The United States, a land of immigrants from every corner of the world, has been strengthened and unified because its newcomers have historically chosen ultimately to forgo their native language for the English language. We have all benefited from the sharing of ideas, of cultures and beliefs, made possible by a common language. We have all enriched each other.

If everybody is rewarded just for being alive, you get the same sort of effect as you do when you reward every student just for being enrolled. You destroy not only education, you destroy society by giving A's to everyone. This is a philosophical consideration that bothers me very much as I sit in the United States Senate and see the great budget allocations going through.

I believe we are being dishonest with language minority groups if we tell them they can take full part in American life without learning the English language.

In a very real sense, people who have read good literature have lived more than people who cannot or will not read.

English is the key to full participation in the opportunities of American life.

Agreement is brought about by changing people's minds - other people's.

Language is a unifying instrument which binds people together. When people speak one language they become as one, they become a society.