--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think we owe it to children to let them…" description: "\"I think we owe it to children to let them dig their knowledge, of whatever subject, for themselves out of the \"fit\" book; and this for two reasons: Wha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/charlotte-mason-9985_book_i-think-we-owe-it-to-children-to-let-the_276876.jpg" --- # I think we owe it to children to let them dig their… ![“I think we owe it to children to let them dig their knowledge, of whatever subject, for themselves out of the "fit" book; and this for two reasons: What a child digs for is his own possession; what is poured into his ear, like the idle song of a pleasant singer, floats out as lightly as it came…” quote by Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/charlotte-mason-9985_book_i-think-we-owe-it-to-children-to-let-the_276876.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/charlotte-mason-9985_book_i-think-we-owe-it-to-children-to-let-the_276876.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/charlotte-mason-9985_book_i-think-we-owe-it-to-children-to-let-the_276876.jpg) > “I think we owe it to children to let them dig their knowledge, of whatever subject, for themselves out of the "fit" book; and this for two reasons: What a child digs for is his own possession; what is poured into his ear, like the idle song of a pleasant singer, floats out as lightly as it came in, and is rarely assimilated. I do not mean to say that the lecture and the oral lesson are without their uses; but these uses are, to give impulse and to order knowledge; and not to convey knowledge.” [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children learn best when they discover knowledge themselves, turning learning into personal ownership rather than passive reception. **In simple terms:** Kids retain what they find on their own. Key Takeaway Encourage self‑directed exploration. Themes education autonomy learning Mood inspirational thoughtful Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - home schooling - project based learning - personal research Key Concepts constructivism intrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance guided instruction with independent discovery? - What role should teachers play in fostering curiosity? A Different Perspective Pure self‑discovery may miss essential foundational facts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Lectures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lectures/) [Lesson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lesson/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Singers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singers/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Every walk should offer some knotty problem for the children to think out-"Why does that leaf float on the water, and this pebble sink?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/every-walk-should-offer-some-knotty-problem-for-the-children-to-think/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [Let children feed on the good, the excellent, the great! Don't get in their way with little lectures, facts, and guided tours!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/let-children-feed-on-the-good-the-excellent-the-great-don-t-get-in/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [There will be no transportation problems in Heaven-you can either glide along, float along or fly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berg/there-will-be-no-transportation-problems-in-heaven-you-can-either/) [David Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berg/) > [Just as Americans have discovered the hidden energy costs in a multitude of products-in refrigerating a steak, for example, on its way to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-adler/just-as-americans-have-discovered-the-hidden-energy-costs-in-a/) Jerry Adler > [Moscow, Rome, London, Paris stay in place. Leningrad and New York float, spreading all their sails, cutting space with their prows, and can disappear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-berberova/moscow-rome-london-paris-stay-in-place-leningrad-and-new-york-float/) [Nina Berberova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-berberova/) > [Usually, when you go to a movie, your consciousness floats above the film. 3D sucks you in and makes it a visceral experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cameron/usually-when-you-go-to-a-movie-your-consciousness-floats-above-the/) [James Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cameron/) > [They fell, but o'er their glorious grave Floats free the banner of the cause they died to save.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-marion-crawford/they-fell-but-o-er-their-glorious-grave-floats-free-the-banner-of-the/) [Francis Marion Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-marion-crawford/) > [In trouble waters I had to learn how to float](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/in-trouble-waters-i-had-to-learn-how-to-float/) [Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/) > [When hope is not pinned wriggling onto a shiny image or expectation, it sometimes floats forth and opens like one of those fluted Japanese…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/when-hope-is-not-pinned-wriggling-onto-a-shiny-image-or-expectation/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [A beautiful woman without fixed principles may be likened to those fair but rootless flowers which float in streams, driven by every breeze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/a-beautiful-woman-without-fixed-principles-may-be-likened-to-those/) [Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/) > [An hour and thirty-one minutes after launch, my pressure altimeter halts at 103,300 feet. At ground control the radar altimeters also have stopped-on readings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-kittinger/an-hour-and-thirty-one-minutes-after-launch-my-pressure-altimeter/) Joseph Kittinger > [Rome in the ages, dimmed with all her towers, / Floats in the mist, a little cloud at tether.