There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.
Probably a misappropriation in a Guardian op-ed written by British politician George Galloway in 2001.
There are years, centuries, in which nothing happens, and there are days, like yesterday, into which a whole lifetime is compressed.
The earliest published version—and one that more closely resembles the version in the claim—was published in 1908, during Lenin’s lifetime, although there is still no evidence to link it to Lenin himself. This version was published in “The Devil,” a novel by Dutch-American author Adriaan Schade van Westrum.
Centuries pass when nothing happens, and then in a few short years events of such importance take place that the world is never the same again.
Fantasy author David Eddings included this close variant in his novel “Pawn of Prophecy” published in 1982.
There are centuries in which nothing happens and years in which centuries pass.
From Mexican poet Homero Aridjis’ poem “Sefarad, 1492,” which was written in 1990.
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Clipped From: Lenin Said, ‘There Are Decades Where Nothing Happens’ and ‘Weeks Where Decades Happen’?
Date Added: March 17, 2025
Tags: quotations
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