George Mikes Quotes

English should be acknowledged once and for all as the official language of the United States.

The English language is the law of the people of the United States.

Despite overwhelming support for the United States to adopt English as its official language, we have still not taken that important step.

Is calling English our national language racist? Are we at that point?

Instead of this confusion, we need the unifying force of an official language, English, which is the language of success in America.

Insist on one language. English for all Americans.

I'm against the idea of force-feeding all of Canada on two languages.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: The official language of the state of Illinois shall hereafter be known as the "American" language and not as the "English" language.

Language, especially in this country is a daily plebiscite.

Bottom line: this is the United States. And we speak English here.

With all the divisive forces tearing at our country, we need the glue of language to help hold us together. If we want to ensure that all our children have the same opportunities in life, alternative language education should stop and English should be acknowledged once and for all as the official language of the United States.

After all, enforced national bilingualism in this country isn't mere policy. It has attained the status of a religion. It's a dogma which one is supposed to accept without question....Make no mistake. Canada is not a bilingual country. In fact it is less bilingual today than it has ever been...As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed. It has led to no fairness, produced no unity, and cost Canadian taxpayers untold millions.

In school in Lebanon, we were not allowed to speak Arabic during breaks - it had to be French or English.

What is Americanization? It manifests itself, in a superficial way, when the immigrant adopts the clothes, the manners and the customs generally prevailing here. Far more important is the manifestation presented when he substitutes for his mother tongue the English language as the common medium of speech.

As a matter of fact, a national language which spreads beyond its own confines very quickly loses much of its original richness of content and is in no better case than a constructed language.

When California passes a law saying that English is the official language, it can only mean one thing: That English is no longer the official language.

Our Constitution has affirmed that Gaelic is the national language. Yet there is scarcely one person in a thousand throughout Ireland who cannot speak English and scarcely one in ten who can speak Irish easily.

Bilingualism is a great asset for any individual, but it has perilous consequences for a nation.

You can't be an American if you don't speak English. Our public schools should be mandated to teach all children in English.

I remember the thought which occurred to me when some ingenious and spiritual foreigners came to America, was, Have you been victimized in being brought hither?--or, prior to that, answer me this, "Are you victimizable?

The original United States, the founding of America was indeed a shared culture. And you could argue that there was a diversity from the founding days, but not the way the left defines diversity today.

The governor of Texas, who, when asked if the Bible should also be taught in Spanish, replied that 'if English was good enough for Jesus, then it's good enough for me.

However virile the English language may be, it can never become the language of the masses of India.

For my own part, I do not want the freedom of India if it means extinction of English or the disappearance of Englishmen.

The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We can speak any language we want at the dinner table, but English is the language of public discourse, or the marketplace and of the voting booth.