--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Can I say anything good about Ken…" description: "\"Can I say anything good about Ken Livingstone? A long time ago he did some good things, but I can't now remember what any of them were.\" — Boris Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/boris-johnson-2701_good-thing_can-i-say-anything-good-about-ken-living_841946.jpg" --- # Can I say anything good about Ken Livingstone? A long time… ![“Can I say anything good about Ken Livingstone? A long time ago he did some good things, but I can't now remember what any of them were.” quote by Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/boris-johnson-2701_good-thing_can-i-say-anything-good-about-ken-living_841946.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/boris-johnson-2701_good-thing_can-i-say-anything-good-about-ken-living_841946.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/boris-johnson-2701_good-thing_can-i-say-anything-good-about-ken-living_841946.jpg) > “Can I say anything good about Ken Livingstone? A long time ago he did some good things, but I can't now remember what any of them were.” [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ken Livingstone’s legacy is mixed; past achievements are obscured by current memory gaps. **In simple terms:** Hard to recall his good deeds. Key Takeaway Acknowledge complexity. Themes politics legacy memory Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical political When to use this quote - political discourse - media commentary - historical review Key Concepts public perception historical analysis leadership Questions to Reflect On - What criteria should we use to judge past leaders? - How does current bias affect historical assessment? A Different Perspective Public memory can be selective and biased. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Did Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-good/) [Good Ken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-ken-652029/) [Good thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-thing/) [Good things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-things/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Ken Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ken-livingstone-652027/) [Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/livingstone-652028/) [Livingstone Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/livingstone-long-652030/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Long time ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time-ago/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Say anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-anything/) ## Related quotes > [I ask questions, and a large part of my life has been spent asking questions of Ken Livingstone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-phillips/i-ask-questions-and-a-large-part-of-my-life-has-been-spent-asking/) [Trevor Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-phillips/) > [Ken Livingstone appears incapable of contrition. That is why he must be thrown out of the Labour party. He is so certain he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-phillips/ken-livingstone-appears-incapable-of-contrition-that-is-why-he-must/) [Jess Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-phillips/) > [As a Londoner who delights in the capital's dynamism and diversity, I none the less agree with Ken Livingstone that London hosts too great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-adonis-baron-adonis/as-a-londoner-who-delights-in-the-capital-s-dynamism-and-diversity-i/) [Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-adonis-baron-adonis/) > [I wouldn't vote for Ken Livingstone if he were running for mayor of Toytown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-scargill/i-wouldn-t-vote-for-ken-livingstone-if-he-were-running-for-mayor-of/) [Arthur Scargill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-scargill/) > [“Henry Morton Stanley’s rescue of Dr. David Livingstone”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-rollins/henry-morton-stanley-s-rescue-of-dr-david-livingstone/) [James Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-rollins/) > [You can still sit under the tree where Dr. Livingstone negotiated with slave traders to set people free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-banda/you-can-still-sit-under-the-tree-where-dr-livingstone-negotiated-with/) [Joyce Banda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-banda/) > [Doctor Livingstone, I presume?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-morton-stanley/doctor-livingstone-i-presume/) [Henry Morton Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-morton-stanley/) > [“Livingstone explored for the rest of his life, enduring fevers, torrential rains, animal attacks, threatening tribes, and countless other hardships. Once when asked how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-hannula/livingstone-explored-for-the-rest-of-his-life-enduring-fevers/) [Richard M. Hannula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-hannula/) > [“Livingstone had said sympathy was no substitute for action. That was an essential brick in Bosch’s wall. He had built himself as a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/livingstone-had-said-sympathy-was-no-substitute-for-action-that-was/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [This day last year Livingstone died-a Scotsman and a Christian, loving God and his neighbour in the heart of Africa. Go thou and do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-murdoch-mackay/this-day-last-year-livingstone-died-a-scotsman-and-a-christian-loving/) [Alexander Murdoch Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-murdoch-mackay/) > [If Livingstone don't keep their discipline the inevitable could happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hateley/if-livingstone-don-t-keep-their-discipline-the-inevitable-could-happen/) [Mark Hateley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hateley/) > [I Kenneth Robert Livingstone, having been elected to the office of mayor of London, declare that I take that office upon myself, and will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-livingstone/i-kenneth-robert-livingstone-having-been-elected-to-the-office-of/) [Ken Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-livingstone/) > [I was national amateur champion. I was 24 years old. My father was there, and I couldn't wait to see him, and my mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/i-was-national-amateur-champion-i-was-24-years-old-my-father-was/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [The history of the world shows that when a mean thing was done, man did it; when a good thing was done, man did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/the-history-of-the-world-shows-that-when-a-mean-thing-was-done-man/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“We love people not because for good they did for us, but for good we did for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-love-people-not-because-for-good-they-did-for-us-but-for-good-we/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## More by Boris Johnson > [It's not reasonable for companies that have chief executives and board members who are paid very considerable sums to subsidise low pay through in-work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/it-s-not-reasonable-for-companies-that-have-chief-executives-and/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [The difference between Hitler's speeches and Churchill's speeches was that Hitler made you think he could do anything; Churchill made you think you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/the-difference-between-hitler-s-speeches-and-churchill-s-speeches-was/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [One thing you have got to do politically is to identify the ties that bind society together and try to strengthen them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/one-thing-you-have-got-to-do-politically-is-to-identify-the-ties-that/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [If we get outside the EU, if we leave the EU system, we will be relieved of a huge amount of unnecessary regulation that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/if-we-get-outside-the-eu-if-we-leave-the-eu-system-we-will-be/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [I'm afraid