A child is a discoverer. He is an amorphous, splendid being in search of his own proper form.

There is a great sense of community within the Montessori classroom, where children of differing ages work together in an atmosphere of cooperation rather than competitiveness. There is respect for the environment and for the individuals within it, which comes through experience of freedom within the community.

The child is endowed with unknown powers, which can guide us to a radiant future. If what we really want is a new world, then education must take as its aim the development of these hidden possibilities.

Growth is not merely a harmonious increase in size, but a transformation.

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

We must support as much as possible the child's desires for activity; not wait on him, but educate him to be independent.

The essence of independence is to be able to do something for one’s self. Adults work to finish a task, but the child works in order to grow, and is working to create the adult, the person that is to be. Such experience is not just play... it is work he must do in order to grow up.