--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the political front, of course it's a…" description: "\"On the political front, of course it's a zero-sum game. If it's all white males holding positions, you bring 10 women in, then it's, 'Women are coming!..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53e/jesse-jackson-1161_chairs_on-the-political-front-of-course-it-s-a_2301802.jpg" --- # On the political front, of course it's a zero-sum game. If… ![“On the political front, of course it's a zero-sum game. If it's all white males holding positions, you bring 10 women in, then it's, 'Women are coming!' Get 10 blacks and it's, 'Blacks are coming!' 'Hispanics are coming!' Zero-sum game. The seatmates might change but the chairs don't move. In the…” quote by Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53e/jesse-jackson-1161_chairs_on-the-political-front-of-course-it-s-a_2301802.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53e/jesse-jackson-1161_chairs_on-the-political-front-of-course-it-s-a_2301802.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53e/jesse-jackson-1161_chairs_on-the-political-front-of-course-it-s-a_2301802.jpg) > “On the political front, of course it's a zero-sum game. If it's all white males holding positions, you bring 10 women in, then it's, 'Women are coming!' Get 10 blacks and it's, 'Blacks are coming!' 'Hispanics are coming!' Zero-sum game. The seatmates might change but the chairs don't move. In the economy, the number of chairs can actually increase.” [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote frames demographic changes in power as a zero‑sum competition, implying that adding under‑represented groups merely replaces existing ones without expanding opportunities. **In simple terms:** Adding diverse groups is seen as a win‑lose shift rather than growth. Key Takeaway Recognize that representation can expand the pool, not just replace. Themes diversity politics inequality representation power dynamics Mood concerned critical thoughtful Type analytical political When to use this quote - hiring policies - political campaigns - corporate board composition - public policy debates - educational admissions Key Concepts zero‑sum thinking structural inequality social change Questions to Reflect On - How can we shift from zero‑sum to collaborative frameworks? - What policies can expand the “chairs” for everyone? A Different Perspective Assumes limited resources and ignores potential for overall growth and collaboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chairs/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Fronts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fronts/) [Game Seatmates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game-seatmates-5442740/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Increase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increase/) [Males](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/males/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Number Chairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/number-chairs-5442739/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position/) [Seatmates Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seatmates-change-5442741/) [Sum Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sum-game-1253808/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [Zero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zero/) [Zero Sum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zero-sum-805504/) [Zero sum game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zero-sum-game/) ## Related quotes > [Life is a zero sum game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/life-is-a-zero-sum-game/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Competition for status is a zero sum game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-layard-baron-layard/competition-for-status-is-a-zero-sum-game/) [Richard Layard, Baron Layard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-layard-baron-layard/) > [In a zero-sum game, the problem is entirely one of distribution, not at all one of production.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-waltz/in-a-zero-sum-game-the-problem-is-entirely-one-of-distribution-not-at/) [Kenneth Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-waltz/) > [Death is a zero sum game for which there is no cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/death-is-a-zero-sum-game-for-which-there-is-no-cure/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Much of our national debate proceeds as if China and America were locked in a zero-sum game in which one's loss is precisely the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/much-of-our-national-debate-proceeds-as-if-china-and-america-were/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [Part of the game of investing is to come into your own. You must find some way that perfectly fits your personality because there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/part-of-the-game-of-investing-is-to-come-into-your-own-you-must-find/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [Active management is a zero-sum game before cost, and the winners have to win at the expense of the losers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-fama/active-management-is-a-zero-sum-game-before-cost-and-the-winners-have/) [Eugene Fama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-fama/) > [It is not a zero sum game. The simple idea of the gains from trade lies at the heart of the modern and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/it-is-not-a-zero-sum-game-the-simple-idea-of-the-gains-from-trade/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) > [I don't look at business as a zero-sum game. I don't. I've never seen it play out that way in our industry, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/i-don-t-look-at-business-as-a-zero-sum-game-i-don-t-i-ve-never-seen/) [Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/) > [The discussion of derivatives in the political world has become a zero sum game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-himes/the-discussion-of-derivatives-in-the-political-world-has-become-a/) [Jim Himes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-himes/) > [The outcome of a non-constant-sum game may be dictated by the individual rationality of the respective players without satisfying a criterion of collective rationality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatol-rapoport/the-outcome-of-a-non-constant-sum-game-may-be-dictated-by-the/) [Anatol Rapoport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatol-rapoport/) > [You can sum up the game of baseball in one word: 'You never know.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-andujar/you-can-sum-up-the-game-of-baseball-in-one-word-you-never-know/) [Joaquin Andujar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-andujar/) > [“A positive-sum game is a scenario in which agents have choices that can improve the lots of both of them at the same time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/a-positive-sum-game-is-a-scenario-in-which-agents-have-choices-that/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [We act like a zero-sum society, when in reality there is a lot of non zero-sum fat to be skimmed off to everyone's mutual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-raiffa/we-act-like-a-zero-sum-society-when-in-reality-there-is-a-lot-of-non/) [Howard Raiffa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-raiffa/) > [“Fair-minded people avoid zero-sum games in which one-person’s win translates into another person’s loss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/fair-minded-people-avoid-zero-sum-games-in-which-one-person-s-win/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) ## More by Jesse Jackson > [If my mind can conceive it ,and my heart can believe it,i known I can achieve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/if-my-mind-can-conceive-it-and-my-heart-can-believe-it-i-known-i-can/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [We reveal our joys and successes, we conceal our pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/we-reveal-our-joys-and-successes-we-conceal-our-pain/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [We blacks were the first people embracing Obama, long before the people at expensive fundraisers were supporting him. We gave him his first love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/we-blacks-were-the-first-people-embracing-obama-long-before-the/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [The