The instructions of the teacher consist then merely in a hint, a touch-enough to give a start to the child. The rest develops of itself.

We cannot know the consequences of suppressing a child's spontaneity when he is just beginning to be active. We may even suffocate life itself. That humanity which is revealed in all its intellectual splendor during the sweet and tender age of childhood should be respected with a kind of religious veneration. It is like the sun which appears at dawn or a flower just beginning to bloom. Education cannot be effective unless it helps a child to open up himself to life.

All human victories, all human progress, stand upon the inner force.

The child becomes a person through work.

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

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."

What we need is a world full of miracles, like the miracle of seeing the young child seeking work and independence, and manifesting a wealth of enthusiasm and love.