In case it is not obvious, whilst many of these quotations are consistent with Taking Children Seriously, many of them are not. Sometimes it is just interesting that that person said it, or it is interesting for some other reason.
“In the unhappy home, discipline is used as a weapon of hate, and obedience becomes a virtue. Children are chattels, things owned, and they must be a credit to their owners. […] It is the self-disapproving parent who believes in strict discipline. […] The adult has striven for perfection in his own life, has failed miserably to reach it, and now attempts to find it in his children.”
– A. S. Neill, 1960, Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Child Rearing, Chapter 2: Child rearing, p. 286
“The battle for youth is one with the gloves off. None of us can be neutral. We must take one side or the other: authority or freedom; discipline or self-government. No half measures will do. The situation is too urgent.”
– A. S. Neill, 1960, Summerhill, Chapter 5: Children’s problems, p. 296
“How can happiness be bestowed? My own answer is: Abolish authority. Let the child be himself. Don’t push him around. Don’t teach him. Don’t lecture him. Don’t elevate him. Don’t force him to do anything. It may not be your answer. But if you reject my answer, it is incumbent on you to find a better one.”
– A. S. Neill, 1960, Summerhill, Chapter 5: Children’s problems, p. 297
Return to alphabetical index of Quotations pages
Taking Children Seriously, ‘Quotations N’, https://takingchildrenseriously.com/quotations/