As she was with her teaching methods, Dr. Maria Montessori is memorable for her inspiring quotes. Many of them are based on her research and observations that shaped the life-changing philosophies of the Montessori Method. Over the course of many years, Dr. Montessori shared her insights in books and lectures around the world.

No matter who you are in the life of a child — as a parent, teacher, friend or relative, we’re sure you’ll find our Top 10 favorite Maria Montessori quotes truly inspiring.
Please share a few of your own favorite Montessori quotes with us!

Here they are … our top 10 Montessori quotes!

“The child has a mind able to absorb knowledge. He has the power to teach himself.”

“A child who has become master of his acts through long and repeated exercises, and who has been encouraged by the pleasant and interesting activities in which he has been engaged, is a child filled with health and joy and remarkable for his calmness and discipline.”

“Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and when the grass of the meadows is wet with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them.”

“Our aim is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his innermost core.”

“An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live.”

“Directing our action toward mankind means, first and foremost, doing so with regard to the child. The child, that ‘forgotten citizen’, must be appreciated in accordance with his true value. His rights as a human being who shapes all of mankind must become sacred, and the secret laws of his normal psychic development must light the way for civilization.”

“We must help the child to act for himself, will for himself, think for himself; this is the art of those who aspire to serve the spirit.”

“The child’s development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behavior towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practiced to perfection only when working among children.”

“These very children reveal to us the most vital need of their development, saying : ‘Help me to do it alone!’”

“We recognize the immense power, the unconscious forces existing in the child on the threshold of life. For many years we have been proclaiming that it is necessary to educate the child from the moment of birth. We have traced, through study and practical experience, the ideal path leading to the world of children, of these beings whose social status has as yet not been determined, whose rights have not been recognized and who nevertheless represent the men of tomorrow.”