--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The present practice is to impress one's…" description: "\"The present practice is to impress one's own discoveries, opinions and principles on the child by constantly directing his actions. The last thing to b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/ellen-key-6012_children_the-present-practice-is-to-impress-one-s_30502.jpg" --- # The present practice is to impress one's own discoveries… ![“The present practice is to impress one's own discoveries, opinions and principles on the child by constantly directing his actions. The last thing to be realised by the educator is that he really has before him an entirely new soul, a real self whose first and chief right is to think over the…” quote by Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/ellen-key-6012_children_the-present-practice-is-to-impress-one-s_30502.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/ellen-key-6012_children_the-present-practice-is-to-impress-one-s_30502.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/ellen-key-6012_children_the-present-practice-is-to-impress-one-s_30502.jpg) > “The present practice is to impress one's own discoveries, opinions and principles on the child by constantly directing his actions. The last thing to be realised by the educator is that he really has before him an entirely new soul, a real self whose first and chief right is to think over the things with which he comes in contact.” [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education should respect the child's independent mind, allowing them to think and engage rather than merely imposing adult views. **In simple terms:** Child-centered learning over teacher dominance Key Takeaway Respect the child's autonomy Themes education child development autonomy critical thinking pedagogy Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - classroom instruction - parental guidance - curriculum design Key Concepts individuality learning process teacher role Practical Applications - student-led projects - critical thinking workshops Questions to Reflect On - How can educators balance guidance with fostering independence? - What practices help children develop their own reasoning? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Real self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-self/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) ## Related quotes > [Those engaged in directing the actions of others are always in danger of overlooking the importance of the sequential development of those they direct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/those-engaged-in-directing-the-actions-of-others-are-always-in-danger/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > ['Dare to Discipline' was published in 1970 in the midst of the Vietnam War and a culture of rebellion. The book was written in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dobson/dare-to-discipline-was-published-in-1970-in-the-midst-of-the-vietnam/) [James Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dobson/) > [ It is never too early to try and plant \[good principles\] in a child, and never too late to cultivate them in the most… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/it-is-never-too-early-to-try-and-plant-good-principles-in-a-child-and/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [It's not about the number of hours you practice, it's about the number of hours your mind is present during the practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/it-s-not-about-the-number-of-hours-you-practice-it-s-about-the-number/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [“We can’t change what happened to us in our past, but we can change the future through our present practice. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-scrone/we-can-t-change-what-happened-to-us-in-our-past-but-we-can-change-the/) Brian Scrone > [“The secret is that everything is always on the line. The more present we are at practice, the more present we will be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-waitzkin/the-secret-is-that-everything-is-always-on-the-line-the-more-present/) [Josh Waitzkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-waitzkin/) > [In 'A Boy's Own Story' and 'Jack Holmes and His Friend,' my idea was to take someone totally different from my real self and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-boy-s-own-story-and-jack-holmes-and-his-friend-my-idea-was-to/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [ “Moksha \[Ultimate Liberation\] is not found in the scriptures, Moksha is in the Soul \[Our Real Self\].” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/moksha-ultimate-liberation-is-not-found-in-the-scriptures-moksha-is/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“As I, my real self, grew older, I entered more and more into the substance of my dreams. One may dream, and even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/as-i-my-real-self-grew-older-i-entered-more-and-more-into-the/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [The worst thing that happens to people when they dress up and go to a party is that they leave their real selves at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/the-worst-thing-that-happens-to-people-when-they-dress-up-and-go-to-a/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [You are unique, and there may be incidents in your experience that are more noble and praiseworthy in their way than those recorded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/you-are-unique-and-there-may-be-incidents-in-your-experience-that-are/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [“Of course, I'm not sure there is such a thing as a real self. You could ransack your innards looking for the real you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/of-course-i-m-not-sure-there-is-such-a-thing-as-a-real-self-you-could/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“Our real self is under siege by our anti-self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-firestone/our-real-self-is-under-siege-by-our-anti-self/) [Lisa Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-firestone/) > [“..And then -- that personal, that wholly isolated direction at the back of your head, that black place from which you looked out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darkness-visible-william-golding/and-then-that-personal-that-wholly-isolated-direction-at-the-back-of/) Darkness Visible William Golding > [“You go into extinction by being obsessed about becoming something else and then travelling in the wrong car while your real self keeps waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-go-into-extinction-by-being-obsessed-about-becoming-something/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) ## More by Ellen Key > [The art of natural education consists in ignoring the faults of children nine times out of ten, in avoiding immediate interference, which is usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/the-art-of-natural-education-consists-in-ignoring-the-faults-of/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [All philanthropy ... is only a savory fumigation burning at the mouth of a sewer. This incense offering makes the air more endurable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/all-philanthropy-is-only-a-savory-fumigation-burning-at-the-mouth-of/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [Great love, like great genius, can never be a duty: both are life's gracious gifts to its elect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/great-love-like-great-genius-can-never-be-a-duty-both-are-life-s/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [War can be prevented only by broad-minded statesmanship - a statesmanship that understands how to enlist people's interests in a leading cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/war-can-be-prevented-only-by-broad-minded-statesmanship-a/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [When it comes to the application to life of existing laws and morals, woman, because of her willing receptiveness, her elasticity and adaptability combined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/when-it-comes-to-the-application-to-life-of-existing-laws-and-morals/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [The married woman as family provider beside the man, often also in place of the man, but always however subservient to the man's dominion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/the-married-woman-as-family-provider-beside-the-man-often-also-in/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [Socialism and the woman movement are two mighty streams which drag along with them great parts of the firm formations which they touch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/socialism-and-the-woman-movement-are-two-mighty-streams-which-drag/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [Formerly, a nation that broke the peace, did not trouble to try and prove to the world that it was done solely from higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/formerly-a-nation-that-broke-the-peace-did-not-trouble-to-try-and/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [When, in any ethical department, unity is attained between outer demands and inner desires, between nature and conscience, between the needs of society and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/when-in-any-ethical-department-unity-is-attained-between-outer/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [One day we were brought into the world, knowing love only as being what we had for our toys, family, and friends. Then, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/one-day-we-were-brought-into-the-world-knowing-love-only-as-being/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [The genius of happiness is still so rare. To possess it means to approach life with the humility of a beggar, but to treat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/the-genius-of-happiness-is-still-so-rare-to-possess-it-means-to/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [The home was a closed sphere touched only at its edge by the world's evolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/the-home-was-a-closed-sphere-touched-only-at-its-edge-by-the-world-s/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [Children must be impressed with the fact that the greatest heroes are those who fight to help others, not those who fight for power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/children-must-be-impressed-with-the-fact-that-the-greatest-heroes-are/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [Social motherliness has made women's struggle for liberty the loveliest synthesis of egoism and altruism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/social-motherliness-has-made-women-s-struggle-for-liberty-the/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [Christianity is sustained by the knowledge that the object of man's life on earth is his development as an eternal being. Therefore, none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/christianity-is-sustained-by-the-knowledge-that-the-object-of-man-s/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) [Explore all 100 Ellen Key quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [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/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The present practice is to impress one's own discoveries, opinions and principles on the child by constantly directing his actions. 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