Education demands, then, only this: the utilization of the inner powers of the child for his own instruction.

Our goal is not so much the imparting of knowledge as the unveiling and developing of spiritual energy.

A vital force is active in every individual and leads it towards its own evolution.

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

Adults look upon a child as something empty that is to be filled through their own efforts, as something inert and helpless for which they must do everything, as something lacking an inner guide and in constant need of inner direction. . . . An adult who acts in this way, even though he may be convinced that he is filled with zeal, love, and a spirit of sacrifice on behalf of his child, unconsciously suppresses the development of the child's own personality.

Mental development must be connected with movement and be dependent on it. It is vital that educational theory and practice should be informed by that idea.

This then is the first duty of an educator: to stir up life but leave it free to develop.