coffers are full of money and equipment for the Ferguson Police and the Missouri National Guard to put down a potential uprising, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/the-coffers-are-full-of-money-and-equipment-for-the-ferguson-police/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. The absence of noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/many-are-observing-ferguson-and-witnessing-the-anger-demonstrations/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [What's good for the very rich might not be good for anybody but them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/what-s-good-for-the-very-rich-might-not-be-good-for-anybody-but-them/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Those who have the most wealth and the most property, their children have the first, the best, and the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/those-who-have-the-most-wealth-and-the-most-property-their-children/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Most blacks will argue that they excel because of hard work, because of intellect, determination, sweat, blood, tears and risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/most-blacks-will-argue-that-they-excel-because-of-hard-work-because/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Pictures can live in one's memory. That's why they are important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/pictures-can-live-in-one-s-memory-that-s-why-they-are-important/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [A check or credit card, a Gucci bag strap, anything of value will do. Give as you live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/a-check-or-credit-card-a-gucci-bag-strap-anything-of-value-will-do/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [When they wrote the Constitution, only white male landowners had the right to vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/when-they-wrote-the-constitution-only-white-male-landowners-had-the/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [I'm too mature to be angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/i-m-too-mature-to-be-angry/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [We picked their cotton. We cooked their food. We nursed their babies. Now we can run their cities. We can run their states. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/we-picked-their-cotton-we-cooked-their-food-we-nursed-their-babies/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [There are clear patterns of discrimination against Blacks and Latinos. The big banks targeted Blacks and Latinos with toxic packages of subprime predatory lending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/there-are-clear-patterns-of-discrimination-against-blacks-and-latinos/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Few would deny that blacks have become very dominant in athletics: football, basketball, track, now dominant in tennis and dominant in golf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/few-would-deny-that-blacks-have-become-very-dominant-in-athletics/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) [Explore all 281 Jesse Jackson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) ## More Chairs quotes > [“Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/yes-when-i-get-big-and-have-my-own-home-no-plush-chairs-and-lace/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Forget the noose. Forget the Iron Maiden. Forget the electric chair or the guillotine. The mind was mankind's most painful torture chamber, the blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/forget-the-noose-forget-the-iron-maiden-forget-the-electric-chair-or/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [I thought being in the wheelchair might be kind of limiting for me as an actor. It turned out cool in a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/i-thought-being-in-the-wheelchair-might-be-kind-of-limiting-for-me-as/) [Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/) > [Now know I well what people sought formerly above all else when they sought Teachers of virtue. Good sleep they sought for themselves, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/now-know-i-well-what-people-sought-formerly-above-all-else-when-they/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Keelhaul the poets in the vestry chairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-shapiro/keelhaul-the-poets-in-the-vestry-chairs/) [Karl Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-shapiro/) > [He's earned all his money himself, with his fists. He didn't steal it like the rest of our politicians. And he'll be less tempted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitali-klitschko/he-s-earned-all-his-money-himself-with-his-fists-he-didn-t-steal-it/) [Vitali Klitschko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitali-klitschko/) > [Dentists tell you not to pick your teeth with any sharp metal object. Then you sit in their chair and the first thing they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/dentists-tell-you-not-to-pick-your-teeth-with-any-sharp-metal-object/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Once I was in a restaurant and I dropped my fork on the floor, and they gave me a new fork. So I pushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/once-i-was-in-a-restaurant-and-i-dropped-my-fork-on-the-floor-and/) [Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/) > [I'm not a big hijinker. I'm a big sit-in-my-chair-and-read-a-book-er.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/i-m-not-a-big-hijinker-i-m-a-big-sit-in-my-chair-and-read-a-book-er/) [Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/) > [Show some mercy to this chair which has stretched out its arms to you for so long; please satisfy its desire to embrace you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/show-some-mercy-to-this-chair-which-has-stretched-out-its-arms-to-you/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [I'm agnostic because I went through the usual process of parents insisting you go to church, and yet they didn't. So there's me, sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/i-m-agnostic-because-i-went-through-the-usual-process-of-parents/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [Of course, when we got home, we found that Dagda had peed on my down comforter. He had also eaten part of Mom's maidenhair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-tiernan/of-course-when-we-got-home-we-found-that-dagda-had-peed-on-my-down/) [Cate Tiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-tiernan/) [Browse all 1,120 Chairs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chairs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "On the political front, of course it's a zero-sum game. If it's all white males holding positions, you bring 10 women in, then it's, 'Women are coming!' Get 10 blacks and it's, 'Blacks are coming!' 'Hispanics are coming!' Zero-sum game. The seatmates might change but the chairs don't move. In the economy, the number of chairs can actually increase.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jesse Jackson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/on-the-political-front-of-course-it-s-a-zero-sum-game-if-it-s-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chairs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/on-the-political-front-of-course-it-s-a-zero-sum-game-if-it-s-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53e/jesse-jackson-1161_chairs_on-the-political-front-of-course-it-s-a_2301802.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53e/jesse-jackson-1161_chairs_on-the-political-front-of-course-it-s-a_2301802.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53e/jesse-jackson-1161_chairs_on-the-political-front-of-course-it-s-a_2301802.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“On the political front, of course it's a zero-sum game. If it's all white males holding positions, you bring…” — Jesse Jackson", "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": "Jesse Jackson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "On the political front, of course...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/on-the-political-front-of-course-it-s-a-zero-sum-game-if-it-s-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/on-the-political-front-of-course-it-s-a-zero-sum-game-if-it-s-all/#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 } } ] } ```