“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.”
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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: Attributed to Gandhi on Indian vernacular languages and education (Young India era); no dated primary pinned in this review.
About this quote
When people trade their own language or roots for a borrowed, higher-status one, the loss is rarely practical — it's a quiet confession that they've stopped believing their own is good enough. That erosion of self-respect tends to spread, hollowing out far more than speech.
When to use it
- A community that quietly stops teaching its heritage language until only the grandparents still speak it.
- A small brand that abandons its own voice to mimic a bigger rival and ends up sounding like no one.
- A young worker who hides their accent and hometown, treating where they came from as something to apologize for.