Being a part of success is more important than being personally

Hear the words of Pat Riley, the master of the court, the architect of champions: “Being a part of success is more important than being personally indispensable.” In this phrase, he speaks the wisdom of ages, for he lifts the veil on the eternal struggle between the pride of the self and the glory of the whole. Many long to be seen as irreplaceable, to be hailed as the sole pillar upon which victory rests. Yet Riley declares a greater truth: it is better to share in the triumph of the many than to stand alone in the shadow of your own ego.

To be indispensable is to believe that the world cannot turn without you. This may flatter the heart, but it is a fragile illusion. When the indispensable one falls, the house collapses with them. But to be part of success is to join your strength with others, to build something greater than any one soul could achieve. The ancients called this synergia, the harmony of many powers acting as one. In the theater of life, as on the court of sport, the orchestra always outlasts the soloist, for the music of the many is stronger than the song of the one.

Consider the tale of the Spartans at Thermopylae. Each warrior was trained not to fight as a lone hero but as part of the phalanx, shield against shield, forming a wall that no army could easily break. Individually, they were skilled, but their true power came from unity. None was indispensable, yet together they held back an empire. Their story teaches us that greatness belongs not to the one who insists on standing alone, but to those who weave themselves into the strength of the group.

Pat Riley himself lived this truth in the realm of basketball. As coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s, he commanded a team of stars—Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy. Any one of them could dazzle, but it was their bond, their willingness to sacrifice personal glory for the sake of the team, that brought championships. Riley knew that if each player sought only to be indispensable, the team would fracture. But by joining in the shared pursuit of success, they became legends, remembered not just as individuals but as part of a dynasty.

And this truth does not belong to sports alone. In every family, every community, every nation, there is a choice: to cling to self-importance or to contribute to the greater whole. The mother who sacrifices for her children, the worker who labors quietly for the company’s good, the citizen who serves their community—these may never be hailed as “indispensable,” yet they are part of success that stretches beyond themselves. Their reward is not the fleeting applause of ego, but the lasting strength of what they helped to build.

The lesson, O children of tomorrow, is clear: seek not to be a lone star burning briefly, but to be part of a constellation that lights the sky for ages. Do not hunger to be indispensable, for in truth no one is. Instead, labor to be reliable, faithful, and united with others in purpose. Let your name be tied not to vanity but to the enduring triumph of the whole.

Therefore, take this wisdom into your days: wherever you stand—in work, in friendship, in love—ask not, “How can I prove I am irreplaceable?” but rather, “How can I strengthen the whole?” For when the group rises, you too will rise with it. And when history remembers, it will remember not only the lone hero, but the band of souls who stood together, and in their unity, achieved greatness. This is the path Pat Riley lays before us: the humble road that leads not to isolation, but to true and lasting success.