from the foreword by Margaret E. Stephenson: There is, in reality, only the child, of all times, of all races, heir to tradition, hander-on of history, crucible of culture, pathway to peace. xvii

sensitive period [before intellectual victories/reasoning processes, toil of research]: A child has a special interior vitality which accounts for the miraculous manner in which he makes his natural conquests...

intellectual calm...calm is more than mere lack of nervousness: "But there is here a question of a deeper calm, an empty, or better, unencumbered state that is a source of inner clarity. This calm consists in a spiritual humility and intellectual purity necessary for the understanding of a child, and which, as a consequence, must be found in a teacher. (167)

instinct to work, "builds himself through working...builds himself by carrying out manual labor in which he uses his hands as the instruments of his personality and as an expression of his intellect and will helping him to dominate his environment...source of great satisfaction and a principle of health and regeneration...lost proper motives for work--> forced labor, seems hard and repugnant