--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The greatest development is achieved…" description: "\"The greatest development is achieved during the first years of life, and therefore it is then that the greatest care should be taken. If this is done, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e6/maria-montessori-709_burden_the-greatest-development-is-achieved-dur_1791061.png" --- # The greatest development is achieved during the first… ![“The greatest development is achieved during the first years of life, and therefore it is then that the greatest care should be taken. If this is done, then the child does not become a burden; he will reveal himself as the greatest marvel of nature.” quote by Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e6/maria-montessori-709_burden_the-greatest-development-is-achieved-dur_1791061.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e6/maria-montessori-709_burden_the-greatest-development-is-achieved-dur_1791061.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e6/maria-montessori-709_burden_the-greatest-development-is-achieved-dur_1791061.png) > “The greatest development is achieved during the first years of life, and therefore it is then that the greatest care should be taken. If this is done, then the child does not become a burden; he will reveal himself as the greatest marvel of nature.” [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early childhood is crucial; proper care yields remarkable human potential. **In simple terms:** Early care leads to great outcomes. Key Takeaway Prioritize nurturing in early years. Themes education child development potential Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - parenting - early education - policy making Key Concepts early years caregiving Questions to Reflect On - What early interventions matter most? - How can societies support child care? A Different Perspective Resources may be limited for optimal care. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [The greatest development after age 21 was shown by Steinitz, who increased his rating by more than a full class interval. Steinitz was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arpad-elo/the-greatest-development-after-age-21-was-shown-by-steinitz-who/) Arpad Elo > [“In the elder days of art Builders wrought with greatest care Each minute and unseen part, For the gods see everywhere,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/in-the-elder-days-of-art-builders-wrought-with-greatest-care-each-2/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [A man's greatest care should be for that place where he lives longest; therefore eternity should be his scope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-watson/a-man-s-greatest-care-should-be-for-that-place-where-he-lives-longest/) [Thomas Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-watson/) > [Praise, help, or even a look, may be enough to interrupt him, or destroy the activity. It seems a strange thing to say, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/praise-help-or-even-a-look-may-be-enough-to-interrupt-him-or-destroy/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The education of even a small child, therefore, does not aim at preparing him for school, but for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-education-of-even-a-small-child-therefore-does-not-aim-at/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“Care for all, Take care of few, And always be taken care off”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena/care-for-all-take-care-of-few-and-always-be-taken-care-off/) [Elena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena/) > [Love is a double edge sword which can hurt at any time if care is not taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innocent/love-is-a-double-edge-sword-which-can-hurt-at-any-time-if-care-is-not/) Innocent > [With the benefit of hindsight, had more care been taken, maybe this could have been avoided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eason-jordan/with-the-benefit-of-hindsight-had-more-care-been-taken-maybe-this/) [Eason Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eason-jordan/) > [Each of us is a being in himself and a being in society, each of us needs to understand himself and understand others, take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haniel-long/each-of-us-is-a-being-in-himself-and-a-being-in-society-each-of-us/) [Haniel Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haniel-long/) > [Always we must bear in mind that law has to be substituted for power, that care must be taken to serve the interests of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-bajer/always-we-must-bear-in-mind-that-law-has-to-be-substituted-for-power/) [Fredrik Bajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-bajer/) > [As the life of the horse is in his legs, so the life of the traveler is in his feet, and good care should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-de-bairacli-levy/as-the-life-of-the-horse-is-in-his-legs-so-the-life-of-the-traveler/) Juliette de Bairacli Levy > [I think there needs to be more care taken for the actor. You know, we are not props!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anika-noni-rose/i-think-there-needs-to-be-more-care-taken-for-the-actor-you-know-we/) [Anika Noni Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anika-noni-rose/) > [I was watching the TV broadcasts interviewing people stranded at airports for days on end, losing their holidays, their important business meetings and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/i-was-watching-the-tv-broadcasts-interviewing-people-stranded-at/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Ah! that quite does for me. I haven't a word to say... Too much care was taken with our education, I am afraid. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/ah-that-quite-does-for-me-i-haven-t-a-word-to-say-too-much-care-was/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [My family is taken care of, I'm taken care of and that's all that matters to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-smith/my-family-is-taken-care-of-i-m-taken-care-of-and-that-s-all-that/) [Justin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-smith/) ## More by Maria Montessori > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Imitation is the first instinct of the awakening mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/imitation-is-the-first-instinct-of-the-awakening-mind/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The undisciplined child enters into discipline by working in the company of others; not being told he is naughty.” “Discipline is, therefore, primarily a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-undisciplined-child-enters-into-discipline-by-working-in-the/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [When you have solved the problem of controlling the attention