“I feel such a difference between a philologist/linguist and a linguaphile as, say, a choreographer and a ballerina.”

“... I never looked for or found national differences in the various places of the world, only common features—eternal human nature.”

“Solely in the world of languages is the amateur of value. Well-intentioned sentences full of mistakes can still build bridges between people.”

“He who knows other languages feels even closer to his own language.”

“Whenever I read statistical reports, I try to imagine my unfortunate contemporary, the Average Person, who, according to these reports, has 0.66 children, 0.032 cars, and 0.046 TVs.”

“My view is that knowing languages is part of the process of becoming a cultured person.”

“Aside from mastery in the fine arts, success in learning anything is the result of genuine interest and amount of energy dedicated to it.”