--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is nothing so marginal as a party…" description: "\"There is nothing so marginal as a party that has been in power for 18 years and slides into opposition. You influence nothing.\" — Sebastian Coe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/sebastian-coe-8305_been_there-is-nothing-so-marginal-as-a-party_1452820.png" --- # There is nothing so marginal as a party that has been in… ![“There is nothing so marginal as a party that has been in power for 18 years and slides into opposition. You influence nothing.” quote by Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/sebastian-coe-8305_been_there-is-nothing-so-marginal-as-a-party_1452820.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/sebastian-coe-8305_been_there-is-nothing-so-marginal-as-a-party_1452820.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/sebastian-coe-8305_been_there-is-nothing-so-marginal-as-a-party_1452820.png) > “There is nothing so marginal as a party that has been in power for 18 years and slides into opposition. You influence nothing.” [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Long‑standing power can become complacent, making opposition ineffective and influence negligible. **In simple terms:** Power erodes relevance over time. Key Takeaway Seek fresh perspectives to stay impactful. Themes politics power complacency Mood critical analytical Type political observational When to use this quote - government leadership - activist movements - policy reform - election cycles Key Concepts institutional inertia democratic decay Questions to Reflect On - What can entrenched parties do to stay relevant? - How can opposition become more effective? A Different Perspective Even opposition can be powerless without renewal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Marginal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marginal/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Opposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposition/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [In making the great experiment of governing people by consent rather than by coercion, it is not sufficient that the party in power should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/in-making-the-great-experiment-of-governing-people-by-consent-rather/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [We are in a period when old questions are settled and the new are not yet brought forward. Extreme party action, if continued in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/we-are-in-a-period-when-old-questions-are-settled-and-the-new-are-not/) [Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/) > [Frequently people just vote for the party out of power because they're disappointed or angry at what is happening at the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/frequently-people-just-vote-for-the-party-out-of-power-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If you elect a religious party into power, you no longer have a democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maysoon-zayid/if-you-elect-a-religious-party-into-power-you-no-longer-have-a/) [Maysoon Zayid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maysoon-zayid/) > [You don't have to wait till your party's in power to have an impact on life at home and around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/you-don-t-have-to-wait-till-your-party-s-in-power-to-have-an-impact/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [“Long habit had accustomed the American people to the notion of a party in power, and of a President as its creature and organ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/long-habit-had-accustomed-the-american-people-to-the-notion-of-a/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [“Now constipation was quite a different matter...It would be dreadful for the whole world to know about troubles of that nature. She felt terribly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/now-constipation-was-quite-a-different-matter-it-would-be-dreadful/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [ I don't hear any clear, coherent message \[from Democrats\]. I mean, when you're a party out of power, it's the time to be a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/i-don-t-hear-any-clear-coherent-message-from-democrats-i-mean-when/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [ \[W\]hen you align yourself exclusively with one party, and weaponize yourself in that party's cause, you're going to pay the price when the other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-reynolds/w-hen-you-align-yourself-exclusively-with-one-party-and-weaponize/) [Glenn Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-reynolds/) > [With Keir Starmer's leadership, we have shown the strength and determination to change the Labour party. In power, we will show the strength and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-reeves/with-keir-starmer-s-leadership-we-have-shown-the-strength-and/) [Rachel Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-reeves/) > [Without allegiance to the Constitution it doesn't matter one hill of beans which party is in power!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-baldwin/without-allegiance-to-the-constitution-it-doesn-t-matter-one-hill-of/) [Chuck Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-baldwin/) > [Our national political campaigns never stop. We seem convinced that majorities exist to impose their will with few concessions and that minorities exist to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/our-national-political-campaigns-never-stop-we-seem-convinced-that/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [The state is not an organism capable of bringing either moral or material improvements to the populace...but merely a vehicle of power for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/the-state-is-not-an-organism-capable-of-bringing-either-moral-or/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [The strategy of any party would be to see how best it can defeat the party in power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-sitharaman/the-strategy-of-any-party-would-be-to-see-how-best-it-can-defeat-the/) [Nirmala Sitharaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-sitharaman/) > [I'm a legislator, but it's hard to legislate when my party's out of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/i-m-a-legislator-but-it-s-hard-to-legislate-when-my-party-s-out-of/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) ## More by Sebastian Coe > [Sport was an integral part of school life. The most influential teachers were not necessarily the PE teachers, but the teachers who helped me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/sport-was-an-integral-part-of-school-life-the-most-influential/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Marathons don't come to you overnight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/marathons-don-t-come-to-you-overnight/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Blink and you miss a sprint. The 10,000 meters is lap after lap of waiting. Theatrically, the mile is just the right length: beginning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/blink-and-you-miss-a-sprint-the-10-000-meters-is-lap-after-lap-of/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Competing is exciting and winning is exhilarating, but the true prize will always be the self-knowledge and understanding that you have gained along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/competing-is-exciting-and-winning-is-exhilarating-but-the-true-prize/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [I don't think I am a workaholic. I prefer to keep busy. It is better than the alternative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-don-t-think-i-am-a-workaholic-i-prefer-to-keep-busy-it-is-better/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [I will go to my grave believing that participation is best driven by the well-stocked shop window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-will-go-to-my-grave-believing-that-participation-is-best-driven-by/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Tomorrow is another day, and there will be another battle!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/tomorrow-is-another-day-and-there-will-be-another-battle/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [I'm probably one of the few people who can say I did all three types of state sector schooling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-m-probably-one-of-the-few-people-who-can-say-i-did-all-three-types/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [If you lived in Sheffield and were called Sebastian, you had to learn to run fast at a very early stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/if-you-lived-in-sheffield-and-were-called-sebastian-you-had-to-learn/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [I believed that we had to answer the question: Why are we doing this? And it wasn’t until we started to articulate, internally as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-believed-that-we-had-to-answer-the-question-why-are-we-doing-this/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Everybody recognises that giving young people competitive outlet through sport is a very good thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/everybody-recognises-that-giving-young-people-competitive-outlet/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [You hope all good athletes run on the balls of their feet. You don't want them coming down heel first. The perfect style is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/you-hope-all-good-athletes-run-on-the-balls-of-their-feet-you-don-t/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Football was not what I was put on this planet to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/football-was-not-what-i-was-put-on-this-planet-to-do/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [To anyone who has started out on a long campaign believing that the gold medal was destined for him, the feeling when, all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/to-anyone-who-has-started-out-on-a-long-campaign-believing-that-the/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Getting the Games for London has been the fulfilment of a dream. It is one which I truly believe can change the lives of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/getting-the-games-for-london-has-been-the-fulfilment-of-a-dream-it-is/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) [Explore all 82 Sebastian Coe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) ## More Been quotes > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) Browse all 13,699 Been quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is nothing so marginal as a party that has been in power for 18 years and slides into opposition. 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