--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no reason why a child, living in…" description: "\"“There is no reason why a child, living in every other way as a dependent of his parents, could not and should not have (like everyone else) the right ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/john-holt-14171_children_there-is-no-reason-why-a-child-living-in_2851259.jpg" --- # There is no reason why a child, living in every other way… ![“There is no reason why a child, living in every other way as a dependent of his parents, could not and should not have (like everyone else) the right to decide what he wants to learn and when and how much of it he wants to learn in school, and in what school, and how much time he wants to spend…” quote by John Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/john-holt-14171_children_there-is-no-reason-why-a-child-living-in_2851259.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/john-holt-14171_children_there-is-no-reason-why-a-child-living-in_2851259.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/john-holt-14171_children_there-is-no-reason-why-a-child-living-in_2851259.jpg) > ““There is no reason why a child, living in every other way as a dependent of his parents, could not and should not have (like everyone else) the right to decide what he wants to learn and when and how much of it he wants to learn in school, and in what school, and how much time he wants to spend doing it.”” [John Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-holt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children should have autonomy over their learning, deciding content, pace, and environment, fostering intrinsic motivation. **In simple terms:** Kids choose what and when to learn. Key Takeaway Empower student choice in education. Themes education autonomy learning Mood thoughtful hopeful Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - home schooling - curriculum design - personalized learning - parental involvement Key Concepts Progressivism self-directed learning Questions to Reflect On - What freedoms would you give children in school? - How does choice affect learning outcomes? A Different Perspective Implementation may clash with standardized systems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) ## Related quotes > [To be told that one can be dependent on one's parents until age 26 should strike a young person who wants to grow up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/to-be-told-that-one-can-be-dependent-on-one-s-parents-until-age-26/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [“They needed a reason why a little kid would commit murder, someone or something to point the finger at, and I think they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/they-needed-a-reason-why-a-little-kid-would-commit-murder-someone-or/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“Hold childhood in reverence, and do not be in any hurry to judge it for good or ill. 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I want good tutors, and with Kurt, I had the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/i-am-just-the-classic-person-who-wants-to-learn-stuff-i-want-good/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [Anybody who wants to learn everything is pretty stupid. You learn what you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/anybody-who-wants-to-learn-everything-is-pretty-stupid-you-learn-what/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) ## More 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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-holt/when-children-are-very-young-they-have-natural-curiosities-about-the/) [John Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-holt/) > [The idea of painless, nonthreatening coercion is an illusion. Fear is the inseparable companion of coercion, and its inescapable consequence. 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Pat, with vigor unusual in her, said, "So when we grow up we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-holt/someone-asked-the-other-day-why-do-we-go-to-school-pat-with-vigor/) [John Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-holt/i-doubt-very-much-if-it-is-possible-to-teach-anyone-to-understand/) [John Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-holt/) [Explore all 46 John Holt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-holt/) ## 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. 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