---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the children had completed an…"
description: "\"When the children had completed an absorbing bit of work, they appeared rested and deeply pleased. It almost seemed as if a road had opened up within t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/maria-montessori-709_absorbing_when-the-children-had-completed-an-absor_2655692.png"
---

#  When the children had completed an absorbing bit of work…

![“When the children had completed an absorbing bit of work, they appeared rested and deeply pleased. It almost seemed as if a road had opened up within their souls that led to all their latent powers, revealing the better part of themselves. They exhibited a great affability to everyone, put…” quote by Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/maria-montessori-709_absorbing_when-the-children-had-completed-an-absor_2655692.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/maria-montessori-709_absorbing_when-the-children-had-completed-an-absor_2655692.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/maria-montessori-709_absorbing_when-the-children-had-completed-an-absor_2655692.png)

> “When the children had completed an absorbing bit of work, they appeared rested and deeply pleased. It almost seemed as if a road had opened up within their souls that led to all their latent powers, revealing the better part of themselves. They exhibited a great affability to everyone, put themselves out to help others and seemed full of good will.”

[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.

Children who finish meaningful work feel rested, pleased, and open to their inner strengths, showing kindness and willingness to help others.

**In simple terms:** Finishing work makes kids happy and generous.

Key Takeaway

Encourage purposeful tasks for children.

Themes

education psychology kindness

Mood

content hopeful

Type

inspirational educational

When to use this quote

- Classroom projects
- after‑school activities
- family chores

Key Concepts

Child development intrinsic motivation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does meaningful work affect a child's self‑esteem?
- What activities best reveal hidden strengths?

A Different Perspective

May not apply to all children; personality differences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Good will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-will/) [Help others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-others/) [Helping others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-others/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/)

## Related quotes

> [At birth, the child leaves a person - his mother's womb - and this makes him independent of her bodily functions. The baby is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/at-birth-the-child-leaves-a-person-his-mother-s-womb-and-this-makes/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [There is in the child a special kind of sensitivity which leads him to absorb everything about him, and it is this work of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/there-is-in-the-child-a-special-kind-of-sensitivity-which-leads-him/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [In anything fit to be called by the name of reading, the process itself should be absorbing and voluptuous; we should gloat over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/in-anything-fit-to-be-called-by-the-name-of-reading-the-process/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [I've always looked at directing as the next step for me in my creative career, and after spending the better part of the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-next-step-for-me-in-my/)

[Ian Anthony Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anthony-dale/)

> [I know "accessibility" is a term that's kind of thrown around wantonly today, especially with talking about visual media. But I think that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-powell/i-know-accessibility-is-a-term-that-s-kind-of-thrown-around-wantonly/)

[Nate Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-powell/)

> [Where does the ego get its energy? The ego feeds off your desire to be something else. You are poor and you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/where-does-the-ego-get-its-energy-the-ego-feeds-off-your-desire-to-be/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [Babies breathe a lot more rapidly than adults do, and what's more, they're also growing quickly and so they're absorbing lots more into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/babies-breathe-a-lot-more-rapidly-than-adults-do-and-what-s-more-they/)

[Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/)

> [It's hard to pick. I mean, I think the one that is most emblematic of the collaboration that occurred is "We Know The Way."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/it-s-hard-to-pick-i-mean-i-think-the-one-that-is-most-emblematic-of/)

[Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/)

> [The habit of quietly absorbing the shocks will be quite a great help to stabilize pure awareness. The technique is: Just feel not disturbed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/the-habit-of-quietly-absorbing-the-shocks-will-be-quite-a-great-help/)

[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/)

> [The nut of this tree is hung high aloft, wrapped in a silk wrapper, which is enclosed in a case of sole leather, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-de-camoes/the-nut-of-this-tree-is-hung-high-aloft-wrapped-in-a-silk-wrapper/)

[Luis de Camoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-de-camoes/)

> [I would spend hours absorbing every intonation, every inflection - how the singer would convey a sentiment and how it would sound coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-edmonson/i-would-spend-hours-absorbing-every-intonation-every-inflection-how/)

[Kat Edmonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-edmonson/)

> [Edge also implies what Ben Graham…called a margin of safety. You have a margin of safety when you buy an asset at a price…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mauboussin/edge-also-implies-what-ben-graham-called-a-margin-of-safety-you-have/)

[Michael Mauboussin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mauboussin/)

> [I bless the gods for not letting my education in rhetoric, poetry, and other literary studies come easily to me, and thereby sparing me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/i-bless-the-gods-for-not-letting-my-education-in-rhetoric-poetry-and/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [I probably need another couple of years of absorbing that and really looking at it to be able to do it because you actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hanks/i-probably-need-another-couple-of-years-of-absorbing-that-and-really/)

