"we are two peoples separated by a common language" antedated & attributed

[Joel S. Berson]

At 2/25/2011 06:32 AM, Garson O'Toole wrote:
>SHAW. People should execrate me for things I have said, not for the
>things that fools say I have said. I think there should be an alliance
>of all the peoples who are psychologically homogeneous enough to share
>one another's ideas. A common language certainly makes an alliance
>easier; though you must not forget that it also makes quarreling
>easier. The Americans and Chinese may utter endless insults to each
>other and be none the worse, because neither understands the other;
>but an American insult to the English or an English insult to the
>Americans might lead to a war.

A safe prediction, since it had in the 1770s.  (The insults
accumulated over 40 and more years.)

Joel

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