A man is not what he is because of the teachers he has had, but because of what he has done

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

The greatest sign of success for a teacher...is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist."

We must help the child to act for himself, will for himself, think for himself; this is the art of those who aspire to serve the spirit.

It is well to cultivate a friendly feeling towards error, to treat it as a companion inseparable from our lives, as something having a purpose, which it truly has.

What advice can we give to new mothers? Their children need to work at an interesting occupation: they should not be helped unnecessarily, nor interrupted, once they have begun to do something intelligent.

The principal agent is the object itself and not the instruction given by the teacher. It is the child who uses the objects; it is the child who is active, and not the teacher.