467 Quotes by Maria Montessori

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.

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

If the idea of the universe is presented to the child in the right way, it will do more for him than just arouse his interest, for it will create in him admiration and wonder, a feeling loftier than any interest and more satisfying.

Any child who is self-sufficient , who can ties his shoes, dress or undress himself, reflects in his joy and sense of achievement the image of human dignity which is derived from a sense of independence.

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

Growth is not merely a harmonious increase in size, but a transformation.

The child becomes a person through work.

The art of Montessori, which simply means finding the best way to help the child himself become what he was meant to become from the first moment of conception, is an art that joins home and school. That means parent and teacher supporting one another in their responsibility to the life of the child.

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.