The illusion of indispensability is something which affects most professionals at one point or another in their careers.

ECONOMIST: Letters

Meanwhile, the error all along, to which both Chinese policy makers and Western commentators seem to have fallen victim, has been to confuse a high degree of usefulness with indispensability.

WSJ: Business Asia: Postcards From the Rare-Earth Front

In short, their greatness lay in their indispensability.

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