"There are no irreplaceable people" - what does this aphorism mean?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

Probably, each of us has heard the phrase: "There are no irreplaceable people." The aphorism is quite common. Someone agrees with him, and someone can argue about this. Not everyone knows where this expression came from. Who first said it and why did it become so popular? We will try to deal with these and other questions in this article.

Who is the author of the phrase "There are no irreplaceable people"?

In Russia, the authorship of this expression is often attributed to I. V. Stalin. However, in fact, there are no sources that would confirm this fact. The only place where a phrase similar in meaning was heard was his report at the Congress of the CPSU. In it, he mentions "arrogant nobles" who consider themselves irreplaceable, and therefore feel their impunity. Stalin called to deprive such people of their positions, despite all their past merits.

In fact, this expression became so widespread after the election campaign of Wilson, whoran for President of the United States in 1912. However, he was not its author. Wilson borrowed this aphorism from French.

There are no irreplaceable people, but…

In the middle of the last century, the famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso uttered a phrase that echoes somewhere in meaning with ours. In his performance, it sounded like this: “There are no irreplaceable, but there are unique.”

This expression is more to the liking of those who do not quite agree with the statement that there are no irreplaceable people. In the statement of the great artist, there is agreement that people are replaceable, but there are also such personalities who leave a trace forever and cannot be forgotten. Of course, the planet will not stop spinning with the departure of even the greatest of men. Life will go on, moreover, it will develop, new discoveries will be made. However, the achievements and labors of such people will never be forgotten, and the memory of them will be passed down through the centuries.

Who likes to use the phrase "Irreplaceable people do not exist"

This phrase is very fond of the authorities. If something does not suit an employee, with this phrase the boss can hint that there will be a replacement for the place of any employee. However, in our time, valuable personnel are worth their weight in gold, so specialists are very much appreciated. There are real professionals in their field, with tremendous experience, knowledge and skills. They are really hard to replace. Especially in such important areas as medicine, science, politics and so on. It happens that it will take more than a dozen years beforea worthy replacement will take the place of a gifted doctor, a great scientist or a talented leader.

Conclusion

There are no irreplaceable people. This is true, and not really. This is both good and bad at the same time. The truth is that no matter how gifted, talented and great a person is, with his departure, life on the planet will not stop. Someone will still pick up the baton and carry it on. And this is good, otherwise the development of mankind would have stopped at some point. And the other side of the coin is that there are people who are still indispensable specifically for someone. With their departure, life loses its meaning, and in this case the phrase “there are no irreplaceable people” causes only bitterness and protest. People may appear in life who will fill in some gaps, but they will still take their place, but not the place of the departed.

Thus, this aphorism in the global sense probably makes sense. However, there are different situations in life, and, perhaps, this phrase will not be appropriate in all cases. Although it also depends on the person. There are people who do not have special attachments, and in their case, the aphorism is an indisputable truth, whatever the circumstances in their lives.