--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The way it had originally worked was that…" description: "\"“The way it had originally worked was that each of the three estates got an equal say: each had an equal number of “deputies” to represent it. This mea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/tom-reiss-15466_proportional_the-way-it-had-originally-worked-was-tha_359298.jpg" --- # The way it had originally worked was that each of the… ![“The way it had originally worked was that each of the three estates got an equal say: each had an equal number of “deputies” to represent it. This meant that the clergy and the nobility together could outvote anything that the rest, collectively known as “the Third Estate,” wanted; the idea of…” quote by Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/tom-reiss-15466_proportional_the-way-it-had-originally-worked-was-tha_359298.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/tom-reiss-15466_proportional_the-way-it-had-originally-worked-was-tha_359298.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/tom-reiss-15466_proportional_the-way-it-had-originally-worked-was-tha_359298.jpg) > ““The way it had originally worked was that each of the three estates got an equal say: each had an equal number of “deputies” to represent it. This meant that the clergy and the nobility together could outvote anything that the rest, collectively known as “the Third Estate,” wanted; the idea of proportional representation—or any meaningful voice for the people—was”” [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) ## 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 describes the historic imbalance where the clergy and nobility could dominate decisions, leaving the Third Estate underrepresented, highlighting the lack of proportional representation for common people. **In simple terms:** The privileged classes could outvote the common people, limiting their influence. Key Takeaway Recognize and address unequal power structures. Themes politics history representation social justice Mood reflective critical inquisitive Type political historical analytical When to use this quote - parliamentary reform - citizen activism - educational curricula - public debates Key Concepts democracy power dynamics elite control Questions to Reflect On - How can modern societies ensure fair representation? - What mechanisms prevent elite dominance today? A Different Perspective The analysis oversimplifies complex historical negotiations and ignores other factors influencing representation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Proportional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proportional/) [Proportional representation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proportional-representation/) ## Related quotes > [I like the idea of a proportional tax. That way you pay according to your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/i-like-the-idea-of-a-proportional-tax-that-way-you-pay-according-to/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [Proportional representation is as British as first-past-the-post.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehdi-hasan/proportional-representation-is-as-british-as-first-past-the-post/) [Mehdi Hasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehdi-hasan/) > [I used to be a fan of proportional representation, but I am not at all now I have seen it in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/i-used-to-be-a-fan-of-proportional-representation-but-i-am-not-at-all/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [Our political system encourages that. We don't have proportional representation. There's little renewal in our political class and it's always the same faces. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-macron/our-political-system-encourages-that-we-don-t-have-proportional/) [Emmanuel Macron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-macron/) > [ \[Proportional representation is a\] device for defeating democracy, the principle of which was that the majority should rule, and for bringing faddists of all… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/proportional-representation-is-a-device-for-defeating-democracy-the/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Mr Hughes's current claim of "bisexuality" has the whiff of artful centrist positioning about it: bi- is the proportional representation of sexuality in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/mr-hughes-s-current-claim-of-bisexuality-has-the-whiff-of-artful/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Like Donald Trump, Trudeau is in high office because of how the system groups and allocates votes. No wonder the Liberals broke their 2015…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macdonald/like-donald-trump-trudeau-is-in-high-office-because-of-how-the-system/) [Neil Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macdonald/) > [Laws and Institutions Must Go Hand in Hand with the Progress of the Human Mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/laws-and-institutions-must-go-hand-in-hand-with-the-progress-of-the/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [“From this standpoint, the role of the market, as already noted, is that it permits unanimity without conformity; that it is a system of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/from-this-standpoint-the-role-of-the-market-as-already-noted-is-that/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [I myself share with the Conservative Party a profound dislike for such fandangles as proportional representation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dalton/i-myself-share-with-the-conservative-party-a-profound-dislike-for/) [Hugh Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dalton/) > [There is no proportional representation requirement in the Equal Protection Clause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/there-is-no-proportional-representation-requirement-in-the-equal/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [We have a Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales, both elected by fairer votes - involving proportional representation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/we-have-a-scottish-parliament-and-national-assembly-for-wales-both/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [I'm just saying that we need to find a better way to manifest the broader society's aspirations, politically. The key to it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bragg/i-m-just-saying-that-we-need-to-find-a-better-way-to-manifest-the/) [Billy Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bragg/) > [Israel's system of proportional representation rarely produces stable government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-raab/israel-s-system-of-proportional-representation-rarely-produces-stable/) [Dominic Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-raab/) > [If we could get proportional representation and open up roles for smaller parties in coalition governments, we could start intentionally breaking down the cult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi-lewis/if-we-could-get-proportional-representation-and-open-up-roles-for/) [Avi Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi-lewis/) ## More by Tom Reiss > [“At first, the Jacobin Club was not the most radical club. It was known for its lively, collegial debates and for attracting diverse and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/at-first-the-jacobin-club-was-not-the-most-radical-club-it-was-known/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“energized and emboldened delegates of the Third Estate, the “99 percent”—in reality, closer to 96 percent—of the French population who paid the bulk of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/energized-and-emboldened-delegates-of-the-third-estate-the-99-percent/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“Suddenly Paris fashion-that bellwether for the French mind-had to be à l'Amérique: tailors manufactured "insurgent coats" and "lightning-conductor dresses" (in honor of Ben Franklin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/suddenly-paris-fashion-that-bellwether-for-the-french-mind-had-to-be/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“The bitter irony