Sadiq Khan is completely wrong. The European Court of Justice is the supreme legal authority in our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/i-m-afraid-sadiq-khan-is-completely-wrong-the-european-court-of/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [I would ban sweets from school - but this pressure to bring in healthy food is too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/i-would-ban-sweets-from-school-but-this-pressure-to-bring-in-healthy/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [As a Scot Gordon Brown will find it hard to convince people in England he should be prime minister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/as-a-scot-gordon-brown-will-find-it-hard-to-convince-people-in/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [He is the resounding human rebuttal to all Marxist historians who think history is the story of vast and impersonal economic forces. The point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/he-is-the-resounding-human-rebuttal-to-all-marxist-historians-who/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [I believe in immigration. But I feel people think it would be better if there was an Australian-style points based system so we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/i-believe-in-immigration-but-i-feel-people-think-it-would-be-better/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [The next Tory leader would have to unify his party and ensure that Britain stood tall in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/the-next-tory-leader-would-have-to-unify-his-party-and-ensure-that/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [This is not a time to quail, it is not a crisis, nor should we see it as an excuse for wobbling or self-doubt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/this-is-not-a-time-to-quail-it-is-not-a-crisis-nor-should-we-see-it/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [Churchill decides from very early on that he will create a political position that is somehow above left and right, embodying the best points…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/churchill-decides-from-very-early-on-that-he-will-create-a-political/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [It is just flipping unbelievable. He is a mixture of Harry Houdini and a greased piglet. He is barely human in his elusiveness. Nailing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/it-is-just-flipping-unbelievable-he-is-a-mixture-of-harry-houdini-and/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [“My hero is the mayor in Jaws . He's a fantastic guy, and he keeps the beaches open, if you remember, even after it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/my-hero-is-the-mayor-in-jaws-he-s-a-fantastic-guy-and-he-keeps-the/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [Hitler showed the evil that could be done by the art of rhetoric. Churchill showed how it could help to save humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/hitler-showed-the-evil-that-could-be-done-by-the-art-of-rhetoric/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) [Explore all 153 Boris Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) ## More Good thing quotes > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [“Of the good things they do many will pass unnoticed, or will even not be considered good at all; but they need not fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/of-the-good-things-they-do-many-will-pass-unnoticed-or-will-even-not/) [Teresa of Ávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/) [Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/) > [It is a sweet thing that we serve a dissatisfied God who has destinations in mind for us that we would never choose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/it-is-a-sweet-thing-that-we-serve-a-dissatisfied-god-who-has/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [“At times, competition can be a good thing. But a person's value isn't something that can be ranked, is it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hotaru-odagiri/at-times-competition-can-be-a-good-thing-but-a-person-s-value-isn-t/) [Hotaru Odagiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hotaru-odagiri/) > [Here are the good things about independent films: They do the more interesting, chancy scripts. They're run by love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/here-are-the-good-things-about-independent-films-they-do-the-more/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [...Gratitude transforms the torment of memory of good things now gone into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/gratitude-transforms-the-torment-of-memory-of-good-things-now-gone/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The absence of judgment becomes a catalyst and an enabler for greater injustice. Contrary to popular thought, judgment is a GOOD thing when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-chace-gordon/the-absence-of-judgment-becomes-a-catalyst-and-an-enabler-for-greater/) [J. Chace Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-chace-gordon/) > [“I took that warm feeling running through my veins as a good thing and embraced the darkness for I knew it was only temporary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cox/i-took-that-warm-feeling-running-through-my-veins-as-a-good-thing-and/) [James Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cox/) > [If good things come to those who wait then I must have something ridiculously awesome coming!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/if-good-things-come-to-those-who-wait-then-i-must-have-something/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [IVE LEARNED THE BEST WAY FOR YOU TO HAVE GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO YOU , ALL THE TIME, IS TO DO GOOD THINGS FOR…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-paul-rose/ive-learned-the-best-way-for-you-to-have-good-things-happen-to-you/) [LEONARD PAUL ROSE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-paul-rose/) > [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [“These are all good things, I said. But no one knows where your country is or who you are. You don't have a familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/these-are-all-good-things-i-said-but-no-one-knows-where-your-country/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [Good things come to those who hustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/good-things-come-to-those-who-hustle/) [Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/) > [Too many good things all seem the same after a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/too-many-good-things-all-seem-the-same-after-a-while/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) [Browse all 6,343 Good thing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-thing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Can I say anything good about Ken Livingstone? A long time ago he did some good things, but I can't now remember what any of them were.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Boris Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/can-i-say-anything-good-about-ken-livingstone-a-long-time-ago-he-did/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good thing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/can-i-say-anything-good-about-ken-livingstone-a-long-time-ago-he-did/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/boris-johnson-2701_good-thing_can-i-say-anything-good-about-ken-living_841946.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/boris-johnson-2701_good-thing_can-i-say-anything-good-about-ken-living_841946.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/boris-johnson-2701_good-thing_can-i-say-anything-good-about-ken-living_841946.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Can I say anything good about Ken Livingstone? A long time ago he did some good things, but I can't now…” — Boris Johnson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Boris Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Can I say anything good about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/can-i-say-anything-good-about-ken-livingstone-a-long-time-ago-he-did/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/can-i-say-anything-good-about-ken-livingstone-a-long-time-ago-he-did/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```