Quote File

Collected by Paige Evans as part of their Infant and Toddler Philosophy Class

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When order comes of itself, we know that we have re-entered the order of the universe.

The Absorbent Mind, p.286 Maria Montessori

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And it is the children who have made this beautiful staircase that mounts ever higher.

The Absorbent Mind, p.285 Maria Montessori

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Justice is something truly spiritual; it tries to ensure that every child shall make the best of themself. Justice, here, is to give every human being the help they need to bring about their fullest spiritual stature

The Absorbent Mind, p.285 Maria Montessori

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What is the greatest sign of success for a teacher thus transformed? It is to be able to say, 'The children are now working as if I did not exist.'

The Absorbent Mind, p.283 Maria Montessori

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[The teacher] sees one who seeks out the greatest efforts because their constant aspiration  is to make themself superior to difficulties.

The Absorbent Mind, p.282 Maria Montessori

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The master whom the teacher serves is the child's spirit.

The Absorbent Mind, p.281 Maria Montessori

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Every action of the teacher's can become a call and an invitation to the children.

The Absorbent Mind, p.278 Maria Montessori

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The teacher, when they begin work in our schools, must have a kind of faith that the child will reveal themself through work.

The Absorbent Mind, p.276 Maria Montessori

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The child, in fact, once they feel sure of themself, will no longer seek the approval of authority after every step. [...] What interests them is finishing their work, not to have it admired, nor to treasure is up as their own property.

The Absorbent Mind, p.274 Maria Montessori

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The result of concentration is an awakening of the social sense

The Absorbent Mind, p.273 Maria Montessori

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Free choice is one of the highest of all the mental processes.

The Absorbent Mind, p.271 Maria Montessori

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It is clear that the capacity for free choice is strengthened by exercise.

The Absorbent Mind, p.269 Maria Montessori

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A vigorous and firm call is the only true kindness toward these little minds.

The Absorbent Mind, p.268 Maria Montessori

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If the teacher cannot recognize the difference between pure impulse, and the spontaneous energies which spring to life in a tranquilized spirit, then her action will bear no fruit.

The Absorbent Mind, p. 264 Maria Montessori

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Discipline is born when the child concentrates his attention on some object that attracts them and which provides them not only with a useful exercise but with a control of error.

The Absorbent Mind, p.264 Maria Montessori

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If the child is not yet master of their own actions, if they cannot obey even their own will, so much the less can they obey the will of someone else.

The Absorbent Mind, p.259 Maria Montessori

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The child's obedience is closely connected with the stages of ability that they happen to have reached. To carry out an order, one must already posses some degree of maturity and a measure of the special skill that it may need.

The Absorbent Mind, p.258 Maria Montessori