“The Jews of Middle and Eastern Europe, who are scattered in all parts of the world, finding it necessary to have a common tongue for mutual intercourse, have raised Yiddish to the status of a language, and have succeeded in translating into Yiddish the best books to be found in the world's literature.”
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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: Plausibly from Gandhi's writings on the Jewish people (Harijan, 1938-39 era), but not confirmed; the canonical 1938 'The Jews' article does not contain this Yiddish sentence.
About this quote
Necessity does real cultural work: a scattered people needing to talk to one another builds a shared tongue, and once it exists they pour the world's best writing into it. Communication forces the tool into being, and the tool then becomes a home for thought.
When to use it
- Immigrant families running weekend classes so grandchildren can still read the letters their elders wrote.
- A remote team inventing shared shorthand and docs so members across time zones can actually collaborate.
- A hobbyist community translating manuals into their own language so newcomers finally have a way in.