--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Third party politics, at least since La…" description: "\"Third party politics, at least since La Follette, has always had an element of romance.\" — John Kenneth Galbraith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_elements_third-party-politics-at-least-since-la-f_1896540.png" --- # Third party politics, at least since La Follette, has… ![“Third party politics, at least since La Follette, has always had an element of romance.” quote by John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_elements_third-party-politics-at-least-since-la-f_1896540.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_elements_third-party-politics-at-least-since-la-f_1896540.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_elements_third-party-politics-at-least-since-la-f_1896540.png) > “Third party politics, at least since La Follette, has always had an element of romance.” [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Third‑party movements have long carried an idealistic allure despite practical limits. **In simple terms:** Third‑party politics feels romantic. Key Takeaway Embrace the ideal while staying realistic. Themes politics idealism history Mood reflective analytical Type political historical When to use this quote - campaign strategy - grassroots organizing - voter education Key Concepts party systems romanticism political theory Questions to Reflect On - How does idealism affect political engagement? - What practical steps can third parties take? A Different Perspective Romance can mask structural barriers to influence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Follette Element](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follette-element-2771823/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Party Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party-politics-1045085/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics La](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-la-2771824/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Third parties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/third-parties/) [Third party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/third-party/) [Thirds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirds/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [You can have solid third party politics, but the problem is you're all lumped in to all the fringe groups. That's a stereotype that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/you-can-have-solid-third-party-politics-but-the-problem-is-you-re-all/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [Unlike any other player on the board, the press has no oversight, no mandate, few penalties, and even fewer consequences. Because there are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-sanchez/unlike-any-other-player-on-the-board-the-press-has-no-oversight-no/) [Matt Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-sanchez/) > [The interest in life does not lie in what people do, nor even in their relations to each other, but largely in the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-interest-in-life-does-not-lie-in-what-people-do-nor-even-in-their/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Some people say we need a third party. I wish we had a second one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hightower/some-people-say-we-need-a-third-party-i-wish-we-had-a-second-one/) [Jim Hightower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hightower/) > [We exercise great caution in airing an audio- or videotape released by a terrorist organization holding a hostage. These are decisions made by CNN's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-exercise-great-caution-in-airing-an-audio-or-videotape-released-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you work through the existing structures you are going to be corrupted. By working through political system that poisons the atmosphere, even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/if-you-work-through-the-existing-structures-you-are-going-to-be/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Never arbitrate. Arbitration allows a third party to determine your destiny. It is a resort of the weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/never-arbitrate-arbitration-allows-a-third-party-to-determine-your/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) > [Sometimes you can just tell there's something unique about it, but you can never really truly tell until you show it to a third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flume/sometimes-you-can-just-tell-there-s-something-unique-about-it-but-you/) [Flume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flume/) > [We have a complete void of progressive politics in this country right now. The will of the people goes ignored and unrealized. I'm searching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/we-have-a-complete-void-of-progressive-politics-in-this-country-right/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [ The system \[in U.S.\] is designed for a two-party system. And those two parties have an interest in keeping third parties out. There's too… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/the-system-in-u-s-is-designed-for-a-two-party-system-and-those-two/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) > [A lot of people in 2008 voted for Obama. I did not vote for him. I voted for a third party. But I believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/a-lot-of-people-in-2008-voted-for-obama-i-did-not-vote-for-him-i/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [As the longest serving Independent in the history of the United States Congress, as somebody who came into office by defeating an incumbent Democratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/as-the-longest-serving-independent-in-the-history-of-the-united/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Refraining from false speech: speech from the heart. Undertake for one week not to gossip (positively or negatively) or speak about anyone you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/refraining-from-false-speech-speech-from-the-heart-undertake-for-one/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > ["Free markets" is a very general term. There are all sorts of problems that will emerge. Free markets work best when the transaction between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/free-markets-is-a-very-general-term-there-are-all-sorts-of-problems/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [To me, the print business model is so simple, where readers pay a dollar for all the content within, and that supports the enterprise.