Quelques autres citations de cet enseignant-philosophe:
"Il agit donc sottement celui qui s'épuise à vouloir enseigner aux élèves, non pas autant que ceux-ci peuvent savoir, mais autant qu'il désire qu'ils sachent." / "Let the main object... to seek and to find a method of instruction, by which teachers may teach less, but learners learn more."
"Aristotle compared the mind of man to a blank tablet on which nothing was written, but on which all things could be engraved. … There is, however, this difference, that on the tablet the writing is limited by space, while in the case of the mind, you may continually go on writing and engraving without finding any boundary, because, as has already been shown, the mind is without limit."
"Much can be learned in play that will afterwards be of use when the circumstances demand it." / "The proper education of the young does not consist in stuffing their heads with a mass of words, sentences, and ideas dragged together out of various authors, but in opening up their understanding to the outer world, so that a living stream may flow from their own minds, just as leaves, flowers, and fruit spring from the bud on a tree." [on pense à Platon: "N'éduquez pas un enfant en lui apprenant de force, ou durement, mais en mêlant l'étude à leur jeux, afin d'être encore plus capable d'apercevoir quelles sont les inclinations naturelles de chacun."]
"Trois choses donnent à l'élève la possibilité de dépasser le maître: poser beaucoup de questions, retenir les réponses, enseigner." / "Three things give the student the possibility of surpassing his teacher: ask a lot of questions, remember the answers, teach."
"The saying "He who teaches others, teaches himself" is very true, not only because constant repetition impresses a fact indelibly on the mind, but because the process of teaching itself gives deeper insight into the subject taught."
"We are all citizens of one world, we are all of one blood. To hate people because they were born in another country, because they speak a different language, or because they take a different view on this subject or that, is a great folly. Desist, I implore you, for we are all equally human. . . . Let us have but one end in view: the welfare of humanity."
"Les riches sans sagesse sont-ils autre chose que porcs engraissés par le son? Les pauvres qui ne comprennent rien, que sont-ils, sinon des ânes malheureux condamnés à porter la charge?" / "Not the children of the rich or of the powerful only, but of all alike, boys and girls, both noble and ignoble, rich and poor, in all cities and towns, villages and hamlets, should be sent to school."
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