The education of even a small child, therefore, does not aim at preparing him for school, but for life.

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

A great deal of time and intellectual force are lost in the world, because the false seems great and the truth so small and insignificant.

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.

When a child is given a little leeway, he will at once shout, "I want to do it!" But in our schools, which have an environment adapted to children's needs, they say, "Help me to do it alone." And these words reveal their inner needs.

Today, however, those things which occupy us in the field of education are the interests of humanity at large and of civilization, and before such great forces we can recognize only one country-the entire world.

The word education must not be understood in the sense of teaching but of assisting the psychological development of the child.