| The Columbia World of Quotations. 1996. |
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| NUMBER: | 65053 |
| QUOTATION: | A week is a long time in politics. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Harold Wilson, Lord Riveaulx (1916–1995), British Labour politician, prime minister. Attributed. quoted in Sayings of the Century, “Prime Ministers: A Word from No. 10,” Nigel Rees (1984).
When asked by Rees in 1977, Wilson was unable to remember when or even if he had uttered this dictum always associated with him. Rees suggests the words were probably said in 1964 shortly after Wilson became prime minister. A journalist recalled Wilson saying, “Forty-eight hours is a long time in politics” at a party conference in 1960. |
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| | | The Columbia World of Quotations. Copyright © 1996 Columbia University Press. |
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