Carelessness Quote by Chinua Achebe
“We must now turn from considering the necessary struggle with language arising, as it were, from its very nature and the nature of the society it serves to the more ominous threat to its integrity brought about neither by its innate inadequacy nor yet by the incompetence and carelessness of its ordinary users, but rather engineered deliberately by those who will manipulate words for their own ends.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Role of Language in Society, 2000
Language integrity is threatened not by its limits but by deliberate manipulation by those seeking power.
In simple terms: Beware of engineered language abuse.
Key Takeaway
Guard against purposeful distortion of language.
Themes
power
communication
ethics
manipulation
Mood
cautionary
critical
Type
analytical
persuasive
When to use this quote
- political discourse
- media analysis
- education curricula
Key Concepts
propaganda
information warfare
semantic control
Questions to Reflect On
- Who benefits from distorted language?
- What safeguards can protect linguistic integrity?
A Different Perspective
Even well‑meaning users can unintentionally erode language quality.
