Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989.
NUMBER:
800
AUTHOR:
Everett McKinley Dirksen (1896–1969)
QUOTATION:
A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.
ATTRIBUTION:
Attributed to Senator EVERETT M. DIRKSEN by John Kriegsman, confidant of Dirksen’s and one-time Republican official in Illinois. Kriegsman reportedly heard this and similar statements as off-the-cuff remarks during campaigns and meetings in Illinois. This remark does not appear in any formal address or in Dirksen’s papers.