was that the financial crisis had largely been caused by French support of the American patriots; in getting back at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/the-bitter-irony-was-that-the-financial-crisis-had-largely-been/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“Man is born free but is everywhere in chains,” wrote Jean-Jacques Rousseau in The Social Contract in 1762. A generation of crusading lawyers put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/man-is-born-free-but-is-everywhere-in-chains-wrote-jean-jacques/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“When they weren’t running meat—or rum—they worked as salt miners or piloted small boats along the coast. These highland Saint-Dominguans, along with more recent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/when-they-weren-t-running-meat-or-rum-they-worked-as-salt-miners-or/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“Unhappiness cannot but draw tighter the bonds which hold us fast to one another," General Dumas had written to Marie-Louise as he made his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/unhappiness-cannot-but-draw-tighter-the-bonds-which-hold-us-fast-to/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“Wednesday, June 17, 1789, France went from a system where only the nobility and the church had power to a system where, at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/wednesday-june-17-1789-france-went-from-a-system-where-only-the/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“in 1788, he had become infatuated by the American republic and its spirit of “simplicity, goodness, and that dignity of man which is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/in-1788-he-had-become-infatuated-by-the-american-republic-and-its/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“Alex Dumas had the confidence that accompanies a life of physical exploits, along with an unwavering faith in the rightness of his actions that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/alex-dumas-had-the-confidence-that-accompanies-a-life-of-physical/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“This mulatto gentleman could powder and dress as he liked, however, because he was acknowledged to be the greatest swordsman in Europe. Over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/this-mulatto-gentleman-could-powder-and-dress-as-he-liked-however/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“the concept, going back to the misty foundations of the nation, that France was the land of the free—that no one should be kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/the-concept-going-back-to-the-misty-foundations-of-the-nation-that/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“Meanwhile, Napoleon’s younger brother, Lucien Bonaparte, had managed to get himself elected to the Council of Five Hundred—and was even made its president. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/meanwhile-napoleon-s-younger-brother-lucien-bonaparte-had-managed-to/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“...the former King Louis XVI, who, after titles were abolished, was now simply called "Louis Capet" - a mocking reference to his distant ancestor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/the-former-king-louis-xvi-who-after-titles-were-abolished-was-now/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“As the Iberian explorers made their way down the African coast—the Portuguese going around the Horn to East Asia, the Spaniards cutting west to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/as-the-iberian-explorers-made-their-way-down-the-african-coast-the/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) [Explore all 43 Tom Reiss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) ## More Proportional quotes > [The rate of growth of the management skills of any country is inversely proportional to the number of MBAs. Germany produces no MBAs, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jairam-ramesh/the-rate-of-growth-of-the-management-skills-of-any-country-is/) [Jairam Ramesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jairam-ramesh/) > [“The distance between your Dreams and Reality is inversely proportional to your Efforts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vineet-raj-kapoor/the-distance-between-your-dreams-and-reality-is-inversely/) [Vineet Raj Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vineet-raj-kapoor/) > [Expactation is directly proportional to disheart .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-abbas/expactation-is-directly-proportional-to-disheart/) Salman Abbas > [Strictly speaking, intensity in the weight training context refers to the amount of work required to achieve the activity and is proportional to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-romaniello/strictly-speaking-intensity-in-the-weight-training-context-refers-to/) [John Romaniello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-romaniello/) > [“Systems of retributive justice work well as long as they are proportional. However, in complex societies, where the State is the arbiter of justice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-waterman/systems-of-retributive-justice-work-well-as-long-as-they-are/) [Daniel Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-waterman/) > [The idea that talent is directly proportional to your trophy cabinet is one I oppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/the-idea-that-talent-is-directly-proportional-to-your-trophy-cabinet/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [The injustice of a government is proportional to the number of its laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-injustice-of-a-government-is-proportional-to-the-number-of-its/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [The amount of time you invest in a film is not directly proportional to its success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-kapoor/the-amount-of-time-you-invest-in-a-film-is-not-directly-proportional/) [Shahid Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-kapoor/) > [I am proportional, and I'm very lucky for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deep-roy/i-am-proportional-and-i-m-very-lucky-for-that/) [Deep Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deep-roy/) > [Money is directly proportional to how much a girl will find you and your nonsense interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stallion5786/money-is-directly-proportional-to-how-much-a-girl-will-find-you-and/) Stallion5786 > [The payoff of a human venture is, in general, inversely proportional to what it is expected to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/the-payoff-of-a-human-venture-is-in-general-inversely-proportional-to/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [The amount of love, kindness, patience I have for others is is directly proportional to how much love I have for myself, because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-moorjani/the-amount-of-love-kindness-patience-i-have-for-others-is-is-directly/) [Anita Moorjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-moorjani/) > [“The lasting sweetness of the wealth obtained is directly proportional to the honesty of its source. Dishonest wealth does not last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-lasting-sweetness-of-the-wealth-obtained-is-directly-proportional/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [There is neither a proportional relationship, nor an inverse one, between a writer’s estimation of a work in progress & its actual quality. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/there-is-neither-a-proportional-relationship-nor-an-inverse-one/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The severity of the itch is proportional to the reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/the-severity-of-the-itch-is-proportional-to-the-reach/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) [Browse all 38 Proportional quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proportional/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The way it had originally worked was that each of the three estates got an equal say: each had an equal number of “deputies” to represent it. 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