---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it was something I inherited from…"
description: "\"I think it was something I inherited from my mother, who learned to do it. You know, I, like a baby duckling, was merely mimicking the survival traits ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/trevor-noah-1603_baby_i-think-it-was-something-i-inherited-fro_647092.jpg"
---

#  I think it was something I inherited from my mother, who…

![“I think it was something I inherited from my mother, who learned to do it. You know, I, like a baby duckling, was merely mimicking the survival traits that my mother possessed. And I came to learn very quickly that language was a powerful, powerful tool.” quote by Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/trevor-noah-1603_baby_i-think-it-was-something-i-inherited-fro_647092.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/trevor-noah-1603_baby_i-think-it-was-something-i-inherited-fro_647092.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/trevor-noah-1603_baby_i-think-it-was-something-i-inherited-fro_647092.jpg)

> “I think it was something I inherited from my mother, who learned to do it. You know, I, like a baby duckling, was merely mimicking the survival traits that my mother possessed. And I came to learn very quickly that language was a powerful, powerful tool.”

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

## About This Quote

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

Language is learned by imitation from parents, becoming a powerful tool for survival and expression.

**In simple terms:** We learn language by copying parents, gaining a strong tool.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the power of language early.

Themes

family learning communication

Mood

humorous reflective

Type

comedic insightful

When to use this quote

- childhood upbringing
- education
- public speaking
- media interviews

Key Concepts

sociolinguistics cognitive development identity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does early language shape identity?
- In what ways can we use language responsibly?

A Different Perspective

Language can be misused or misunderstood despite its power.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Baby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baby/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/)

## Related quotes

> [God loves me enough to let me go through all the lessons I came here to learn, even the ones that hurt the most.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-beattie/god-loves-me-enough-to-let-me-go-through-all-the-lessons-i-came-here/)

[Melody Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-beattie/)

> [Language is very powerful. Language does not just describe reality. Language creates the reality it describes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/language-is-very-powerful-language-does-not-just-describe-reality/)

[Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/)

> [ Language is such a powerful thing. After the earthquake, I went to Haiti and people were talking about how \[they\] described this feeling of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/language-is-such-a-powerful-thing-after-the-earthquake-i-went-to/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [“Words are the wellspring of the world, and language is the most powerful weapon in the ancient and still unfolding war between truth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/words-are-the-wellspring-of-the-world-and-language-is-the-most/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [Body language is more powerful than words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/body-language-is-more-powerful-than-words/)

[Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/)

> [“Language is powerful. What we say can shape how we think—and it certainly shapes how others think about us. In this regard, calling the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hunter/language-is-powerful-what-we-say-can-shape-how-we-think-and-it/)

Richard Hunter

> [Language is powerful. Words matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/language-is-powerful-words-matter/)

[Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/)

> [Language is the most powerful,convenient and permanent means and form of communication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rmkatta/language-is-the-most-powerful-convenient-and-permanent-means-and-form/)

RMKATTA

> [That is what literature offers—a language powerful enough to say how it is. It isn't a hiding place. It is a finding place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/that-is-what-literature-offers-a-language-powerful-enough-to-say-how/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [The language is always powerful in Shakespeare, but with 'Antony and Cleopatra,' the speeches are so big and muscular and rich - exhausting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/the-language-is-always-powerful-in-shakespeare-but-with-antony-and/)

[Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/)

> [“A tough life needs a tough language—and that is what poetry is. That is what literature offers—a language powerful enough to say how it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/a-tough-life-needs-a-tough-language-and-that-is-what-poetry-is-that/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [If you think of music as a universal language, it still has some very powerful dialects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/if-you-think-of-music-as-a-universal-language-it-still-has-some-very/)

[Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/)

> [“It was my mother who tucked him in and told him that there exists a sort of love in the world that only survives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/it-was-my-mother-who-tucked-him-in-and-told-him-that-there-exists-a/)

[Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/)

> [My mother is a very fun-loving person. She has been through a lot in her life. She has had a couple of divorces. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-chesney/my-mother-is-a-very-fun-loving-person-she-has-been-through-a-lot-in/)

[Kenny Chesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-chesney/)

> [From my mother I learned just how violent and unquenchable a woman's loneliness can be. She had been sheltered excessively by her husband and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-my-mother-i-learned-just-how-violent-and-unquenchable-a-woman-s/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

