The sole justification of teaching, of the school itself, is that the student comes out of it able to do something he could not do before. I say do and not know, because knowledge that doesn't lead to doing something new or doing something better is not knowledge at all.

Finding oneself was a misnomer; a self is not found but made.

Highly-adaptive, informal networks move diagonally and eliptically, skipping entire functions to get things done.

Americans began by loving youth, and now, out of adult self-pity, they worship it.

In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years.

Idealism springs from deep feelings, but feelings are nothing without the formulated idea that keeps them whole.

Out of man's mind in free play comes the creation Science. It renews itself, like the generations, thanks to an activity which is the best game of homo ludens: science is in the strictest and best sense a glorious entertainment.