---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Four years in the White House and two…"
description: "\"Four years in the White House and two presidential campaigns is an awful long time. In politics, every year in the White House is like dog years, six y..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/583/george-stephanopoulos-7418_awful_four-years-in-the-white-house-and-two-pr_1718742.png"
---

#  Four years in the White House and two presidential…

![“Four years in the White House and two presidential campaigns is an awful long time. In politics, every year in the White House is like dog years, six years off your life.” quote by George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/583/george-stephanopoulos-7418_awful_four-years-in-the-white-house-and-two-pr_1718742.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/583/george-stephanopoulos-7418_awful_four-years-in-the-white-house-and-two-pr_1718742.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/583/george-stephanopoulos-7418_awful_four-years-in-the-white-house-and-two-pr_1718742.png)

> “Four years in the White House and two presidential campaigns is an awful long time. In politics, every year in the White House is like dog years, six years off your life.”

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Long tenure in the White House feels like multiple lifetimes, reducing personal time.

**In simple terms:** White House years feel like dog years.

Key Takeaway

Consider work‑life balance in politics.

Themes

politics career longevity personal cost

Mood

reflective concerned

Type

analytical thoughtful

When to use this quote

- political staff
- elected officials
- campaign managers

Key Concepts

time perception burnout

Questions to Reflect On

- Is long service beneficial or harmful?
- How can leaders mitigate personal sacrifice?

A Different Perspective

Longevity can lead to fatigue and diminished effectiveness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Awful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/) [Campaigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaigns/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Dog Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog-years-419763/) [Every](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/off/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-year-281676/) [Presidential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidential/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-house/) [Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/year/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-life/) [Years Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-years-1217317/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/)

## Related quotes

> [In politics, every year in the White House is like dog years, it takes off seven years of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/in-politics-every-year-in-the-white-house-is-like-dog-years-it-takes/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [The only problem is whether one adds life to one's years or years to one's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-parrott/the-only-problem-is-whether-one-adds-life-to-one-s-years-or-years-to/)

[Ursula Parrott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-parrott/)

> [I'm not driven to get back into politics. It's not on my top five things to do before I die, but saying that, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-watts/i-m-not-driven-to-get-back-into-politics-it-s-not-on-my-top-five/)

[J. C. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-watts/)

> [No wonder Americans hate politics, when year in, year out, they hear politicians make promises that won't come true because they don't even mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-clinton/no-wonder-americans-hate-politics-when-year-in-year-out-they-hear/)

[Bill Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-clinton/)

> [No wonder Americans hate politics when, year in and year out, they hear politicians make promises that won't come true because they don't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/no-wonder-americans-hate-politics-when-year-in-and-year-out-they-hear/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [I haven't killed anyone on television in years and years. Must have been twenty something years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-macleod/i-haven-t-killed-anyone-on-television-in-years-and-years-must-have/)

[Gavin MacLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-macleod/)

> [“I haven't been on a first date over five years. Five. Years. Which means, I haven't been on one since 2006. Let me take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elodia-strain/i-haven-t-been-on-a-first-date-over-five-years-five-years-which-means/)

[Elodia Strain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elodia-strain/)

> [Some people are happy to work in a particular domain or some field of computer science for years, and years. I personally like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-dean/some-people-are-happy-to-work-in-a-particular-domain-or-some-field-of/)

[Jeff Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-dean/)

> [Having a great time YEARS AND YEARS ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myself-jeremy-renner/having-a-great-time-years-and-years-ago/)

[Myself Jeremy Renner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myself-jeremy-renner/)

> [I have been working on two problems for three years: one of them for 8 or 9 years, and one of them for 3, 4, 5 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitfield-diffie/i-have-been-working-on-two-problems-for-three-years-one-of-them-for-8/)

[Whitfield Diffie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitfield-diffie/)

> [I've been in TV for years and years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-cheban/i-ve-been-in-tv-for-years-and-years/)

[Jonathan Cheban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-cheban/)

> [“Imagine 4 years. Four years, two suicides, one death, one rape, two pregnancies (one abortion), three overdoses, countless drunken antics, pantsings, spilled food, theft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/imagine-4-years-four-years-two-suicides-one-death-one-rape-two/)

[Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/)

> [This is the music business. 'Five years is five hundred years' - your words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/this-is-the-music-business-five-years-is-five-hundred-years-your-words/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [For years and years I have done the work I was born for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-larkin/for-years-and-years-i-have-done-the-work-i-was-born-for/)

[James Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-larkin/)

> [Me in the middle! years and years ago!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-in-the-middle-years-and-years-ago/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by George Stephanopoulos

