I get a long time out of a set of brakes, because I use them as little as possible, but I still want brakes on anything I drive or ride. When you need them, you need them.
Brake management. Absolutely!
As a trucker, I’ve been known to my employers as being especially easy on the brakes. Safe spacing (hard to do sometimes), down shifting, jake (exhaust) braking where permitted, are keys to long brake component life.