Maria Montessori Quotes - Page 5

A child is a discoverer. He is an amorphous, splendid being in search of his own proper form.

It is true that we cannot make a genius. We can only give to teach child the chance to fulfil his potential possibilities.

The child, in fact, once he feels sure of himself, will no longer seek the approval of authority after every step.

A child is mysterious and powerful; And contains within himself the secret of human nature.

Growth is not merely a harmonious increase in size, but a transformation.

An interesting piece of work, freely chosen, which has the virtue of inducing concentration rather than fatigue, adds to the child's energies and mental capacities, and leads him to self-mastery.

The exercises of practical life are formative activities, a work of adaptation to the environment. Such adaptation to the environment and efficient functioning therein is the very essence of a useful education.

The real preparation for education is the study of one's self.

The essence of independence is to be able to do something for one’s self.

Never help a child with a task that they feel they can complete themselves.

Sometimes very small children in a proper environment develop a skill and exactness in their work that can only surprise us.

We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are a part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity. This idea helps the mind of the child to become fixed, to stop wandering in an aimless quest for knowledge. He is satisfied, having found the universal centre of himself with all things.

There can be no substitute for work, neither affection nor physical well-being can replace it.

The child builds his inmost self out of the deeply held impressions he receives.

The fundamental basis of education must always remain that one must act for oneself. That is clear. One must act for him or herself.

The child seeks for independence by means of work; an independence of body and mind.

The work of education is divided between the teacher and the environment.

An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live.

Order is one of the needs of life which, when it is satisfied, produces a real happiness

Concentration is the key that opens up to the child the latent treasures within him.

The environment itself will teach the child, if every error he makes is manifest to him, without the intervention of a parent of teacher, who should remain a quiet observer of all that happens.

All our handling of the child will bear fruit, not only at the moment, but in the adult they are destined to become.

When the child goes out, it is the world itself that offers itself to him. Let us take the child out to show him real things instead of making objects which represent ideas and closing them up in cupboards.

The ancient saying, "There is nothing in the intellect which was not first in some way in the senses," and senses being explorers of the world, opens the way to knowledge.

Childhood constitutes the most important element in an adult's life, for it is in his early years that a man is made.