“If we have lost faith in our vernaculars, it is a sign of want of faith in ourselves; it is the surest sign of decay. And no scheme of self-government, however benevolently or generously it may be bestowed upon us, will ever make us a self-governing nation, if we have no respect for the languages our mothers speak.”
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Probable attribution
This saying is widely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, but the attribution is not supported by a reliable primary source.
Likely origin: Gandhi's advocacy for Indian vernaculars/mother tongue in education (BHU-era speeches and related writings, c.1916-1917).
About this quote
Abandoning your mother tongue for a more prestigious language, the argument runs, signals a quiet loss of confidence in yourself, and a people that doesn't trust its own speech can never truly govern itself. Language and self-respect turn out to be the same thread pulled from two ends.
When to use it
- A community starts teaching children in their home language again, and the kids grow more confident, not less.
- A regional writer keeps publishing in her local tongue rather than switching to a global one for prestige.
- A family that had drifted to speaking only the 'better' language revives its own at the dinner table.