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-meynell/rome-in-the-ages-dimmed-with-all-her-towers-floats-in-the-mist-a/) [Alice Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-meynell/) > [Despite my mentors advice that I would never go to heaven fishing with a weighted nymph and a float, I took it up. (As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bishop/despite-my-mentors-advice-that-i-would-never-go-to-heaven-fishing/) [Tony Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bishop/) > [Meaning coming from feeling, feeling coming from within, you absorb a massive amount of information, it goes through your whole body, a little bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-henson/meaning-coming-from-feeling-feeling-coming-from-within-you-absorb-a/) [Bill Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-henson/) > [To become a celebrity is to become a brand name. There is Ivory Soap, Rice Krispies, and Philip Roth. Ivory is the soap that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/to-become-a-celebrity-is-to-become-a-brand-name-there-is-ivory-soap/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## More by Charlotte Mason > [Every common miracle which the child sees with his own eyes makes of him for the moment another Newton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/every-common-miracle-which-the-child-sees-with-his-own-eyes-makes-of/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [Wise and purposeful letting alone is the best part of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/wise-and-purposeful-letting-alone-is-the-best-part-of-education/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [We talk of lost ideals, but perhaps they are not lost, only changed; when our ideal for ourselves and for our children becomes limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/we-talk-of-lost-ideals-but-perhaps-they-are-not-lost-only-changed/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [Our aim in education is to give a full life. We owe it to them to initiate an immense number of interests. Life should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/our-aim-in-education-is-to-give-a-full-life-we-owe-it-to-them-to/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [“If mothers could learn to do for themselves what they do for their children when these are overdone, we should have happier households. Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/if-mothers-could-learn-to-do-for-themselves-what-they-do-for-their/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [Let the parent ask "Why?" and the child produce the answer, if he can. After he has turned the matter over in his mind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/let-the-parent-ask-why-and-the-child-produce-the-answer-if-he-can/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [There is no education but self-education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/there-is-no-education-but-self-education/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [Education is a life; that life is sustained on ideas; ideas are of spiritual origin, and that we get them chiefly as we convey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/education-is-a-life-that-life-is-sustained-on-ideas-ideas-are-of/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [Children should Transcribe favourite Passages. A certain sense of possession and delight may be added to this exercise if children are allowed to choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/children-should-transcribe-favourite-passages-a-certain-sense-of/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [Do not let the endless succession of small things crowd great ideals out of sight and out of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/do-not-let-the-endless-succession-of-small-things-crowd-great-ideals/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [The children's lessons should provide material for their mental growth, should exercise the several powers of their minds, should furnish them with fruitful ideas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/the-children-s-lessons-should-provide-material-for-their-mental/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [Education is the science of relations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/education-is-the-science-of-relations/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [“Having found the book which has a message for us, let us not be guilty of the folly of saying we have read it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/having-found-the-book-which-has-a-message-for-us-let-us-not-be-guilty/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [So much for the right books; the right use of them is another matter. The children must enjoy the book. The ideas it holds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/so-much-for-the-right-books-the-right-use-of-them-is-another-matter/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [The indwelling of Christ is a thought particularly fit for the children, because their large faith does not stumble at the mystery, their imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/the-indwelling-of-christ-is-a-thought-particularly-fit-for-the/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) [Explore all 68 Charlotte Mason quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think we owe it to children to let them dig their knowledge, of whatever subject, for themselves out of the \"fit\" book; and this for two reasons: What a child digs for is his own possession; what is poured into his ear, like the idle song of a pleasant singer, floats out as lightly as it came in, and is rarely assimilated. 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