--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: seek to be an indispensable complement to…" description: "\"“seek to be an indispensable complement to something that’s getting cheap and plentiful.”\" — Erik Brynjolfsson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/erik-brynjolfsson-9007_quote_seek-to-be-an-indispensable-complement-t_2081401.jpg" --- # seek to be an indispensable complement to something that’s… ![“seek to be an indispensable complement to something that’s getting cheap and plentiful.” quote by Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/erik-brynjolfsson-9007_quote_seek-to-be-an-indispensable-complement-t_2081401.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/erik-brynjolfsson-9007_quote_seek-to-be-an-indispensable-complement-t_2081401.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/erik-brynjolfsson-9007_quote_seek-to-be-an-indispensable-complement-t_2081401.jpg) > ““seek to be an indispensable complement to something that’s getting cheap and plentiful.”” [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates becoming uniquely valuable in areas where resources become abundant and cheap. **In simple terms:** Be indispensable when things get cheap. Key Takeaway Focus on skills that cannot be automated. Themes innovation value creation technology economics career development Mood optimistic forward‑looking Type career strategic When to use this quote - career planning - business strategy - education curriculum - technology adoption Key Concepts comparative advantage automation skill scarcity Questions to Reflect On - Which skills will remain scarce? - How can societies ensure equitable access to these skills? A Different Perspective May overlook systemic barriers to acquiring such unique skills. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cheap Plentiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheap-plentiful-4065930/) [Getting Cheap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-cheap-4014428/) [Indispensable Complement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indispensable-complement-4065932/) [Plentiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plentiful/) [Seek Indispensable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seek-indispensable-4065931/) ## Related quotes > [Coal boosters like to tout coal as cheap and plentiful - well, not anymore. At least not in China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/coal-boosters-like-to-tout-coal-as-cheap-and-plentiful-well-not/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [I'm sorry, but I am not interested in getting cheap popularity. I've earned my success through sincere hard work. 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American workers grow, harvest, and mine some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/america-s-workers-face-a-battle-for-their-jobs-they-are-the-finest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Slanders, sir, for the satirical rogue says here that old men have grey beards, that their faces are wrinkled, their eyes purging think amber…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/slanders-sir-for-the-satirical-rogue-says-here-that-old-men-have-grey/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Food insecurity and hunger are serious threats to children's health, growth, and development. 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On Sunday heaven's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-sundaies-of-man-s-life-thredded-together-on-time-s-string-make/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Here on the edge of the river, the motifs are very plentiful, the same subject seen from a different angle gives a subject for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/here-on-the-edge-of-the-river-the-motifs-are-very-plentiful-the-same/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [Excitement was plentiful during my two years' service as a Pony Express rider.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffalo-bill/excitement-was-plentiful-during-my-two-years-service-as-a-pony/) [Buffalo Bill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffalo-bill/) > [While not widely reported, our victories in Iraq are plentiful. National elections, a democratic parliament and the drafting of a constitution are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gillmor/while-not-widely-reported-our-victories-in-iraq-are-plentiful/) [Paul Gillmor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gillmor/) ## More by Erik Brynjolfsson > [“The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.” —Albert A. Bartlett”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/the-greatest-shortcoming-of-the-human-race-is-our-inability-to/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [“But analog photography peaked in 2000.2”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/but-analog-photography-peaked-in-2000-2/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [“originated at the California research institute SRI International and was purchased by Apple in 2010, listened to what iPhone users were saying to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/originated-at-the-california-research-institute-sri-international-and/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [“Montessori classrooms emphasize self-directed learning, hands-on engagement with a wide variety of materials (including plants and animals), and a largely unstructured school day. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/montessori-classrooms-emphasize-self-directed-learning-hands-on/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [“In fact, the ratio of CEO pay to average worker pay has increased from 70 in 1990 to 300 in 2005, and much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/in-fact-the-ratio-of-ceo-pay-to-average-worker-pay-has-increased-from/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [“there’s never been a better time to be a worker with special skills or the right education, because these people can use technology to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/there-s-never-been-a-better-time-to-be-a-worker-with-special-skills/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [“Work saves a man from three great evils: boredom, vice, and need.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/work-saves-a-man-from-three-great-evils-boredom-vice-and-need/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [“Kodak made its founder, George Eastman, a rich man, but it also provided middle-class jobs for generations of people and created a substantial share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/kodak-made-its-founder-george-eastman-a-rich-man-but-it-also-provided/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [Knowing how to keep someone motivated and how to keep a connection are skills humans have learned and evolved over hundreds of thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/knowing-how-to-keep-someone-motivated-and-how-to-keep-a-connection/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [“The many years that we all spend in schools learning skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic—as well as the additional learning that happens on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/the-many-years-that-we-all-spend-in-schools-learning-skills-like/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [Computers get better, faster than anything else ever. A child's PlayStation today