Favorite holding period is “forever”?

From a recent Financial Times article, a screen shot-heavy post. ("Combs" and "Weschler" noted in the screen shots are Warren Buffett's hand-picked Berkshire Hathaway successors.) Many Oracle of Omaha fans like to cite his "favorite holding period" quote (that is, "forever") as a rule to follow. Does reality reflect the oft-cited quote? Spoiler alert: no. Of course this doesn’t negate his genius. But for me it calls into question whether everything he says needs to be taken literally. As many do take his proclamations. Perhaps this is an example of needing to know the rules to best be able to break them.

For my part, I’m a fan of buying strength and selling weakness, however long that means for any individual holding. If I enter and a stock within days implodes, I will exit if the implosion was enough to negate my entry thesis. Which would be that it is a strong stock. However, so long as the stock's action supports my entry thesis, I will hold it. If this is years, so be it. Just as I am not married to any individual stocks, I am not married to a set holding period.