## More by Trevor Noah

> [“My family had been denied the things his family had taken for granted. I had a natural talent for selling to people, but without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/my-family-had-been-denied-the-things-his-family-had-taken-for-granted/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [When you see someone as a human being, you begin to understand most people are doing what they believe is right. I ask myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/when-you-see-someone-as-a-human-being-you-begin-to-understand-most/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [I guess that is the strange part of the human brain that people have studied for eons - is hatred and self-hatred. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-guess-that-is-the-strange-part-of-the-human-brain-that-people-have/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [“Whilst my mother couldn't give me access to the world, she at least made sure to let me know it existed. A kid cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/whilst-my-mother-couldn-t-give-me-access-to-the-world-she-at-least/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [“When you make the effort to speak someone else’s language, even if it’s just basic phrases here and there, you are saying to them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/when-you-make-the-effort-to-speak-someone-else-s-language-even-if-it/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [I want to be in a position where I get to start off fresh. I don't have any preconceived notion of how I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-want-to-be-in-a-position-where-i-get-to-start-off-fresh-i-don-t/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [It's very rare to find a place where news itself has a political bent. Normally, let's say in the U.K. for instance, newspapers might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/it-s-very-rare-to-find-a-place-where-news-itself-has-a-political-bent/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [ I was lucky to come along for the ride. \[My mother\] really is an amazing woman. And the world we lived in in South… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-was-lucky-to-come-along-for-the-ride-my-mother-really-is-an-amazing/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [When I first came to the U.S. - because I do accents and I've traveled the world. I have friends of almost every single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/when-i-first-came-to-the-u-s-because-i-do-accents-and-i-ve-traveled/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [If the police believed that they were planning any form of resistance against the state, then you were just gone. Nobody knew where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/if-the-police-believed-that-they-were-planning-any-form-of-resistance/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [“I remember the thing that caused the trauma, but I don't hold on to the trauma. I never let the memory of something painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-remember-the-thing-that-caused-the-trauma-but-i-don-t-hold-on-to/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [“Language brings with it an identity and a culture, or at least the perception of it. A shared language says “We’re the same.” A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/language-brings-with-it-an-identity-and-a-culture-or-at-least-the/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [My mom would spend a week in jail. She would spend a day in jail here - a week again, a week and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/my-mom-would-spend-a-week-in-jail-she-would-spend-a-day-in-jail-here/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [I knew of like - I remember, for most of my life, I grew up, and "Knight Rider" was, you know - David Hasselhoff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-knew-of-like-i-remember-for-most-of-my-life-i-grew-up-and-knight/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [“The hood was strangely comforting, but comfort can be dangerous. Comfort provides a floor but also a ceiling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/the-hood-was-strangely-comforting-but-comfort-can-be-dangerous/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

[Explore all 224 Trevor Noah quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

## More Baby quotes

> [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [“I looked down into my baby’s beautiful green eyes and ached inside. She looked up at me with wide-eyed innocence. I kissed her warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/i-looked-down-into-my-baby-s-beautiful-green-eyes-and-ached-inside/)

[Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/)

> [I've retired my sneakers for stilettos, baby!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivica-a-fox/i-ve-retired-my-sneakers-for-stilettos-baby/)

[Vivica A. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivica-a-fox/)

> [I didn't expect to be so comfortable handing my child off to a nanny without getting any of her information. As soon as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/i-didn-t-expect-to-be-so-comfortable-handing-my-child-off-to-a-nanny/)

[Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/)

> [And I gave you my all, now baby be mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashanti/and-i-gave-you-my-all-now-baby-be-mine/)

[Ashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashanti/)

> [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/)

Sheila Kamerman

> [Shhh.” He put a finger to her lips. “Hear me out. I cannot deny that I would've liked to have made babies with you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/shhh-he-put-a-finger-to-her-lips-hear-me-out-i-cannot-deny-that-i/)

[Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/)

> [I'm so happy baby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashanti/i-m-so-happy-baby/)

[Ashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashanti/)

> [Weezy F. Baby. F. is fo' finisha:)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/weezy-f-baby-f-is-fo-finisha/)

[Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/)

> [Baby, I love you. We argue about the stupidest shit then we turn around and laugh about it. I'm obsessed with you and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay/baby-i-love-you-we-argue-about-the-stupidest-shit-then-we-turn-around/)

Lindsay

> [My dad's Israeli. He was born in Baghdad to Iraqi Jews. Then, at age two, his parents wanted to move to their homeland and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-yamin/my-dad-s-israeli-he-was-born-in-baghdad-to-iraqi-jews-then-at-age-two/)

[Elliott Yamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-yamin/)

> [Michael Jackson has a new baby boy; no word yet who the father is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/michael-jackson-has-a-new-baby-boy-no-word-yet-who-the-father-is/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [I always wondered why babies spend so much time sucking their thumbs. Then I tasted baby food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/i-always-wondered-why-babies-spend-so-much-time-sucking-their-thumbs/)

[Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/)

> [If all fooles had babies, wee should want fuell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/if-all-fooles-had-babies-wee-should-want-fuell/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [My baby girl Bella is growing up so fast I remember when she was soo tiny, it shows how much she has been loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal/my-baby-girl-bella-is-growing-up-so-fast-i-remember-when-she-was-soo/)

[Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal/)

[Browse all 5,822 Baby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baby/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think it was something I inherited from my mother, who learned to do it. You know, I, like a baby duckling, was merely mimicking the survival traits that my mother possessed. And I came to learn very quickly that language was a powerful, powerful tool.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Trevor Noah"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-think-it-was-something-i-inherited-from-my-mother-who-learned-to-do/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Baby"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-think-it-was-something-i-inherited-from-my-mother-who-learned-to-do/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/trevor-noah-1603_baby_i-think-it-was-something-i-inherited-fro_647092.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/trevor-noah-1603_baby_i-think-it-was-something-i-inherited-fro_647092.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/trevor-noah-1603_baby_i-think-it-was-something-i-inherited-fro_647092.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think it was something I inherited from my mother, who learned to do it. You know, I, like a baby…” — Trevor Noah",
                "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": "Trevor Noah",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think it was something I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-think-it-was-something-i-inherited-from-my-mother-who-learned-to-do/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-think-it-was-something-i-inherited-from-my-mother-who-learned-to-do/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
