Quotes by Maria Montessori

“Joy, feeling one's own value, being appreciated and loved by others, feeling useful and capable of production are all factors of enormous value for the human soul.”

“Do not tell them how to do it. Show them how to do it and do not say a word. If you tell them, they will watch your lips move. If you show them, they will want to do it themselves.”

“The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child's own natural desire to learn.”

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

“Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and when the grass of the meadows is wet with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning.”

“To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.”

“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 most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six.”

“What the hand does the mind remembers.”

“The child who has felt a strong love for his surroundings and for all living creatures, who has discovered joy and enthusiasm in work, gives us reason to hope that humanity can develop in a new direction.”

“We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.”

“Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world.”