Benjamin Lee Whorf
An amateur linguist who, with Sapir, developed the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, exploring the profound influence of language on perception and cognition.
Quotes by Benjamin Lee Whorf
Language is not a tool for communication, but a way of being in the world.
The world is not a collection of truths, but a collection of perspectives, and language is the perspective-giver.
The study of language is the study of humanity, for language is the essence of humanity.
Language is the most profound and pervasive influence on human thought and behavior.
The world is not a simple place, but a complex one, and language helps us to navigate its complexities.
The linguistic relativity principle is a call for intellectual humility.
Language is not a barrier to understanding, but a bridge.
The world is not a silent place, but a vocal one, and language is its voice.
The study of language is the study of life, for language is the fabric of life.
Language is the ultimate expression of human freedom.
The world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions which has to be organized by our minds—and this means largely by the linguistic systems in our minds.
Language is not merely a reproducing instrument for voicing ideas but rather itself is the shaper of ideas.
The categories and types that we isolate from the world of phenomena we do not find there because they stare every observer in the face; on the contrary, the world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions.
A whole layer of secondary linguistic interpretations has interposed itself between our view of the world and the world as it really is.
The Hopi language is possibly a perfect example of a language that allows its speakers to grasp the true nature of time.
Thought does not depend on words; it depends on the understanding of the relations which words can express.
Languages are not merely sounds or symbols; they are the very fabric of thought.
In the linguistic world, every word is a universe in miniature.
The precision with which we grasp and measure reality is determined by the linguistic tools we wield.
Human beings do not live in the objective world alone, nor alone in the world of social activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression for their society.