectly willing to bide his time, move behind the scenes, and strike with immense shock and awe when all is in place, to remove all doubt about his greatness at the appropriate time.

EDIT

I honestly believe though that Demandred is an immense snob. And justifiably so, given his skills, talents and achievements. His interest was in proving himself the best man to the elite of the Age of Legends. In other words, to the greatest critics, intellectuals and opinion leaders of the Golden Age of Legends.

With them gone, he really doesn't care about the opinion of the primitives of this age. As we can see from the Forsaken meetings, he really doesn't even care about the opinion of the other Forsaken. He largely sees them as a group of inferior under achievers from the Age of Legends, the likes of which he would not normally have mixed with on a social level during the height of civilization.

His derision for Aginor is clear and unambiguous. His views on Balthamel and Moghedien must be even more judgemental and disdainful.

He dismissed Mesaana with the wave of a hand, as the unimportant underachiever that she is.

I think that with the loss of the Age of Legends, much of what Demandred lived for has disappeared. All that is left is his hatred of the one man who was able to compete with him at the height of humanity's civilization on earth.

The rest he geniunely sees only as the mud you would scrape from the bottom of your boots.

Ishamael, Semirhage and perhaps Graendal excluded, as they were other notable individuals from the Age of Legends, if only in their very narrow fields, as opposed to the multi-talented men that Lews Therin and Barid Bel Medar were.