A dictionary of Marshall McLuhan’s quotations

language itself is the greatest of mass media. The spoken word instantly evokes not only some recently conceived idea but reverberates with the total history of its own experience with man. We may be oblivious to such overtones as of the spectrum of colour in a lump of coal. But the poet by exact rhythmic adjustment can flood our consciousness with this knowledge.
“Culture without Literacy”, in Explorations #1, December (1953), p 124 reprinted in Essential McLuhan, (1995), p 310, additional reprint in Media Research Technology, Art and Communication (1997), p 134. and McLuhan Unbound #6, (2017)
Year: 1953
Chapter: Language
Compiled by William Kuhns
© 2026, The Estate of Marshall McLuhan