A language is not just a body of vocabulary or a set of grammatical rules. … Every language is an old-growth forest of the mind.

Source: "Dreams from Endangered Cultures." TED2003. Feb. 2003. Conference Presentation. Additional Information: This quote means that a language is more than just a sterile set of rules; languages are ancient, living cultural constructions that reside in the minds of a people. The quote is from National Geographic Explorer Wade Davis' 2003 TED Talk about the world's indigenous cultures and how these cultures are rapidly becoming extinct. Watch the full TED Talk here: Wade Davis - Dreams from Endangered Cultures