---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Regarding themselves as irreplaceable…"
description: "\"Regarding themselves as irreplaceable, both Lenin and Stalin tried in different ways to destroy their successors - Lenin through a testament that attac..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/simon-sebag-montefiore-2994_communism_regarding-themselves-as-irreplaceable-bo_1658883.png"
---

#  Regarding themselves as irreplaceable, both Lenin and…

![“Regarding themselves as irreplaceable, both Lenin and Stalin tried in different ways to destroy their successors - Lenin through a testament that attacked Stalin and Trotsky, Stalin through purges culminating in the Doctors' Plot of 1953.” quote by Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/simon-sebag-montefiore-2994_communism_regarding-themselves-as-irreplaceable-bo_1658883.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/simon-sebag-montefiore-2994_communism_regarding-themselves-as-irreplaceable-bo_1658883.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/simon-sebag-montefiore-2994_communism_regarding-themselves-as-irreplaceable-bo_1658883.png)

> “Regarding themselves as irreplaceable, both Lenin and Stalin tried in different ways to destroy their successors - Lenin through a testament that attacked Stalin and Trotsky, Stalin through purges culminating in the Doctors' Plot of 1953.”

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Leaders may label rivals as irreplaceable to justify eliminating successors.

**In simple terms:** Powerful leaders view rivals as essential to stay in control.

Key Takeaway

Beware of power’s tendency to eliminate threats.

Themes

politics power succession historical leadership

Mood

cautious analytical historical

Type

analytical historical

When to use this quote

- political purges
- historical analysis
- leadership studies
- modern governance

Key Concepts

authoritarianism political strategy legacy preservation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does labeling a rival as irreplaceable affect governance?
- What safeguards prevent abuse of succession power?

A Different Perspective

Power struggles can backfire, creating instability.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/)

## Related quotes

> [The shameless criminality of Lenin, Stalin, and the Cheka cast a long shadow, but I don't see their kind returning anytime soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/the-shameless-criminality-of-lenin-stalin-and-the-cheka-cast-a-long/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [Intellectuals and celebrities venerated monsters like Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, & Ho Chi Minh. The New Left of the 1960s didn't have a change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-glazov/intellectuals-and-celebrities-venerated-monsters-like-lenin-stalin/)

[Jamie Glazov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-glazov/)

> [I consider him Stalin one of the greatest persons in the history of mankind. In the history of Russia he was, in my opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-zinoviev/i-consider-him-stalin-one-of-the-greatest-persons-in-the-history-of/)

Alexander Zinoviev

> [The whole history of my life, and in essence the whole history of the working class consists of this: that we have lived and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-kalinin/the-whole-history-of-my-life-and-in-essence-the-whole-history-of-the/)

[Mikhail Kalinin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-kalinin/)

> [The Japan-U.S. alliance is an irreplaceable alliance. And I would like to further consolidate and broaden that alliance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinzo-abe/the-japan-u-s-alliance-is-an-irreplaceable-alliance-and-i-would-like/)

[Shinzo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinzo-abe/)

> [Being is so significant that it is irreplaceable. You are just yourself. Do something that comes out of you - not to assert, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/being-is-so-significant-that-it-is-irreplaceable-you-are-just/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [The intense aroma and warmth fresh ginger adds to dishes is irreplaceable. The heat found in ginger is attributed to a chemical it contains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sohla-el-waylly/the-intense-aroma-and-warmth-fresh-ginger-adds-to-dishes-is/)

[Sohla El-Waylly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sohla-el-waylly/)

> [“In the uncertain ebb and flow of time and emotions, much of one's life history is etched in the senses. And things of no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/in-the-uncertain-ebb-and-flow-of-time-and-emotions-much-of-one-s-life/)

[Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/)

> [We work so hard to get somewhere, to realize a dream, to arrive at some destination, that we often forget that though some satisfaction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/we-work-so-hard-to-get-somewhere-to-realize-a-dream-to-arrive-at-some/)

[Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/)

> [I am passionate about making sure that we collectively and proactively preserve all of the world's most iconic coastal and oceanic wild places -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-dedina/i-am-passionate-about-making-sure-that-we-collectively-and/)

Serge Dedina

> [“Men come and go, but best friends are irreplaceable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-stunich/men-come-and-go-but-best-friends-are-irreplaceable/)

[C.M. Stunich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-stunich/)

> [Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar - Kane has been on that level. He is one of those players that is irreplaceable and I am sure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-chiellini/messi-ronaldo-neymar-kane-has-been-on-that-level-he-is-one-of-those/)

[Giorgio Chiellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-chiellini/)

> [“Handwriting enables civilization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/handwriting-enables-civilization/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [There is an irreplaceable ally. It's called the United States of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/there-is-an-irreplaceable-ally-it-s-called-the-united-states-of/)

[Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/)

> [To be irreplaceable, you have to be different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-chanel/to-be-irreplaceable-you-have-to-be-different/)

[Coco Chanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-chanel/)

## More by Simon Sebag Montefiore

> [Trump wants to be the first American tsar. With his hero worship of Putin, his admiration for the apparent omnipotence of the Kremlin, schoolboyish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/trump-wants-to-be-the-first-american-tsar-with-his-hero-worship-of/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [“History is little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind." --- Edward Gibbon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/history-is-little-more-than-the-register-of-the-crimes-follies-and/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [Every Russian emperor from Peter the Great to Stalin and Putin knows a leader and his security agencies must never be parted. His safety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/every-russian-emperor-from-peter-the-great-to-stalin-and-putin-knows/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [“Sex fills a few hours of our lives yet those precious minutes count for more than months and years”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/sex-fills-a-few-hours-of-our-lives-yet-those-precious-minutes-count/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [“Iraq was already in the grip of a bloody insurgency against British rule. Churchill therefore called a conference in Cairo to hand over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/iraq-was-already-in-the-grip-of-a-bloody-insurgency-against-british/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [I don't think Jerusalem should be controlled 100% by religious people of any denomination, sect, or religion - even my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/i-don-t-think-jerusalem-should-be-controlled-100-by-religious-people/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [The memoirs of the Grand Duchess Olga are an entertaining record for anyone interested in the imperial family's home life during the last years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/the-memoirs-of-the-grand-duchess-olga-are-an-entertaining-record-for/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [I am a passionate nonfinisher. Life is too short, and there are too many great books to read, so if I lose interest or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/i-am-a-passionate-nonfinisher-life-is-too-short-and-there-are-too/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [“Necessity is very often the mother of romance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/necessity-is-very-often-the-mother-of-romance/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [There is a view of Russian exceptionalism, that they are a unique civilisation, a view right since Ivan the Terrible that Russia is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/there-is-a-view-of-russian-exceptionalism-that-they-are-a-unique/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [The political lives of tyrants play out human affairs with a special intensity: the death of a democratic leader long after his retirement is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/the-political-lives-of-tyrants-play-out-human-affairs-with-a-special/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [If only all straight weddings could be somehow gay-ified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/if-only-all-straight-weddings-could-be-somehow-gay-ified/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [Mr. Putin presents himself as a czar - and like any czar, he fears revolution above all else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/mr-putin-presents-himself-as-a-czar-and-like-any-czar-he-fears/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> ['Daddy used to be a Georgian,' Stalin's son, Vasily, once said. Actually, the dictator didn't truly become Russian; he remained Georgian culturally. Yet he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/daddy-used-to-be-a-georgian-stalin-s-son-vasily-once-said-actually/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

> [“Once in power, Stalin’s campaign to succeed Lenin required a legitimate heroic career which he did not possess because of his experience in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/once-in-power-stalin-s-campaign-to-succeed-lenin-required-a/)

[Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

[Explore all 143 Simon Sebag Montefiore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/)

