Maria Montessori Quotes

I dream ...of a world where we can commit our social resources to the development of human life and not to its destruction

It is in our power to educate all the children of the world to become a little better as people, a little happier.

There are no such things as limits to growth, because there are no limits on the human capacity for intelligence, imagination, and wonder.

The historic ascent of humanity, taken as a whole, may be summarized as a succession of victories of consciousness over blind forces - in nature, in society, in man himself.

Education and democracy have the same goal: the fullest possible development of human capabilities.

Science, which has transformed the material world, gives man the power of transforming himself.

The fundamental purpose of schools is to grow adults.

How nations and races of men are to be so governed as may be most conducive to the improvement and happiness of all is one of the most interesting questions that can be offered to our consideration.

I wouldn't be educating children if I did not believe in human potential.

All peoples have contributed to the overall progress and enhancement of human life.

Education cannot be effective unless it helps a child to open up himself to life.

I'm not raising the children, I'm raising the grown ups that they're going to be.

Our message today is one of hope. It is about potential waiting to be fulfilled: the surest way to meet the global challenges we face now and in the future is to make every mother and child count.

Is not education the art of drawing out full manhood of the children under training?

The child will reveal himself through work.

A child develops individuality long before he develops taste.

A family's responses to crisis or to a new situation mirror those of a child. That is to say, the way a small child deals with a new challenge (for instance, learning to walk) has certain predictable stages: regression, anxiety, mastery, new energy, growth, and feedback for future achievement. These stages can also be seen in adults coping with new life events, whether positive or negative.

Children must grow not only in the body but in the spirit, and the mother longs to follow the mysterious spiritual journey of the beloved one who to-morrow will be the intelligent, divine creation, man.

People are the common denominator of progress; no improvement is possible with unimproved people.

What do we teach our children? . . . We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique . . . You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything.

Progress is The law of life: man is not Man as yet.

Each generation is inclined to educate its young so as to get along in the present world instead of with a view to the proper end of education: the promotion of the best possible realization of humanity as humanity. Parents educate their children so that they may get on; princes educate their subjects as instruments of their own purpose.

Children make the best measurements of time. It is only when I see the son or daughter of a friend or relative over periods of time, do I realize how much time has passed based on how much they've grown.

Giving every child a chance to reach their full potential is the best work anyone can do

By education, I mean an all-round drawing of the best in child and man in body, mind and spirit.