Grammar is the cradle of all philosophy.

John of Salisbury (ca. 1120–80)*

English is not a subject. English is everything. For us who speak English, English is everything. English is what we say and what we think.

L.A. G. Strong, English for Pleasure (1941)*

Nobody who thinks or writes can be above grammar. It is like saying, “I’m a creative genius, I’m above concepts”—which is the attitude of modern artists. If you are “above” grammar, you are “above” concepts; and if you are “above” concepts, you are “above” thought. The fact is that then you are not above, but far below, thought. Therefore, make a religion of grammar.

Ayn Rand, The Art of Nonfiction (1969)*

I take the candid approach because it fits my teaching situation. My students understand very well what social status means, so I simply tell them, “If you speak this way, you go in the back door; if you speak this way, you go in the front door.” I make it very clear that I neither built the house nor did I designate the doors. In this case, I am merely an agent showing off the real estate. I have the key to the front door, and once the student has the concept of usage levels I have given him the key. The back door is always ajar.

V. Louise Higgins, “Approaching Usage in the Classroom” (1960)*