diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 35977b5691e..66d05ec801e 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -31,8 +31,7 @@ INSTALL=	@INSTALL@
 
 # Install prefixes are treated specially by the configure script:
 # it only changes these lines if it has received a --prefix=... or
-# --exec-prefix-... command line option, or if it has figured out
-# a value by searching for python in $PATH.  Note that $(prefix) is
+# --exec-prefix=... command line option.  Note that $(prefix) is
 # also used when compiling config.c in Modules to set the default
 # module search path, so if you change it later be sure to change it
 # there too and rebuild.
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index a09bfa027ec..875647e7e4b 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -316,22 +316,6 @@ ac_ext=c
 ac_cpp='${CPP} $CFLAGS'
 ac_compile='${CC-cc} $CFLAGS $LDFLAGS conftest.${ac_ext} -o conftest $LIBS >/dev/null 2>&1'
 
-if test -z "$prefix"
-then
-  test -n "$silent" || echo "checking for python to derive installation directory prefix"
-  IFS="${IFS= 	}"; ac_save_ifs="$IFS"; IFS="$IFS:"
-  for ac_dir in $PATH; do
-    test -z "$ac_dir" && ac_dir=.
-    if test $ac_dir != . && test -f $ac_dir/python; then
-      # Not all systems have dirname.
-      prefix=`echo $ac_dir|sed 's%/[^/][^/]*$%%'`
-      break
-    fi
-  done
-  IFS="$ac_save_ifs"
-  test -n "$verbose" && echo "	chose installation directory prefix ${prefix}"
-fi
-
 # Don't suppress compiler output when --verbose is specified
 test -n "$verbose" &&
 	ac_compile=`echo "$ac_compile" | sed "s|>/dev/null 2>&1||"`
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 3e0aabf64ad..6eb0ec80904 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ dnl Process this file with autoconf 1.8 or later to produce a configure script.
 AC_REVISION($Revision$)dnl
 AC_PREREQ(1.8)dnl
 AC_INIT(Include/object.h)
-AC_PREFIX(python)
 AC_CONFIG_HEADER(config.h)dnl
 # Don't suppress compiler output when --verbose is specified
 test -n "$verbose" &&