Quotes from Maria Montessori

The environment itself will teach the child, if every error he makes is manifest to him, without the intervention of a parent of teacher, who should remain a quiet observer of all that happens.

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.

The children are now working as if I did not exist.

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.

The principal agent is the object itself and not the instruction given by the teacher. It is the child who uses the objects; it is the child who is active, and not the teacher.

The first thing required of a teacher is that he be rightly disposed for his task.

The world of education is like an island where people cut off from the world are prepared for life by exclusion from it.

The respect and protection of woman and of maternity should be raised to the position of an inalienable social duty and should become one of the principles of human morality.

Woman was always the custodian of human sentiment, morality and honour, and in these respects, man always has yielded woman the palm.

The possibility of observing the developments of the psychical life of the child as natural phenomena and experimental reactions transforms the school itself in action into a kind of scientific laboratory for the psychogenetic study of man.

The man of character is the persistent man, the man who is faithful to his own word, his own convictions, his own affections.

The development of language is part of the development of the personality, for words are the natural means of expressing thoughts and establishing understanding between people.

Education is a work of self-organization by which man adapts himself to the conditions of life.

Personal health is related to self-control and to the worship of life in all its natural beauty - self-control bringing with it happiness, renewed youth, and long life.

If intelligence is the triumph of life, the spoken word is the marvellous means by which this intelligence is manifested.

If education is protection to life, you will realize that it is necessary that education accompany life during its whole course.

All work is noble; the only ignoble thing is to live without working. There is need to realize the value of work in all its forms whether manual or intellectual, to be called 'mate,' to have sympathetic understanding of all forms of activity.

It is the children between five and seven who are the word-lovers. It is they who show a predisposition toward such study. Their undeveloped minds can not yet grasp a complete idea with distinctness. They do, however, understand words. And they may be entirely carried away by their ecstatic, their tireless interest in the parts of speech.

Whatever is presented to him must be made beautiful and clear, striking his imagination. Once this love has been kindled, all problems confronting the educationist will disappear.

The study of love and its utilization will lead us to the source from which it springs, The Child.

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.

Many people must have noticed the intense attention given by children to the conversation of grown-ups when they cannot possibly be understanding a word of what they hear. They are trying to get hold of words, and they often demonstrate this fact by repeating joyously some word which they have been able to grasp.

The study of expression ought to form a part of the study of psychology, but it also comes within the province of anthropology because the habitual, life-long expressions of the face determine the wrinkles of old age, which are distinctly an anthropological characteristic.

How can any one paint who cannot grade colors? How can any one write poetry who has not learnt to hear and see?