is more powerful than a military supercomputer from 1996. But our brains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/computers-get-better-faster-than-anything-else-ever-a-child-s/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [“Steven Pinker puts it, “The main lesson of thirty-five years of AI research is that the hard problems are easy and the easy problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/steven-pinker-puts-it-the-main-lesson-of-thirty-five-years-of-ai/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [“And the data on everything from air quality to commodity prices to levels of violence show improvement over time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/and-the-data-on-everything-from-air-quality-to-commodity-prices-to/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [“the message the labor market is clearly sending is that it’s much easier to create value with highly educated workers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/the-message-the-labor-market-is-clearly-sending-is-that-it-s-much/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [Technology has always been destroying jobs, and it has always been creating jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/technology-has-always-been-destroying-jobs-and-it-has-always-been/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) [Explore all 75 Erik Brynjolfsson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) ## More Plentiful quotes > [While not widely reported, our victories in Iraq are plentiful. National elections, a democratic parliament and the drafting of a constitution are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gillmor/while-not-widely-reported-our-victories-in-iraq-are-plentiful/) [Paul Gillmor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gillmor/) > [Excitement was plentiful during my two years' service as a Pony Express rider.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffalo-bill/excitement-was-plentiful-during-my-two-years-service-as-a-pony/) [Buffalo Bill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffalo-bill/) > [Here on the edge of the river, the motifs are very plentiful, the same subject seen from a different angle gives a subject for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/here-on-the-edge-of-the-river-the-motifs-are-very-plentiful-the-same/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [The Sundaies of man's life, Thredded together on time's string, Make bracelets to adorn the wife Of the eternal, glorious King. On Sunday heaven's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-sundaies-of-man-s-life-thredded-together-on-time-s-string-make/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Stupidity is the basic building block of the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/stupidity-is-the-basic-building-block-of-the-universe/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [To vest a few fallible men — prosecutors, judges, jurors — with vast powers of literary or artistic censorship, to convert them into what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-frank/to-vest-a-few-fallible-men-prosecutors-judges-jurors-with-vast-powers/) [Jerome Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-frank/) > [Work is hard. Distractions are plentiful. And time is short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/work-is-hard-distractions-are-plentiful-and-time-is-short/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [This could be our revolution: to love what is plentiful as much as what's scarce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/this-could-be-our-revolution-to-love-what-is-plentiful-as-much-as/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [For those dependent on their gardens for fresh food, it was often a case of feast or famine... (One settler wrote), "Strawberries were now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bee-dawson/for-those-dependent-on-their-gardens-for-fresh-food-it-was-often-a/) [Bee Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bee-dawson/) > [Food insecurity and hunger are serious threats to children's health, growth, and development. The idea of not being able to put plentiful, nutritious food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-harris/food-insecurity-and-hunger-are-serious-threats-to-children-s-health/) [Samantha Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-harris/) > [Slanders, sir, for the satirical rogue says here that old men have grey beards, that their faces are wrinkled, their eyes purging think amber…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/slanders-sir-for-the-satirical-rogue-says-here-that-old-men-have-grey/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [America's workers face a battle for their jobs. They are the finest workers in the world. American workers grow, harvest, and mine some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/america-s-workers-face-a-battle-for-their-jobs-they-are-the-finest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Foolish jokers are thick on the ground, and it rains insects of that sort everywhere. A good joker is a rarity; even a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/foolish-jokers-are-thick-on-the-ground-and-it-rains-insects-of-that/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [Cows, after leaving the low lands near the coast, are found to be plentiful everywhere, and to produce milk in small quantities, from which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cows-after-leaving-the-low-lands-near-the-coast-are-found-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE is among the most plentiful, and the cheapest forms of service which may be had!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/specialized-knowledge-is-among-the-most-plentiful-and-the-cheapest/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) [Browse all 81 Plentiful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plentiful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“seek to be an indispensable complement to something that’s getting cheap and plentiful.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Erik Brynjolfsson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/seek-to-be-an-indispensable-complement-to-something-that-s-getting/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Plentiful" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/seek-to-be-an-indispensable-complement-to-something-that-s-getting/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/erik-brynjolfsson-9007_quote_seek-to-be-an-indispensable-complement-t_2081401.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/erik-brynjolfsson-9007_quote_seek-to-be-an-indispensable-complement-t_2081401.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/erik-brynjolfsson-9007_quote_seek-to-be-an-indispensable-complement-t_2081401.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“seek to be an indispensable complement to something that’s getting cheap and plentiful.” — Erik Brynjolfsson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Erik Brynjolfsson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“seek to be an indispensable complement...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/seek-to-be-an-indispensable-complement-to-something-that-s-getting/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/seek-to-be-an-indispensable-complement-to-something-that-s-getting/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```