---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Language is like soil. However rich, it…"
description: "\"Language is like soil. However rich, it is subject to erosion, and its fertility is constantly threatened by uses that exhaust itsvitality. It needs co..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/elizabeth-drew-27945_constant_language-is-like-soil-however-rich-it-is_996743.png"
---

#  Language is like soil. However rich, it is subject to…

![“Language is like soil. However rich, it is subject to erosion, and its fertility is constantly threatened by uses that exhaust itsvitality. It needs constant re-invigoration if it is not to become arid and sterile.” quote by Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/elizabeth-drew-27945_constant_language-is-like-soil-however-rich-it-is_996743.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/elizabeth-drew-27945_constant_language-is-like-soil-however-rich-it-is_996743.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/elizabeth-drew-27945_constant_language-is-like-soil-however-rich-it-is_996743.png)

> “Language is like soil. However rich, it is subject to erosion, and its fertility is constantly threatened by uses that exhaust itsvitality. It needs constant re-invigoration if it is not to become arid and sterile.”

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Language erodes like soil if not revitalized; constant renewal prevents sterility.

**In simple terms:** Language needs renewal to stay fertile.

Key Takeaway

Invest in language preservation.

Themes

language culture erosion renewal

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

academic inspirational

When to use this quote

- education curricula
- media content creation
- community workshops
- policy making

Key Concepts

sociolinguistics cultural sustainability

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we foster continuous language renewal?
- What role does technology play?

A Different Perspective

Renewal may be uneven across dialects.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Arid Sterile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arid-sterile-2076570/) [Constant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constant/) [Erosion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erosion/) [Erosion Fertility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erosion-fertility-2076569/) [Fertility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fertility/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Invigoration Arid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invigoration-arid-2076568/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Language Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-like-509567/) [Like Soil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-soil-1885270/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Soil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soil/) [Soil erosion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soil-erosion/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Threatened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatened/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/)

## Related quotes

> [“Brothers and sisters we are like one thing,like a soil filled with specialities such as caring and fraternity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-fenyane/brothers-and-sisters-we-are-like-one-thing-like-a-soil-filled-with/)

[Lucas fenyane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-fenyane/)

> [“They are secret things. Women are supposed to be the ones good at keeping secrets, and I guess they do keep a few, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-are-secret-things-women-are-supposed-to-be-the-ones-good-at/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Like the soil, mind is fertilized while it lies fallow, until a new burst of bloom ensues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/like-the-soil-mind-is-fertilized-while-it-lies-fallow-until-a-new/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [Silence alone is worthy to be heard. Silence is of various depth and fertility like soil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/silence-alone-is-worthy-to-be-heard-silence-is-of-various-depth-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Best friends are together through it all. Like soil &amp; roots. One needing the other through chilling winters, scorching summers, through hailstorms &amp; lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-schroeder/best-friends-are-together-through-it-all-like-soil-roots-one-needing/)

[Lisa Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-schroeder/)

> [The most common mistake students of literature make is to go straight for what the poem or novel says, setting aside the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-most-common-mistake-students-of-literature-make-is-to-go-straight/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [“Whoa, son,” said Atticus. “Nobody’s about to make you go anywhere but to bed pretty soon. I’m just going over to tell Miss Rachel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee-to-kill-a-mockingbird/whoa-son-said-atticus-nobody-s-about-to-make-you-go-anywhere-but-to/)

[Harper Lee To Kill A Mockingbird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee-to-kill-a-mockingbird/)

> [“This suggests that Palestine already had begun to suffer the soil erosion that during the centuries of Arab cultivation reduced it from the one-time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-w-tuchman/this-suggests-that-palestine-already-had-begun-to-suffer-the-soil/)

[Barbara W. Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-w-tuchman/)

> [But when you have bad governance, of course, these resources are destroyed: The forests are deforested, there is illegal logging, there is soil erosion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/but-when-you-have-bad-governance-of-course-these-resources-are/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [Essentially, all life depends upon the soil ... There can be no life without soil and no soil without life; they have evolved together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kellogg/essentially-all-life-depends-upon-the-soil-there-can-be-no-life/)

[Charles Kellogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kellogg/)

> [“In 1995, the gray wolf was reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park after a seventy-year hiatus. Scientists expected an ecological ripple effect, but the size…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/in-1995-the-gray-wolf-was-reintroduced-to-yellowstone-national-park/)

[Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/)

> [“Tourism, global warming and eradication of soil erosion causes have all been substantially enhanced through ecosystem study.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-ascott/tourism-global-warming-and-eradication-of-soil-erosion-causes-have/)

[Justin Ascott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-ascott/)

> [“Small societies are particularly vulnerable to disruption of key lifelines, such as trading relations, or to large perturbations like wars or natural disasters. Larger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-montgomery/small-societies-are-particularly-vulnerable-to-disruption-of-key/)

[David R. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-r-montgomery/)

> [The Captains of Industry have always counseled the rest of us "to be realistic." Let us, therefore, be realistic. Is it realistic to assume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-captains-of-industry-have-always-counseled-the-rest-of-us-to-be/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [History is largely a record of human struggle to wrest the land from nature, because man relies for sustenance on the products of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hammond-bennett/history-is-largely-a-record-of-human-struggle-to-wrest-the-land-from/)

[Hugh Hammond Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hammond-bennett/)

