I would claim that a programming language is more like material than a tool. You can easily switch tools during the course of the project and discard them once

I would claim that a programming language is more like material than a tool. You can easily switch tools during the course of the project and discard them once it's done, but it's not that easy to replace faulty material. If you want good results, you should invest in quality material. (Of course every analogy holds only up to a certain point.)