## More Communism quotes

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [I didn't understand Southland Tales script at all! Is there a single word to describe it? Cacophony? It's celebrity meets pornography meets politics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/i-didn-t-understand-southland-tales-script-at-all-is-there-a-single/)

[Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/)

> [It is popular to call it a crisis of the Western world. It is in fact a crisis of the whole world. Communism, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-popular-to-call-it-a-crisis-of-the-western-world-it-is-in-fact/)

[Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/)

> [“Despite Soviet 'defeat' in 1991, the ideas associated with Communism remain shockingly reputable throughout what we still know as the Free World.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-west/despite-soviet-defeat-in-1991-the-ideas-associated-with-communism/)

Diana West

> [Capitalism, communism ... it's all garbage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/capitalism-communism-it-s-all-garbage/)

[Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/)

> [Communism... is the genuine resolution of the antagonism between man and nature and between man and man; it is the true resolution of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/communism-is-the-genuine-resolution-of-the-antagonism-between-man-and/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

> [“Occult Theft,--Theft which hides itself even from itself, and is legal, respectable, and cowardly,--corrupts the body and soul of man, to the last fibre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/occult-theft-theft-which-hides-itself-even-from-itself-and-is-legal/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [Motherland is our property and we have right to handle our properties as pleased. The jokes about death for the sake of the motherland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/motherland-is-our-property-and-we-have-right-to-handle-our-properties/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [“Socialists and Progressives confuse compassion and compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-samaan/socialists-and-progressives-confuse-compassion-and-compulsion/)

[A.E. Samaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-samaan/)

> [Your best friends are your principles, if you havent them, dont look for another friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/your-best-friends-are-your-principles-if-you-havent-them-dont-look/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [If I paint a hammer and sickle people may think it is a representation of Communism, but for me it is only a hammer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/if-i-paint-a-hammer-and-sickle-people-may-think-it-is-a/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [Our power does not know liberty or justice. It is established on the destruction of the individual will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/our-power-does-not-know-liberty-or-justice-it-is-established-on-the/)

[Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/)

> [A strong saying is not afraid of criticism, because it includes all the answers to criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/a-strong-saying-is-not-afraid-of-criticism-because-it-includes-all/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [I think it's sort of the hypothetical point where communism and fascism meet. They love tragedy, and they love surface beauty. You just watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-forrest/i-think-it-s-sort-of-the-hypothetical-point-where-communism-and/)

[Emma Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-forrest/)

> [Communism is inequality, but not as property is. Property is exploitation of the weak by the strong. Communism is exploitation of the strong by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-joseph-proudhon/communism-is-inequality-but-not-as-property-is-property-is/)

[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-joseph-proudhon/)

[Browse all 1,510 Communism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Regarding themselves as irreplaceable, both Lenin and Stalin tried in different ways to destroy their successors - Lenin through a testament that attacked Stalin and Trotsky, Stalin through purges culminating in the Doctors' Plot of 1953.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Simon Sebag Montefiore"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/regarding-themselves-as-irreplaceable-both-lenin-and-stalin-tried-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/regarding-themselves-as-irreplaceable-both-lenin-and-stalin-tried-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/simon-sebag-montefiore-2994_communism_regarding-themselves-as-irreplaceable-bo_1658883.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/simon-sebag-montefiore-2994_communism_regarding-themselves-as-irreplaceable-bo_1658883.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/simon-sebag-montefiore-2994_communism_regarding-themselves-as-irreplaceable-bo_1658883.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Regarding themselves as irreplaceable, both Lenin and Stalin tried in different ways to destroy their…” — Simon Sebag Montefiore",
                "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": "Simon Sebag Montefiore",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Regarding themselves as irreplaceable, both Lenin...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/regarding-themselves-as-irreplaceable-both-lenin-and-stalin-tried-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/regarding-themselves-as-irreplaceable-both-lenin-and-stalin-tried-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```