--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Language and accents govern so much of…" description: "\"Language and accents govern so much of how people think about other people.\" — Trevor Noah" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/trevor-noah-1603_accents_language-and-accents-govern-so-much-of-h_1745054.jpg" --- # Language and accents govern so much of how people think… ![“Language and accents govern so much of how people think about other people.” quote by Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/trevor-noah-1603_accents_language-and-accents-govern-so-much-of-h_1745054.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/trevor-noah-1603_accents_language-and-accents-govern-so-much-of-h_1745054.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/trevor-noah-1603_accents_language-and-accents-govern-so-much-of-h_1745054.jpg) > “Language and accents govern so much of how people think about other people.” [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 and accents shape perceptions, influencing how people judge others. **In simple terms:** Speech affects how we view others. Key Takeaway Be aware of bias from linguistic cues. Themes bias communication social perception Mood analytical critical Type educational observational When to use this quote - hiring - education - media representation Key Concepts sociolinguistics stereotyping Questions to Reflect On - How do accents affect your judgments? - What can reduce linguistic prejudice? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑seated biases is challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“If you want to govern the people, You must place yourself below them. If you want to lead people, You must learn how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/if-you-want-to-govern-the-people-you-must-place-yourself-below-them/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [Our nonverbals govern how other people think and feel about us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-cuddy/our-nonverbals-govern-how-other-people-think-and-feel-about-us/) [Amy Cuddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-cuddy/) > [For thousands of years, China developed its own political system. Its rulers, no matter who they are, are given a conditional right to govern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-vltchek/for-thousands-of-years-china-developed-its-own-political-system-its/) [Andre Vltchek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-vltchek/) > [Reflect how you are to govern a people who think they ought to be free, and think they are not. Your scheme yields no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/reflect-how-you-are-to-govern-a-people-who-think-they-ought-to-be/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power. If you want to govern the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/all-streams-flow-to-the-sea-because-it-is-lower-than-they-are-3/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“all streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. humility gives it its power. if you want to govern the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/all-streams-flow-to-the-sea-because-it-is-lower-than-they-are-2/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [Those who govern must see how the people react to administration. Ultimately, the people are the final arbiters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lal-bahadur-shastri/those-who-govern-must-see-how-the-people-react-to-administration/) [Lal Bahadur Shastri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lal-bahadur-shastri/) > [What right those who govern have to govern they don't question, they just govern. Whether the people have a right to depose them that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/what-right-those-who-govern-have-to-govern-they-don-t-question-they/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“You govern people, you do good and bad things. If you don't have guts to do bad, then step aside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/you-govern-people-you-do-good-and-bad-things-if-you-don-t-have-guts/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [It is easier to find people fit to govern themselves than people fit to govern others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-acton/it-is-easier-to-find-people-fit-to-govern-themselves-than-people-fit/) [Lord Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-acton/) > [When you hear somebody speaking in an accent, it's almost like they're invading your language while they're speaking to you because if you hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/when-you-hear-somebody-speaking-in-an-accent-it-s-almost-like-they-re/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [ They said \[on a day show\], oh, you can't do a Chinese accent. That's - and I said, I'm not doing a Chinese accent.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/they-said-on-a-day-show-oh-you-can-t-do-a-chinese-accent-that-s-and-i/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [I'd get suspicious looks from people just walking down the streets. Where are you from? They'd ask. I'd reply in whatever language they'd addressed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-d-get-suspicious-looks-from-people-just-walking-down-the-streets/) [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/) > [“You should feel free to feel how you want and don't think of what people think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/you-should-feel-free-to-feel-how-you-want-and-don-t-think-of-what/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) ## 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 Accents quotes > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [“It's not my accent, but my brevity makes me stylish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/it-s-not-my-accent-but-my-brevity-makes-me-stylish/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) > [You can't live in a dialect without tremendous work. Like any muscle, accents and voices and languages are all formed out of the muscles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lake-bell/you-can-t-live-in-a-dialect-without-tremendous-work-like-any-muscle/) [Lake Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lake-bell/) > [At first I thought I would have to put on an English accent and try a sort of affected Shakespeare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-thought-i-would-have-to-put-on-an-english-accent-and-try-a/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [I don't think you see a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder, for example. And even with the accents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stevenson/i-don-t-think-you-see-a-pirate-with-a-parrot-on-his-shoulder-for/) [Ray Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stevenson/) > [I'm a Yente and I have a terrible accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-samuels/i-m-a-yente-and-i-have-a-terrible-accent/) [Lynn Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-samuels/) > [In bed watching Family Guy. Love this show.! So hilarious! Stewie is my favorite :) love his accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paris-hilton/in-bed-watching-family-guy-love-this-show-so-hilarious-stewie-is-my/) [Paris Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paris-hilton/) > [American accents often sound much more confident than British ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/american-accents-often-sound-much-more-confident-than-british-ones/) [Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/) > [At this point two elderly security guards in parkas, the guys who normally work the front desk at the plant, asked John to step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/at-this-point-two-elderly-security-guards-in-parkas-the-guys-who/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Much of my playing is rhythmic and choppy; I use a lot of double stops. The wah just accents all those stops and chops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-hammett/much-of-my-playing-is-rhythmic-and-choppy-i-use-a-lot-of-double-stops/) [Kirk Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-hammett/) > [“The accent of one's birthplace persists in the mind and heart as much as in speech.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-rouchefoucauld/the-accent-of-one-s-birthplace-persists-in-the-mind-and-heart-as-much/) La Rouchefoucauld > [Years later, when I was working as a trolley wally in a supermarket, I tackled the boredom by talking to the customers in as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romesh-ranganathan/years-later-when-i-was-working-as-a-trolley-wally-in-a-supermarket-i/) [Romesh Ranganathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romesh-ranganathan/) > [I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long to be told what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-respond-to-the-natural/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I live in L.A. so I worry my kids aren't that connected to Britain, I suppose I don't want them to become American kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mckidd/i-live-in-l-a-so-i-worry-my-kids-aren-t-that-connected-to-britain-i/) [Kevin McKidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mckidd/) [Browse all 749 Accents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Language and accents govern so much of how people think about other people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Trevor Noah" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/language-and-accents-govern-so-much-of-how-people-think-about-other/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accents" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/language-and-accents-govern-so-much-of-how-people-think-about-other/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/trevor-noah-1603_accents_language-and-accents-govern-so-much-of-h_1745054.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/trevor-noah-1603_accents_language-and-accents-govern-so-much-of-h_1745054.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/trevor-noah-1603_accents_language-and-accents-govern-so-much-of-h_1745054.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Language and accents govern so much of how people think about other people.” — 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": "Language and accents govern so much...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/language-and-accents-govern-so-much-of-how-people-think-about-other/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/language-and-accents-govern-so-much-of-how-people-think-about-other/#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 } } ] } ```