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Origin of 'If you're not at the table, you're on the menu' proverb

The phrase's origin is unknown and contested, with multiple attributions since the 1990s. It has been used across politics, business, and advocacy to warn that absence from decision-making invites exploitation.

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Jan 12, 2026
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If you're not sitting at the table you're on the menu

The aphorism “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu” is a modern proverb used to warn that absence from decision-making invites exploitation; its precise origin is unknown and contested, with...