## More by Elizabeth Drew

> [“It is important to remember now, amid all this debris, how frightened we used to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/it-is-important-to-remember-now-amid-all-this-debris-how-frightened/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/too-often-travel-instead-of-broadening-the-mind-merely-lengthens-the/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [The torment of human frustration, whatever its immediate cause, is the knowledge that the self is in prison, its vital force and "mangled mind"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/the-torment-of-human-frustration-whatever-its-immediate-cause-is-the/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [The pain of loss, moreover, however agonizing, however haunting in memory, quiets imperceptibly into acceptance as the currents of active living and of fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/the-pain-of-loss-moreover-however-agonizing-however-haunting-in/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/too-often-travel-instead-of-broadening-the-mind-merely-lengthens-the-2/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [ \[On newspapers:\] A first draft of history. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/on-newspapers-a-first-draft-of-history/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [How frail and ephemeral is the material substance of letters, which makes their very survival so hazardous. Print has a permanence of its own,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/how-frail-and-ephemeral-is-the-material-substance-of-letters-which/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [The Republicans’ plan is that if they can’t buy the 2012 election they will steal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/the-republicans-plan-is-that-if-they-can-t-buy-the-2012-election-they/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [We read poetry because the poets, like ourselves, have been haunted by the inescapable tyranny of time and death; have suffered the pain of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/we-read-poetry-because-the-poets-like-ourselves-have-been-haunted-by/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [Propaganda has a bad name, but its root meaning is simply to disseminate through a medium, and all writing therefore is propaganda for something.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/propaganda-has-a-bad-name-but-its-root-meaning-is-simply-to/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [The test of literature is, I suppose, whether we ourselves live more intensely for the reading of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/the-test-of-literature-is-i-suppose-whether-we-ourselves-live-more/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [The inspired scribbler always has the gift for gossip in our common usage he or she can always inspire the commonplace with an uncommon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/the-inspired-scribbler-always-has-the-gift-for-gossip-in-our-common/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [The world is not run by thought, nor by imagination, but by opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/the-world-is-not-run-by-thought-nor-by-imagination-but-by-opinion/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [Democracy, like any non-coercive relationship, rests on a shared understanding of limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/democracy-like-any-non-coercive-relationship-rests-on-a-shared/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

> [Money buys access; access buys influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/money-buys-access-access-buys-influence/)

[Elizabeth Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

[Explore all 20 Elizabeth Drew quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/)

## More Constant quotes

> [Because after you've crossed some lines, you just keep crossing them. And there's no escaping from constant escape. Distracting ourselves. Avoiding confrontation. Getting past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/because-after-you-ve-crossed-some-lines-you-just-keep-crossing-them/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [This is, for an accomplished Latino, an accomplished African American, an accomplished anyone who disproves stereotypes, it's a constant battle in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/this-is-for-an-accomplished-latino-an-accomplished-african-american/)

[Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/)

> [Me mum used to always have the radio on - even now she has it on in every room. Me girlfriend sort of blames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/me-mum-used-to-always-have-the-radio-on-even-now-she-has-it-on-in/)

[Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/)

[Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/)

> [As I grow through love, so grows my joy, ever more present, ever more constant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/as-i-grow-through-love-so-grows-my-joy-ever-more-present-ever-more/)

[M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/)

> [Life and death are illusions. We are in a constant state of transformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/life-and-death-are-illusions-we-are-in-a-constant-state-of/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [People don't need sudden revelations. They get what they need when they need it, thought by thought by thought. It's a constant thing when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/people-don-t-need-sudden-revelations-they-get-what-they-need-when/)

[Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/)

> [Fishing is a constant reminder of the democracy of life, of humility, and of human frailty. The forces of nature discriminate for no man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/fishing-is-a-constant-reminder-of-the-democracy-of-life-of-humility/)

[Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/)

> [It's a constant man-ego-check going on in the streets, in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/it-s-a-constant-man-ego-check-going-on-in-the-streets-in-this-world/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

> [Research is an organized method of trying to find out what you are going to do after you cannot do what you are doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kettering/research-is-an-organized-method-of-trying-to-find-out-what-you-are/)

[Charles Kettering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kettering/)

> [I believe it's true that there's good and evil in everyone and it's a constant struggle to have your better angels prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-friedkin/i-believe-it-s-true-that-there-s-good-and-evil-in-everyone-and-it-s-a/)

[William Friedkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-friedkin/)

> [You're a constant student, as a musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-bell/you-re-a-constant-student-as-a-musician/)

[Joshua Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-bell/)

> [Intimacy requires an ability to both merge and be separate, to come together and be apart, like oscillating on a giant swing from oneness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-sophia-kasl/intimacy-requires-an-ability-to-both-merge-and-be-separate-to-come/)

[Charlotte Sophia Kasl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-sophia-kasl/)

[Browse all 3,025 Constant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constant/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Language is like soil. However rich, it is subject to erosion, and its fertility is constantly threatened by uses that exhaust itsvitality. It needs constant re-invigoration if it is not to become arid and sterile.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Drew"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/language-is-like-soil-however-rich-it-is-subject-to-erosion-and-its/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Constant"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/language-is-like-soil-however-rich-it-is-subject-to-erosion-and-its/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/elizabeth-drew-27945_constant_language-is-like-soil-however-rich-it-is_996743.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/elizabeth-drew-27945_constant_language-is-like-soil-however-rich-it-is_996743.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/elizabeth-drew-27945_constant_language-is-like-soil-however-rich-it-is_996743.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Language is like soil. However rich, it is subject to erosion, and its fertility is constantly threatened by…” — Elizabeth Drew",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Elizabeth Drew",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-drew/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Language is like soil. However rich,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/language-is-like-soil-however-rich-it-is-subject-to-erosion-and-its/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-drew/language-is-like-soil-however-rich-it-is-subject-to-erosion-and-its/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
