John Amos Comenius

education young words sentences open live stream spring

"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."

—John Amos Comenius (1592-1670)

teach learn himself insight

"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."

—John Amos Comenius (1592-1670)

school manufatory humanity

"The school is the manufactory of humanity."

—John Amos Comenius (1592-1670)

learn play use demand circumstance

"Much can be learned in play that will afterwards be of use when the circumstances demand it."

—John Amos Comenius (1592-1670)

children rich powerful school

"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"

—John Amos Comenius (1592-1670)

end view humanity selfishness religion language nation

"Let us have but one end in view, the welfare of humanity; and let us put aside all selfishness in consideration of language, nationality, or religion."

—John Amos Comenius (1592-1670)

hundred years complaint school remain

"For more than a hundred years much complaint has been made of the unmethodical way in which schools are conducted, but it is only within the last thirty that any serious attempt has been made to find a remedy for this state of things. And with what result? Schools remain exactly as they were."

—John Amos Comenius (1592-1670)

desire learn see hear new pleasurefresh experience

"Who is there that does not always desire to see, hear, or handle something new? To whom is it not a pleasure to go to some new place daily, to converse with someone, to narrate something, or have some fresh experience? In a word, the eyes, the ears, the sense of touch, the mind itself, are, in their search for food, ever carried beyond themselves; for to an active nature nothing is so intolerable as sloth."

—John Amos Comenius (1592-1670)

learn lifelong knowledge life live

"If, in each hour, a man could learn a single fragment of some branch of knowledge, a single rule of some mechanical art, a single pleasing story or proverb (the acquisition of which would require no effort), what a vast stock of learning he might lay by. Seneca is therefore right when he says: "Life is long, if we know how to use it." It is consequently of importance that we understand the art of making the very best use of our lives."

—John Amos Comenius (1592-1670)