Montessori Quotes:

The child will reveal himself through work.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Montessori

We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are a part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity. This idea helps the mind of the child to become fixed, to stop wandering in an aimless quest for knowledge. He is satisfied, having found the universal centre of himself with all things.

- Maria Montessori

source: Maria Montessori (2015). “To Educate the Human Potential”, p.6, Ravenio Books

topic: Children, Ideas, Unity, Montessori

The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Independent, Adults, Montessori, Growing Children

The senses, being the explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge.

- Maria Montessori

topic: World, Way, Explorers, Montessori

The land is where our roots are. The children must be taught to feel and live in harmony with the Earth.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Land, Roots, Montessori, Parental

The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Promise, Mankind, Montessori

...we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. It is not acquired by listening to words, but in virtue of experiences in which the child acts on his environment. The teacher's task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for the child.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Teacher, Children, Listening, Montessori

The human hand allows the mind to reveal itself.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Hands, Mind, Humans, Montessori, Human Hands

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

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Facts, Approval, Montessori

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.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Religious, Sweet, Children, Montessori, Suppressing

Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Parenting, Innocence, Montessori

Growth comes from activity, not from intellectual understanding.

- Maria Montessori

source: Maria Montessori (2013). “The Montessori Reader”, p.526, Simon and Schuster

topic: Understanding, Intellectual, Growth, Montessori

Respect all the reasonable forms of activity in which the child engages and try to understand them.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Trying, Form, Montessori

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."

- Maria Montessori

source: "The Absorbent Mind" by Maria Montessori, Ch. 27, (p. 283), 1949.

topic: Inspirational, Life, Success, Inspirational Educational, Inspirational Student

The child’s parents are not his makers but his guardians.

- Maria Montessori

source: Maria Montessori (1978). “The Secret of Childhood”, p.222, Orient Blackswan

topic: Children, Parent, Guardian, Montessori

To aid life, leaving it free, however, that is the basic task of the educator.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Leaving, Tasks, Aids, Montessori

Of all things love is the most potent.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Love Is, Parental, Montessori

Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Imagination, Doe, Use, Montessori

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

- Maria Montessori

source: Maria Montessori (2013). “The Montessori Reader”, p.134, Simon and Schuster

topic: Teacher, Men, Done, Montessori

The teacher must derive not only the capacity, but the desire, to observe natural phenomena. The teacher must understand and feel her position of observer: the activity must lie in the phenomenon.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Teacher, Lying, Desire, Montessori, Natural Phenomena

The child is truly a miraculous being, and this should be felt deeply by the educator.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Educator, Should, Montessori

Education should no longer be most imparting of knowledge, but must take a new path, seeking the release of human potentialities.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Education, Path, Release, Montessori, New Paths

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

- Maria Montessori

topic: Education, Children, Parenting, Untapped Potential, Infinite Potential

Play is the work of the child.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Play, Children Playing, Montessori

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

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Helping, Montessori, Veneration

Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.

- Maria Montessori

source: Attributed in "Words of Wisdom" edited by William Safire and ‎Leonard Safir, (p. 58), 1990.

topic: Family, Children, Parenting, Happy Children, Montessori

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

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Environment, Montessori

The teacher, when she begins work in our schools, must have a kind of faith that the child will reveal himself through work.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Teacher, Children, School, Montessori

The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Montessori, Early Childhood Education

To let the child do as he likes when he has not yet developed any powers of control is to betray the idea of freedom.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Ideas, Likes, Montessori

We cannot create observers by saying 'observe,' but by giving them the power and the means for this observation and these means are procured through education of the senses.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Philosophy, Mean, Medicine, Montessori, Observers

We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Beauty, Science, Imagination, Montessori

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.'

- Maria Montessori

topic: Inspirational, Life, Success, Inspirational Student, Inspiring Education

Times have changed, and science has made great progress, and so has our work; but our principles have only been confirmed, and along with them our conviction that mankind can hope for a solution to its problems, among which the most urgent are those of peace and unity, only by turning its attention and energies to the discovery of the child and to the development of the great potentialities of the human personality in the course of its formation.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Discovery, Personality, Montessori, Peace And Unity

The first idea that the child must acquire, in order to be actively disciplined, is that of the difference between good and evil.

- Maria Montessori

source: "The Montessori Reader".

topic: Children, Ideas, Differences, Montessori

We teachers can only help the work going on, as servants wait upon a master.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Education, Teacher, Work, Montessori, Clarity Of Vision

No one can be free unless he is independent.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Independent, Montessori, Practical Life

He does it with his hands, by experience, first in play and then through work. The hands are the instruments of man's intelligence.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Men, Hands, Play, Montessori

The first essential for the child’s development is concentration. The child who concentrates is immensely happy.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Essentials, Development, Montessori

Adults have not understood children or adolescents and they are, as a consequence, in continual conflict with them.

- Maria Montessori

source: "The Secret of Childhood" by Maria Montessori, Ch. 2, 1936.

topic: Children, Adults, Conflict, Montessori

If education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped from it in the bettering of man's future. For what is the use of transmitting knowledge if the individual's total development lags behind?

- Maria Montessori

source: The Absorbent Mind ch. 1 (1949)

topic: Men, Intelligence, Use, Montessori, Cooperative Learning

The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Change, Greatness, Personality, Montessori, Human Personality

The task of the educator lies in seeing that the child does not confound good with immobility and evil with activity.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Lying, Evil, Montessori

It is not enough for the teacher to love the child. She must first love and understand the universe. She must prepare herself, and truly work at it.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Teacher, Children, First Love, Montessori

Only through freedom and environmental experience is it practically possible for human development to occur.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Montessori, Human Development

Within the child lies the fate of the future.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Lying, Future, Montessori

The unknown energy that can help humanity is that which lies hidden in the child.

- Maria Montessori

topic: Children, Lying, Humanity, Montessori

Discipline must come through liberty. . . . We do not consider an individual disciplined only when he has been rendered as artificially silent as a mute and as immovable as a paralytic. He is an individual annihilated, not disciplined.

- Maria Montessori

source: Maria Montessori (2003). “The Montessori Method”, p.71, Barnes & Noble Publishing

topic: Discipline, Silence, Individuality, Montessori, Disciplined Life