> [There's a statement from several members of the Senate, both Democrats and Republicans, including the Democratic leader, Charles Schumer; John McCain, the chair of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/there-s-a-statement-from-several-members-of-the-senate-both-democrats/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ Soon the Oval Office will be his \[ Donald Trump\] office, his home. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/soon-the-oval-office-will-be-his-donald-trump-office-his-home/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ \[Donald Trump\] he has pulled off something that no one believed he could do. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/donald-trump-he-has-pulled-off-something-that-no-one-believed-he/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ Let's look at what Donald Trump is now \[in November 2016\] saying. He's saying he wants to repeal and replace ObamaCare. He is also… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/let-s-look-at-what-donald-trump-is-now-in-november-2016-saying-he-s/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [Well, I did say we'll put it out and we'll put it out when we can. But I don't know what we can put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/well-i-did-say-we-ll-put-it-out-and-we-ll-put-it-out-when-we-can-but/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ \[Donald Trump\] respect for the Republican leaders he denounced. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/donald-trump-respect-for-the-republican-leaders-he-denounced/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ We learned that President-elect \[Donald\] Trump intends to keep his executive producer title on Celebrity Apprentice. We know he's going to come out later… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/we-learned-that-president-elect-donald-trump-intends-to-keep-his/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [It's going to be a long, hot summer. The hotter it gets in Baghdad, the hotter it will get in D.C.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/it-s-going-to-be-a-long-hot-summer-the-hotter-it-gets-in-baghdad-the/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ They \[President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton\] have said that everybody should root for the success of President-Elect \[Donald\] Trump, but what about -… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/they-president-barack-obama-and-hillary-clinton-have-said-that/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ \[Possible Attorney General\] that's a discussion I'd like to have with \[Donald Trump\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/possible-attorney-general-that-s-a-discussion-i-d-like-to-have-with/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ A lot of that will depend on who the person is on \[Donald\] Trump's, you know, right hand side, whether it's \[Stephen\] Bannon or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/a-lot-of-that-will-depend-on-who-the-person-is-on-donald-trump-s-you/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ I think \[Republicans\] would really like to rip up that \[Iran nuclear agreement\] and get a new one, but that's going to be very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/i-think-republicans-would-really-like-to-rip-up-that-iran-nuclear/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [“The president has kept all the promises he intended to keep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/the-president-has-kept-all-the-promises-he-intended-to-keep/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [From his moment of victory, a kinder, gentler Donald Trump - praise for the opponent he promised to jail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/from-his-moment-of-victory-a-kinder-gentler-donald-trump-praise-for/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ But away from the rituals of Washington, alongside the elation of \[Donald\] Trump supporters, there is deep anxiety, anger and fear. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/but-away-from-the-rituals-of-washington-alongside-the-elation-of/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

[Explore all 91 George Stephanopoulos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

## More Awful quotes

> [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/)

[Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/)

> [I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/i-spent-two-years-in-palo-alto-what-an-awful-suffocating-place-for/)

[Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/)

> [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. "I have wanted to, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/layla-brought-her-arms-around-herself-no-doubt-because-she-was/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [You've seen the first issue and what happened in the last page. Some pretty awful stuff. I don't know why I seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-shalvey/you-ve-seen-the-first-issue-and-what-happened-in-the-last-page-some/)

[Declan Shalvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-shalvey/)

> [It is not like studying German, where you mull along, in a groping, uncertain way, for thirty years; and at last, just as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-not-like-studying-german-where-you-mull-along-in-a-groping/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [There was a special challenge in describing the awful childhood of a person who happens to be my own husband. It was very painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/there-was-a-special-challenge-in-describing-the-awful-childhood-of-a/)

[Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/)

> [On balance the moral influence of religion has been awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/on-balance-the-moral-influence-of-religion-has-been-awful/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [When you finish a poem, it clicks shut like the top of a jewel box, but prose is endless. I haven't experienced an awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/when-you-finish-a-poem-it-clicks-shut-like-the-top-of-a-jewel-box-but/)

[Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/)

> [Fascism: awful stench of saw and axe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-leiris/fascism-awful-stench-of-saw-and-axe/)

[Michel Leiris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-leiris/)

> [No one with a bad tie is getting my vote. Some Lib Dems wear the most shockingly awful ties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-fox/no-one-with-a-bad-tie-is-getting-my-vote-some-lib-dems-wear-the-most/)

[Freddie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-fox/)

> [“Here she was back in the brightly lit world she had been avoiding for twenty years, and it was exactly as awful as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/here-she-was-back-in-the-brightly-lit-world-she-had-been-avoiding-for/)

[Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/)

> [I'm pretty indiscriminating, and I have awful taste, generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-m-pretty-indiscriminating-and-i-have-awful-taste-generally/)

[Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/)

> [The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-blessed-religion-revealed-in-the-word-of-god-will-remain-an/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [“I am awful. I am heartless. I am scared that these things are actually true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-am-awful-i-am-heartless-i-am-scared-that-these-things-are-actually/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it's the best system we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/democracy-is-an-awful-way-to-run-a-country-but-it-s-the-best-system/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

[Browse all 1,826 Awful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Four years in the White House and two presidential campaigns is an awful long time. In politics, every year in the White House is like dog years, six years off your life.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Stephanopoulos"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/four-years-in-the-white-house-and-two-presidential-campaigns-is-an/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Awful"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/four-years-in-the-white-house-and-two-presidential-campaigns-is-an/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/583/george-stephanopoulos-7418_awful_four-years-in-the-white-house-and-two-pr_1718742.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/583/george-stephanopoulos-7418_awful_four-years-in-the-white-house-and-two-pr_1718742.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/583/george-stephanopoulos-7418_awful_four-years-in-the-white-house-and-two-pr_1718742.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Four years in the White House and two presidential campaigns is an awful long time. In politics, every year…” — George Stephanopoulos",
                "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": "George Stephanopoulos",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Four years in the White House...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/four-years-in-the-white-house-and-two-presidential-campaigns-is-an/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/four-years-in-the-white-house-and-two-presidential-campaigns-is-an/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
