---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Despite history, despite English, despite…"
description: "\"Despite history, despite English, despite the noteworthies, and a little bit also despite ourselves, alas!, the Quebecois people have stayed French. I ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/pierre-bourgault-49179_alas_despite-history-despite-english-despite_1686296.jpg"
---

#  Despite history, despite English, despite the…

![“Despite history, despite English, despite the noteworthies, and a little bit also despite ourselves, alas!, the Quebecois people have stayed French. I had violently returned. This people had no need of directives to affirm its French pride in the face of the whole world” quote by Pierre Bourgault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/pierre-bourgault-49179_alas_despite-history-despite-english-despite_1686296.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/pierre-bourgault-49179_alas_despite-history-despite-english-despite_1686296.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/pierre-bourgault-49179_alas_despite-history-despite-english-despite_1686296.jpg)

> “Despite history, despite English, despite the noteworthies, and a little bit also despite ourselves, alas!, the Quebecois people have stayed French. I had violently returned. This people had no need of directives to affirm its French pride in the face of the whole world”

[Pierre Bourgault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourgault/)

## About This Quote

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

The Quebec people retain their French language and identity despite external pressures and internal doubts.

**In simple terms:** Quebec stays French despite challenges.

Key Takeaway

Preserve cultural identity.

Themes

culture language identity resilience nationalism

Mood

proud defiant

Type

historical political

When to use this quote

- political movements
- education
- media representation
- community events

Key Concepts

linguistic preservation cultural pride

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you support minority languages?
- What pressures threaten cultural identity?

A Different Perspective

Cultural preservation can clash with modern globalization.

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[Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

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> [Sensible Catholics have for generations been ignoring the views on contraception held by reactionary old men in the Vatican, but alas, since it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/sensible-catholics-have-for-generations-been-ignoring-the-views-on/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Alas, Postumus, the fleeting years slip by, nor will piety give any stay to wrinkles and pressing old age and untamable death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/alas-postumus-the-fleeting-years-slip-by-nor-will-piety-give-any-stay/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-pharcellus-church/yes-virginia-there-is-a-santa-claus-he-exists-as-certainly-as-love/)

[Francis Pharcellus Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-pharcellus-church/)

> [Removing prejudices is, alas! too often removing the boundary of a delightful near prospect in order to let in a shockingly extensive one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-fulke-greville/removing-prejudices-is-alas-too-often-removing-the-boundary-of-a/)

[Sir Fulke Greville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-fulke-greville/)

> [Time, time - that is our greatest master! Alas, like Ugolino, time devours its own children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-berlioz/time-time-that-is-our-greatest-master-alas-like-ugolino-time-devours/)

[Hector Berlioz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-berlioz/)

> [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/)

[Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/)

> [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [“Muchos de los ángeles de Dios no tienen alas...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-n-harris/muchos-de-los-ngeles-de-dios-no-tienen-alas/)

[José N. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-n-harris/)

## More by Pierre Bourgault

> [Past violence is detrimental to our present action, and it is not in the name of principles that we denounce it, but in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourgault/past-violence-is-detrimental-to-our-present-action-and-it-is-not-in/)

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> [If, as is believed by many Canadians, Canada can not exist without Quebec, then it simply does not deserve to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourgault/if-as-is-believed-by-many-canadians-canada-can-not-exist-without/)

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> [It is quite normal to be racist, but it is criminal to remain one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourgault/it-is-quite-normal-to-be-racist-but-it-is-criminal-to-remain-one/)

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> [ We no longer want to be a province that is unlike the others, we want to be a country \[that will be\] like the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourgault/we-no-longer-want-to-be-a-province-that-is-unlike-the-others-we-want/)

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> [Independence must be accompanied by a social revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourgault/independence-must-be-accompanied-by-a-social-revolution/)

[Pierre Bourgault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourgault/)

[Explore all 6 Pierre Bourgault quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourgault/)

## More Alas quotes

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[Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/)

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[Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/)

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Browse all 453 Alas quotes

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