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/to-me-the-print-business-model-is-so-simple-where-readers-pay-a/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) ## More by John Kenneth Galbraith > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/technology-means-the-systematic-application-of-scientific-or-other/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [“Men can labor to make sense out of single steps toward the goal without ever pausing to reflect that the goal itself is ludicrous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/men-can-labor-to-make-sense-out-of-single-steps-toward-the-goal/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [That one never need to look beyond the love of money for explanation of human behavior is one of the most jealously guarded simplification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/that-one-never-need-to-look-beyond-the-love-of-money-for-explanation/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Agriculture is one economic activity that does not obey the laws of demand and supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/agriculture-is-one-economic-activity-that-does-not-obey-the-laws-of/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [If we were not in Vietnam, all that part of the world would be enjoying the obscurity it so richly deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/if-we-were-not-in-vietnam-all-that-part-of-the-world-would-be/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Washington is a place where men praise courage and act on elaborate personal cost-benefit calculations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/washington-is-a-place-where-men-praise-courage-and-act-on-elaborate/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [World War II revealed two of the enduring features of the Keynesian Revolution. One was the moral difference between spending for welfare and spending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/world-war-ii-revealed-two-of-the-enduring-features-of-the-keynesian/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Money is what fueled the industrial society. But in the informational society, the fuel, the power, is knowledge. One has now come to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/money-is-what-fueled-the-industrial-society-but-in-the-informational/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [While it will be desirable to achieve planned results, it will be even more important to avoid unplanned disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/while-it-will-be-desirable-to-achieve-planned-results-it-will-be-even/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [A bad book is the worse that it cannot repent. It has not been the devil's policy to keep the masses of mankind in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/a-bad-book-is-the-worse-that-it-cannot-repent-it-has-not-been-the/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Genius is a rising stock market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/genius-is-a-rising-stock-market/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Mr. David Stockman has said that supply-side economics was merely a cover for the trickle-down approach to economic policy—what an older and less elegant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/mr-david-stockman-has-said-that-supply-side-economics-was-merely-a/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Inventions that are not made, like babies that are not born, are rarely missed. In the absence of new developments, old ones may seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/inventions-that-are-not-made-like-babies-that-are-not-born-are-rarely/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) [Explore all 434 John Kenneth Galbraith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## More Elements quotes > [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/) [Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) [Edward Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/) > [I avoided nudity unless a film couldn't be told without those scenes. If you look at my films, few of them have that element,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-scacchi/i-avoided-nudity-unless-a-film-couldn-t-be-told-without-those-scenes/) [Greta Scacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-scacchi/) > [I have always been fascinated by the supernatural elements in stories, whether fairy tales, myths, film or literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/i-have-always-been-fascinated-by-the-supernatural-elements-in-stories/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [I find in working always the disturbing intrusion of elements not a part of my most interested vision, and the inevitable obliteration and replacement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-find-in-working-always-the-disturbing-intrusion-of-elements-not-a/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [Music and language are a vital element. We, as actors and directors, offer it to people who want to experience it. Sometimes the actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/music-and-language-are-a-vital-element-we-as-actors-and-directors/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I don't think that writing, real writing, has much to do with affirming belief--if anything it causes rifts and gaps in belief which make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/i-don-t-think-that-writing-real-writing-has-much-to-do-with-affirming/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [To me, the most important elements in a theatre are the actors and the texts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naseeruddin-shah/to-me-the-most-important-elements-in-a-theatre-are-the-actors-and-the/) [Naseeruddin Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naseeruddin-shah/) > [Two elements are needed to form a truth - a fact and an abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/two-elements-are-needed-to-form-a-truth-a-fact-and-an-abstraction/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [In America there is not one single element of civilization that is not made to depend, in the end, upon public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/in-america-there-is-not-one-single-element-of-civilization-that-is/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) [Browse all 3,647 Elements quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Third party politics, at least since La Follette, has always had an element of romance.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Kenneth Galbraith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/third-party-politics-at-least-since-la-follette-has-always-had-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Elements" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/third-party-politics-at-least-since-la-follette-has-always-had-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_elements_third-party-politics-at-least-since-la-f_1896540.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_elements_third-party-politics-at-least-since-la-f_1896540.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_elements_third-party-politics-at-least-since-la-f_1896540.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Third party politics, at least since La Follette, has always had an element of romance.” — John Kenneth Galbraith", "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": "John Kenneth Galbraith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Third party politics, at least since...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/third-party-politics-at-least-since-la-follette-has-always-had-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/third-party-politics-at-least-since-la-follette-has-always-had-an/#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 } } ] } ```