of the child, you have solved the entire problem of its education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/when-you-have-solved-the-problem-of-controlling-the-attention-of-the/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the senses exists; not that the child shall know colors, forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-exactly-in-the-repetition-of-the-exercises-that-the-education/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Adults look upon a child as something empty that is to be filled through their own efforts, as something inert and helpless for which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/adults-look-upon-a-child-as-something-empty-that-is-to-be-filled/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The observation of the way in which the children pass from the first disordered movements to those which are spontaneous and ordered -- this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-observation-of-the-way-in-which-the-children-pass-from-the-first/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The teacher's task is not a small easy one! She has to prepare a huge amount of knowledge to satisfy the child's mental hunger.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-teacher-s-task-is-not-a-small-easy-one-she-has-to-prepare-a-huge/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Education is a work of self-organization by which man adapts himself to the conditions of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/education-is-a-work-of-self-organization-by-which-man-adapts-himself/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The possibility of observing the developments of the psychical life of the child as natural phenomena and experimental reactions transforms the school itself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-possibility-of-observing-the-developments-of-the-psychical-life/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Never help a child with a task that they feel they can complete themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/never-help-a-child-with-a-task-that-they-feel-they-can-complete/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [It is not the child as a physical but as a psychic being that can provide a strong impetus to the betterment of mankind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-not-the-child-as-a-physical-but-as-a-psychic-being-that-can/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [By the age of three, the child has already laid down the foundations of his personality as a human being, and only then does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/by-the-age-of-three-the-child-has-already-laid-down-the-foundations/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Rewards and punishments, to speak frankly, are the desk of the soul, that is, a means of enslaving a child's spirit, and better suited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/rewards-and-punishments-to-speak-frankly-are-the-desk-of-the-soul/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) [Explore all 397 Maria Montessori quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) ## More Burden quotes > [Everything I do is more memorable and I understand music more than ever now. It's not a burden to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/everything-i-do-is-more-memorable-and-i-understand-music-more-than/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [I am at a point in my life where everything I have worked for starts to look like a burden, a weight on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-abou-samra/i-am-at-a-point-in-my-life-where-everything-i-have-worked-for-starts/) Simone Abou Samra > [Trump's enduring appeal is a resource to be harnessed by the Republican Party, not a burden to be jettisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-devine/trump-s-enduring-appeal-is-a-resource-to-be-harnessed-by-the/) [Miranda Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-devine/) > [We want to free our citizens from the burden of excessive paper documents in every office. We want paperless transactions. We will set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/we-want-to-free-our-citizens-from-the-burden-of-excessive-paper/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/we-cannot-go-back-in-time-and-change-the-past-but-we-can-repent-the/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) > [With those who are willing to join, let us cooperate to reduce the burden of arms, to strengthen the structure of peace, to lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/with-those-who-are-willing-to-join-let-us-cooperate-to-reduce-the/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [“What a burden it must be to know all the terrible things you've done and support it with arms unfit to carry it all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-weikel/what-a-burden-it-must-be-to-know-all-the-terrible-things-you-ve-done/) [K. Weikel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-weikel/) > [And that, in a way, was the burden of being a philosopher: one knew what one had to do, but it was so often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/and-that-in-a-way-was-the-burden-of-being-a-philosopher-one-knew-what/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/) [Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/) > [It's a burden trying to keep a secret. It's hard. It probably takes more out of you trying to hold it and keep it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magic-johnson/it-s-a-burden-trying-to-keep-a-secret-it-s-hard-it-probably-takes/) [Magic Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magic-johnson/) > [I've always liked artists like Chris Burden, who would take performances, put them in galleries, and then do things that were on the edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blaine/i-ve-always-liked-artists-like-chris-burden-who-would-take/) [David Blaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blaine/) > [Our office...subjects us to great burdens and labors, dangers and temptations, with little reward or gratitude from the world. But Christ himself will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/our-office-subjects-us-to-great-burdens-and-labors-dangers-and/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [The debt immense of endless gratitude, So burthensome, still paying, still to owe; Forgetful what from him I still receivd, And understood not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/the-debt-immense-of-endless-gratitude-so-burthensome-still-paying/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) [Browse all 2,567 Burden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The greatest development is achieved during the first years of life, and therefore it is then that the greatest care should be taken. 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