When we accept any discipline for ourselves, we try to avoid everything except that which is necessary for our purpose; it is this purposefulness, which belongs to the adult mind, that we force upon school children. We say, "Never keep your mind alert, attend to what is before you, what has been given you." This tortures the child because it contradicts nature’s purpose, and nature, the greatest of all teachers, is thwarted at every step by the human teacher who believes in machine-made lessons rather than life lessons, so that the growth of the child’s mind is not only injured, but forcibly spoiled. Children should be surrounded with the things of nature which have their own educational value. Their minds should be allowed to stumble upon and be surprised at everything that happens in today’s life; the new tomorrow will stimulate their attention with new facts of life.  Rabindranath Tagore quotes Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. Benjamin Franklin quotes Do you want my one-word secret of happiness? It's growth - mental, financial, you name it. Harold S. Geneen quotes The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. Harvey S. Firestone quotes Our consciousness rarely registers the beginning of a growth within us any more than without us; there have been many circulations of the sap before we detect the smallest sign of the bud. George Eliot quotes It seems that fears are all based on these things: illusion and future thinking, with a side order of 'What if.' 'What if that truck turns suddenly into our lane' 'What if I'm all alone at age 80?' What if? What if? What if? Yes, fears must be respected and learned about, but they must not paralyze us, or lure us into a half-life of being afraid all the time. I liked to think of my fears being driven away in a Rolls Royce (for it is true that once you face a fear, it loses all of its stuffing, and will sit quietly in the back seat and do as it's told.) I feel that fears drive us away from our true selves--innocent beings. I used to live in denial of my fears, and try to cover them up with a 'happy face.' I now see that my greatest growth is happening with an acceptance of my fears, of giving them voices and learning new ways to deal with them. Anonymous quotes Change is inevitable, growth is intentional. Anonymous quotes Ambition is the germ from which all growth of nobleness proceeds. Anonymous quotes Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown. Anonymous quotes Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely. Anonymous quotes | 
