About this quote

Genuine devotion to one's own language and identity can outlast a more powerful tongue imposed from outside. When a people hold to what is theirs, the borrowed prestige of the dominant culture loses its grip, and the imposed standard quietly gives way to homegrown loyalty.

When to use it

• An immigrant family keeping their mother tongue alive at home despite pressure to speak only the majority language.
• A region preserving its local crafts and dialect instead of adopting a chain-store sameness.
• Students holding on to their hometown identity rather than erasing it to blend in at a new school.