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French Language Quotes

Words on a language people take deeply personally.

One quote here frames the decline of the French language as tied to broader political drift, while another calls it a place of refuge that consoles for everything else. Both reveal how closely people tie the language to identity, not just communication.

Socialist ideology is making France go to pot, and the French language with it.

Quotes by Maurice Druon

One thing I can say about the French language is that no one in the world loves their language as much as they do. It doesn't matter if you're close - it still sounds terrible to their ears.

Quotes by Mads Mikkelsen

To achieve the very pinnacle of good taste, the neoclassicists wrote their plays entirely in alexandrine verse, a rarefied meter that is uniquely tailored to the French language and fits no other.

Quotes by Florence King

You get the feeling that many of my guests feel that the French language gives them entry into a more cultivated, more intelligent world, more highly civilised too, with rules.

Quotes by Bernard Pivot

Achieve Quotes

I am not patriotic or nationalistic, but the French language is like a country where I take refuge when I have nowhere else to go. It consoles me for everything. For me, the language no longer belongs to the colonialists.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does one quote link French to political decline?
One quote argues that socialist ideology was dragging France downward, and claims the French language was suffering right along with it. It ties the fate of the language to the country's broader political direction.
What does the 'refuge' quote mean about the French language?
That quote describes French as a country the speaker retreats to when there's nowhere else to go, saying it offers comfort for everything. It's a personal, almost emotional way of describing what a language can mean beyond simple communication.
Do French speakers really love their language more than others do?
One quote claims exactly that, noting that no one else in the world loves their own language as intensely as French speakers do, even though it can sound harsh to foreign ears. The quote frames that devotion as unusual compared to other cultures.
What is alexandrine verse and why does it matter here?
One quote credits neoclassicist writers with crafting entire plays in alexandrine verse, a meter the quote says fits no language as naturally as French. It highlights how deeply the language's structure shaped an entire era of literature.
Do any quotes address how the French language <a href="/feel-quotes">feel</a>s to non-native ears?
Yes, one quote openly admits the language can sound terrible to outsiders despite how proud its own speakers are of it. That contrast between insider affection and outsider perception runs through several quotes on this page.

Another traces the language's precision back to neoclassicist poets who built entire plays around its unique verse form, a rare thing for any language to Achieve. A more affectionate line notes that no other people love their own tongue quite so fiercely, even when outsiders find it harsh on the ear.