[Colin Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hanks/)

> [The artist has to be something like a whale swimming with his mouth wide open, absorbing everything until he has what he really needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romare-bearden/the-artist-has-to-be-something-like-a-whale-swimming-with-his-mouth/)

[Romare Bearden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romare-bearden/)

## 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 Absorbing quotes

> [The artist has to be something like a whale swimming with his mouth wide open, absorbing everything until he has what he really needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romare-bearden/the-artist-has-to-be-something-like-a-whale-swimming-with-his-mouth/)

[Romare Bearden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romare-bearden/)

> [I probably need another couple of years of absorbing that and really looking at it to be able to do it because you actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hanks/i-probably-need-another-couple-of-years-of-absorbing-that-and-really/)

[Colin Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hanks/)

> [I bless the gods for not letting my education in rhetoric, poetry, and other literary studies come easily to me, and thereby sparing me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/i-bless-the-gods-for-not-letting-my-education-in-rhetoric-poetry-and/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [Edge also implies what Ben Graham…called a margin of safety. You have a margin of safety when you buy an asset at a price…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mauboussin/edge-also-implies-what-ben-graham-called-a-margin-of-safety-you-have/)

[Michael Mauboussin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mauboussin/)

> [I would spend hours absorbing every intonation, every inflection - how the singer would convey a sentiment and how it would sound coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-edmonson/i-would-spend-hours-absorbing-every-intonation-every-inflection-how/)

[Kat Edmonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-edmonson/)

> [The nut of this tree is hung high aloft, wrapped in a silk wrapper, which is enclosed in a case of sole leather, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-de-camoes/the-nut-of-this-tree-is-hung-high-aloft-wrapped-in-a-silk-wrapper/)

[Luis de Camoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-de-camoes/)

> [The habit of quietly absorbing the shocks will be quite a great help to stabilize pure awareness. The technique is: Just feel not disturbed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/the-habit-of-quietly-absorbing-the-shocks-will-be-quite-a-great-help/)

[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/)

> [It's hard to pick. I mean, I think the one that is most emblematic of the collaboration that occurred is "We Know The Way."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/it-s-hard-to-pick-i-mean-i-think-the-one-that-is-most-emblematic-of/)

[Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/)

> [Babies breathe a lot more rapidly than adults do, and what's more, they're also growing quickly and so they're absorbing lots more into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/babies-breathe-a-lot-more-rapidly-than-adults-do-and-what-s-more-they/)

[Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/)

> [Where does the ego get its energy? The ego feeds off your desire to be something else. You are poor and you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/where-does-the-ego-get-its-energy-the-ego-feeds-off-your-desire-to-be/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [I know "accessibility" is a term that's kind of thrown around wantonly today, especially with talking about visual media. But I think that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-powell/i-know-accessibility-is-a-term-that-s-kind-of-thrown-around-wantonly/)

[Nate Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-powell/)

> [I've always looked at directing as the next step for me in my creative career, and after spending the better part of the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-next-step-for-me-in-my/)

[Ian Anthony Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anthony-dale/)

> [In anything fit to be called by the name of reading, the process itself should be absorbing and voluptuous; we should gloat over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/in-anything-fit-to-be-called-by-the-name-of-reading-the-process/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [Inside you're like some kind of mirror, reflecting everything without absorbing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-j-deikman/inside-you-re-like-some-kind-of-mirror-reflecting-everything-without/)

[Arthur J. Deikman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-j-deikman/)

> [There are two kinds of actors -- one sits in a dressing room waiting for his call and the other gets out into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/there-are-two-kinds-of-actors-one-sits-in-a-dressing-room-waiting-for/)

[Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/)

Browse all 189 Absorbing quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When the children had completed an absorbing bit of work, they appeared rested and deeply pleased. It almost seemed as if a road had opened up within their souls that led to all their latent powers, revealing the better part of themselves. They exhibited a great affability to everyone, put themselves out to help others and seemed full of good will.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Maria Montessori"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/when-the-children-had-completed-an-absorbing-bit-of-work-they/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Absorbing"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/when-the-children-had-completed-an-absorbing-bit-of-work-they/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/maria-montessori-709_absorbing_when-the-children-had-completed-an-absor_2655692.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/maria-montessori-709_absorbing_when-the-children-had-completed-an-absor_2655692.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/maria-montessori-709_absorbing_when-the-children-had-completed-an-absor_2655692.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When the children had completed an absorbing bit of work, they appeared rested and deeply pleased. It almost…” — Maria Montessori",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Maria Montessori",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When the children had completed an...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/when-the-children-had-completed-an-absorbing-bit-of-work-they/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/when-the-children-had-completed-an-absorbing-bit-of-work-they/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
