Probably, each of us heard the phrase: "There are no irreplaceable people." Aphorism is quite common. Someone agrees with him, but someone can argue about this. Not everyone knows where this expression came from. Who spoke it for the first time and why did it become so popular? We will try to understand these and other issues 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 made was his report to the Congress of the CPSU. In it, he mentions "arrogant nobles" who consider themselves irreplaceable, and therefore feel their impunity. Stalin called for the removal of such people from their posts, despite all their past achievements.
In fact, this expression became so widespread after the Wilson election campaign, which ran for the presidency of the United States in 1912. However, he was not its author. Wilson borrowed this aphorism from the French language.
There are no irreplaceable people, but ...
In the middle of the last century, the famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso uttered a phrase that resonates somewhere in meaning with ours. In his performance, she 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 individuals who will leave a mark forever, and they cannot be forgotten. Of course, the planet will not stop spinning with the departure of even the greatest people. Life will continue, moreover, it will develop, new discoveries will be made. However, the achievements and works of such people will never be forgotten, and the memory of them will be transmitted through the centuries.
Who likes to use the phrase "irreplaceable people do not exist"
This phrase is very fond of the authorities. If something doesn’t suit an employee, the boss may hint that there will be a replacement for any employee. However, in our time, valuable personnel are worth its weight in gold, so specialists are very much appreciated. There are real professionals with tremendous experience, knowledge and skills. They are really difficult to replace. Especially in such important areas as medicine, science, politics and so on. It happens that more than a dozen years pass before a worthy replacement comes to the place of a gifted doctor, a great scientist or a talented leader.
Conclusion
There are no irreplaceable people. This is true, and not quite. This is both good and bad at the same time. The truth is that no matter how gifted, talented and great a person, life will not stop on the planet with his departure. Someone will still pick up the baton and carry it on. And this is good, otherwise the development of mankind would stop at some point. But the flip side of the coin is that there are people who are nevertheless 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 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, not in all cases this phrase will be appropriate. Although it also depends on the person. There are people who do not have special attachments, and in their case, aphorism is an indisputable truth, whatever the circumstances in their lives.