Child Quotes by John Holt

“When children are very young, they have natural curiosities about the world and explore them, trying diligently to figure out what is real. As…

— John Holt

The idea of painless, nonthreatening coercion is an illusion. Fear is the inseparable companion of coercion, and its inescapable consequence. If you think it…

— John Holt

The biggest enemy to learning is the talking teacher.

— John Holt

“Fear, boredom, and resistance--they all go to make what we call stupid children.”

— John Holt

“Much of what we call History is the success stories of madmen.”

— John Holt

Schools assume that children are not interested in learning and are not much good at it, that they will not learn unless made to,…

— John Holt

“John, if you ever get a family, there’s one thing you should know. No matter how well you get along with your children when…

— John Holt

It is hard not to feel that there must be something very wrong with much of what we do in school, if we feel…

— John Holt

“Why do they do this? Because it gives them a license to act like tyrants and to feel like saints. “Do what I tell…

— John Holt

“We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way.”

— John Holt

Since we can't know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead,…

— John Holt

“Leaders are not, as we are often led to think, people who go along with huge crowds following them. Leaders are people who go…

— John Holt

People should be free to find or make for themselves the kinds of educational experience they want their children to have.

— John Holt

“Someone asked the other day, "Why do we go to school?" Pat, with vigor unusual in her, said, "So when we grow up we…

— John Holt

“I doubt very much if it is possible to teach anyone to understand anything, that is to say, to see how various parts of…

— John Holt